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Ex-MSU coach Heathcote has split loyalties tonight

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 23, 2001

ATLANTA -- Jud Heathcote is a Gonzaga season-ticket holder. Chances are, though, he'll be rooting for Michigan State.

Heathcote coached Magic Johnson and the Spartans to the 1979 national championship. After retiring six years ago, he moved to Spokane, Wash., and became a Gonzaga fan.

He attends most of the games, often stops by practice and meets once a week with coach Mark Few for lunch at Jack and Dan's, a tavern owned by NBA star John Stockton's father.

"He jumped on me at fall practice when I passed up an open three," Gonzaga star Dan Dickau said Thursday. "He was yelling at me like a coach. It was kind of funny."

Few doesn't mind Heathcote hanging around the Gonzaga program but has little doubt the former coach will be cheering for his old school tonight.

"He was the main reason we came straight to Atlanta," said a tongue-in-cheek Few, whose team didn't return home after advancing from the subregion in Memphis, Tenn. "I didn't want him sneaking around, scouting our practices for Michigan State."

COACHING FUTURES: Few and Penn State's Jerry Dunn weren't in the mood to discuss their coaching futures.

Few is one of the hot names in the business after leading the Bulldogs to a 52-15 record in two seasons, both times reaching the NCAA's round of 16.

"I don't think about that stuff at all," Few said. "I'm just dialed into somehow finding a way to be successful (today)."

Dunn, on the other hand, may have saved his job with the Nittany Lions after reaching the tournament for the first time since 1996.

But his contract expires after the season.

"I really haven't talked about my contract the entire season and I won't choose to do so now," he said. "Any time you're in this business, there's going to be speculation any and every year. That's the nature of our society. You have to learn to deal with that."

Tom Izzo, who is on firm footing at Michigan State, said he's concerned about schools such as Tennessee that have forced out winning coaches.

"I think it's a joke," Izzo said. "But we're to blame for it, too. Coaches want high salaries and long-term contracts. . . . The more money we make, the more pressure we put on ourselves."

After winning last year's national title, Izzo turned down a lucrative deal from the Atlanta Hawks.

MEDICAL REPORT: Two of Michigan State's top players were feeling better. Jason Richardson, the team's leading scorer, was struck by either a 24-hour virus or food poisoning, while Andre Hutson has been bothered by a sore right shoulder.

"They should be fine," Izzo said.

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