EAST LANSING – Michigan State men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo announced the addition of Saddi Washington to his coaching staff this morning.
“I’m very excited to welcome Saddi to our staff and to bring him back home to the Lansing area,” Izzo said in a statement.
“I’ve known him since he was in junior high school, where he had Doug Herner as a teacher, and I’ve had a great relationship with him and his family for a long, long time. Obviously, he’s got some deep ties at Michigan State as his parents and his brother are all alums and his father, Stan, was one of the greats of our program.”
The Lansing-native will join Jon Borovich, Austin Thorton and Thomas Kelley as an assistant coach. Izzo also announced that Doug Wojcik has been promoted to associate head coach.
Washington comes to MSU from the University of Michigan. He spent eight years with the Wolverines and previously coached at Oakland from 2006 until 2016.
“Saddi is not only a real and genuine person, but he’s an incredible coach who has had a great career working for some great people, from my good friend Greg Kampe at Oakland and to his last eight years at Michigan, under both John Beilein and Juwan Howard,” Izzo said.
“He’s an outstanding teacher with a great basketball IQ and has been recognized as a great recruiter, in and out of Michigan.”
At Michigan, Washington guided the Wolverines to 176 wins and a program record of 33 wins during the 2017-18 season, the same season when they were the national runner-ups.
Previously at Oakland, he began as an assistant coach and was promoted to associate head coach in 2013, working under head coach Greg Kampe.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with and for some great coaches throughout my career,” Washington said in a statement. “I’m really looking forward to working with Hall of Fame Coach Tom Izzo alongside a great staff. I’ve followed the Michigan State program since I was a kid and saw first-hand how Coach Izzo has built and sustained excellence. I understand how important it is to the community, the University and the alumni. I’m excited to get going.”
With the Grizzles, Washington helped lead them to 198 wins and five 20-plus win seasons.
Oakland made back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament and in 2010 and 2011, won two straight Summit League regular-season and conference tournament titles.
Washington had a seven-year professional career in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and overseas. He was the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 1998 CBA Draft by the Grand Rapids Hoops and played overseas in Italy, France, Greece and Israel. In 2001, Washington was a member of the Detroit Dogs of the American Basketball Association (ABA).
Prior to his professional career, Washington graduated from Western Michigan University in 1988 and prepped at Lansing Sexton High School. He was inducted into the WMU Hall of Fame.
In 2005, following his professional career, he began his coaching career serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Romulus High School under current Alabama head coach Nate Oats.
Washington’s father, Stan, is a former Spartan whose accolades run deep in East Lansing. He ranks No. 33 all-time in scoring at MSU with 1,242 points and had a career scoring average of 18.0, ranking No. 6 all-time and ranks No. 5 all-time with a 10.5 rebound average.
“I’m very thankful to join the program at Michigan State and to come back home,” Washington said. “My family and I are excited for this move and becoming a Spartan is a bit of a full-circle moment for me since my parents and my youngest brother are MSU alums. I grew up down the road in Lansing, coming to watch games at Jenison Field House and my father is one of the original ‘Spartan Dawgs,’ so it is surreal for me to carry on his legacy.”
