EAST LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — Tom Izzo and the Michigan State men's basketball team has hired Saddi Washington as an assistant coach, according to a release from the program.
Washington has nearly two decades of coaching experience, spending the last eight seasons with the Michigan Wolverines, serving as an assistant under both John Beilein and Juwan Howard. In his time with the Wolverines, he helped Michigan to 176 wins, including a preogram- record 33 wins in the 2017-18 season when the Wolverines made the National Championship game.
Before coaching at Michigan, Washington got his coaching career started at Romulus High School under Nate Oats, now the head coach of the men's basketball program at Alabama. After that, he spent a decade at Oakland University (2006-16) working under Oakland legend Greg Kampe, starting as an assistant before being elevated to associate head coach in 2013. In his time in Rochester, Washington helped the Golden Grizzlies to 198 wins, including five seasons with 20 wins or more.
"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 in the release. "He's an outstanding teacher with a great basketball IQ and has been recognized as a great recruiter, in and out of Michigan."
Washington is a Michigander through and through, playing high school basketball at Lansing Sexton before playing four years at Western Michigan University and graduating from WMU in 1998. After earning a few MAC honors with the Broncos and helping them to their first DI NCAA tournament win in 1998-99, Washington played in the CBA with Grand Rapids, the ABA with the Detroit Dogs, and international stints in Italy, France, Greece and Israel.
Washington has a connection to Michigan State, as his late father, Stan, ranks 33rd all-time in scoring at MSU and was a three-time All-Big Ten selection (1964-66).
"I'm very thankful to join the program at Michigan State and to come back home," Washington said in part in the release. "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."
