BTN.com staff, February 25, 2012

Michigan State?s legendary Jud Heathcote, who led the Spartans to 339 wins in 19 seasons as the head men?s basketball coach, was profiled Saturday in a new episode of Big Ten Icons, presented by Discover. Hosted by Hall of Fame broadcaster Keith Jackson, the show included new one-on-one interviews with Heathcote; Michigan State coach Tom Izzo; award-winning journalists Jack Ebling and Dan Wetzel; former MSU All-American Greg Kelser and others.

Heathcote led Michigan State to three Big Ten championships and nine NCAA Tournaments, highlighted by four Sweet 16 appearances, two berths in the Elite 8 and the 1979 national title. After arriving in East Lansing in 1976, Heathcote quickly established a new basketball culture by adapting his team?s style to his players? talent. This hallmark coaching philosophy was perhaps most evident when he recruited a 6?9 Lansing native to play point guard.

"Magic Johnson was not looking at Michigan State that hard until Jud Heathcote said, ?You come play for me, you can be a point guard,'" Wetzel said. "That was the game changer. It didn?t just change Magic Johnson. It didn?t just change Michigan State. It changed basketball forever."

Heathcote developed seven All-Americans before stepping away from the MSU sidelines in 1995. Before retiring, he left one final, indelible mark on the program by insisting that then-assistant coach Tom Izzo be named his successor.

"He helped me develop as a coach while he was still the coach, and most people wouldn?t do that," Izzo said. "I really appreciated that. He helped me grow, and I think that?s why we had success when I got the job."