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Tom Izzo shares high praise for departing MSU assistant, former player Dwayne Stephens landing Western Michigan job

Andrew Olson

By Andrew Olson

Published:

Tom Izzo says Western Michigan has made a fantastic hire in Dwayne Stephens. News broke Monday that Stephens, who played at MSU when Izzo was an assistant and later joined his staff in 2003, will be the next head coach at Western Michigan.

Izzo shared a lengthy statement Monday with high praise for his former player and long-time assistant:

“To say that I’m happy for Dwayne to get the opportunity to be a head coach and run the program at Western Michigan would be a vast understatement. Dwayne has been more than ready to run his own program for a long time and I think Western Michigan is getting an all-star. Dwayne is a terrific basketball coach and a great person who will be a tremendous leader for their program.

“I’ve known DJ since his playing and even then, you could tell he would be an exceptional coach because he is an outstanding worker and a high achiever. We’ve seen that since the day he started here. He has a great understanding of the game and he has an ability to extend that to the young men he coaches.

“For nearly 20 years, DJ was our defensive coordinator. He gets it, he understands it, he’s very analytical and he has a great understanding of the X’s and O’s. He’s not only a great recruiter, but he’s a very good coach who has helped me with so many things throughout the years.

“I can’t tell you how much we will miss his presence here, but this is a great opportunity for him and we are so happy for Dwayne, his wife Sarah, his kids Taylor, Skylar and Noah. Western Michigan is getting a great man, a wonderful family and a coach who I think will be a perfect fit for their program.”

Stephens completed his 19th season as a Michigan State assistant coach and 10th as associate head coach.

Andrew Olson

A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.