Why did Tom Izzo freak out on Aaron Henry?

Tom Izzo is an intense coach, but it caught many by surprise when he completely lost it on freshman Aaron Henry, to the point where he had to be held back.

Michigan State Spartan freshman Aaron Henry is either going to be a tougher player or scared for life by Tom Izzo after the encounter he had in the first round of the NCAA Tournament vs. Bradley.

In the middle of a 10-0 Spartans run that got MSU back in the game, Izzo called a timeout and laid into Henry. It was like an angry dad yelling at their kid for not putting their toys away.

Now, we don’t know what Henry did to get Izzo that upset, but Izzo was blood red, and it was all caught on camera.

https://twitter.com/DFSBBallGuy/status/1108828817425088512

This wasn’t a typical coach-screams-at-player moment, either. Izzo had to be separated from Henry by his own players, and the tirade continued in the timeout, where, as you’ll see below, he lounged at Henry, with the players, again, having to hold Izzo back.

https://twitter.com/Jttomiyama/status/1108828795438395392

I know that the NCAA Tournament can be intense, and for a school like Michigan State, the stakes and expectations are always high during Tournament time. However, this was something we haven’t seen since Bobby Knight was roaming the sideline, and it was even stranger to see Izzo get that angry.

This could do one of two things to Henry. It could make him a better player, as it will light a fire under him that could carry the Spartans throughout the Tournament. Or, it could ruin his confidence, which would be detrimental to MSU.

No one knows for sure how this transpired, but it did, and it could have major implications for the Spartans going forward if they are able to survive this test they’re getting from the Bradley Braves.

Should Michigan State lose, it would mark the second time since 2016 that the Spartans lost to a No. 15 seed (Middle Tennessee State, 2016). That’s not going to get Izzo to calm down.