In the first significant shakeup to his staff in quite some time, Tom Izzo has hired three former Spartans, including two former team captains, to join him in East Lansing.
“This is the first time we’ve had some change in our staff in a while," Izzo said Monday in a press release, "but I think we have some great experience and it means even more when former players want to return to campus to be a part of building our future."
The most prominent returnee is also the youngest: Matt McQuaid, co-captain of the 2018-19 team that reached the Final Four. McQuaid, who spent the past season playing for the G League affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers, will serve as assistant director of basketball operations at his alma mater.
"He'll be a great addition and someone who can relate to our players," Izzo said. "I think this is the start of what could be a great career for Matt."
Izzo also hired Mark Montgomery as director of recruiting and Austin Thornton as video coordinator.
Montgomery, a four-year guard from 1988-92 and an assistant coach under Izzo from 2002-11, returns to Michigan State after a 10-year stint as head coach at Northern Illinois.
Thornton, a four-year guard from 2008-12 and a co-captain of the 2011-12 team that won the Big Ten, was a grad assistant under Izzo from 2015-17 and last year served as the head coach of the boys basketball team at Sparta High.
The shakeup to Izzo's staff comes during an offseason in which longtime assistant coach Dan Fife left to take an assistant job at Indiana and former director of operations David Thomas left to pursue a new career.
Former recruiting director Doug Wojcik will take Fife's spot on the sidelines, while executive assistant Garrett Briningstool, previously a recruiter for the football program under Mark Dantonio, will take over for Thomas.
Izzo said Dwayne Stephens, "one of our mainstays," will continue in his role as associate head coach "while overseeing the entire staff and bringing together a group I am really excited to work with as we start the new season.”