AUBURN HILLS -- Tom Izzo was with his own draft hopefuls in New York on Thursday but the Michigan State coach was keeping an eye on what happened with the Detroit Pistons.
When the Pistons used their No. 18 pick on Marquette's Henry Ellenson, a native of Rice Lake, Wis., Izzo naturally had an opinion on the forward-center and took to text message to express it.
The recipient, Pistons czar Stan Van Gundy.
"He said it's a great pick, he tried to recruit him hard," Van Gundy recounted. "And then he said, 'I just talked to his parents, I told him you were a great coach, so now don't screw it up.