Assistant Coach Thomas Kelley Talks About Life as a Player & Coach and This Year’s Team

The Final Four Is Not On The Schedule - A Podcast Discussing Michigan State Basketball.

December 15, 2022: Assistant Coach Thomas Kelley joined the Michigan State staff this June after Dwayne Stephens left to take over the Western Michigan program. Kelley played for MSU from 1994-1999 under both Jud Heathcote and Tom Izzo. After playing professionally in Europe for 15 seasons he returned to East Lansing to take a graduate assistant position in 2016.

Although Kelley never played in the NBA, he has years of experience playing as a professional where the pressures were different than in the United States. Aside from the differences in rules, experiencing the fans was totally unique where he tells stories of playing with stands full of lit fireworks and the need for plexiglass to protect the opposing players. He feels that many of the lessons he learned about being a pro translate into things he can bring as a coach with young players today.

We also discuss what it was like coaching on the aircraft carrier, the things most important for the team in this light stretch of games before January, and why being a player led team is so important.

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