Michigan State men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo announced the addition of Saddi Washington, a Lansing native and the son of former Spartan great Stan Washington, to his staff as an assistant coach.
In addition to Washington’s arrival, Izzo announced other staff promotions, with Doug Wojcik being elevated to associate head coach, while Jon Borovich and Austin Thornton were both named assistant coaches, joining Thomas Kelley in that role.
“I’m very excited to welcome Saddi to our staff and to bring him back home to the Lansing area,” Izzo said. “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.
“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. He’s an outstanding teacher with a great basketball IQ and has been recognized as a great recruiter, in and out of Michigan.
“We’re excited to welcome Saddi back home and to have his wife, Channon, and their two kids, Sidney and Caleb, as part of the Spartan Family.”
Washington joins the Michigan State program with nearly two decades of coaching experience, including the last eight years at Michigan.
“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.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with and for some great coaches throughout my career, from my playing days at Western Michigan with Bob Donewald, to working for Greg Kampe at Oakland and then during my time at Michigan with John Beilein and Juwan Howard. 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.”
While at Michigan, Washington was responsible for working with the team’s wings and big men and coordinated defensive strategies, helping guide the Wolverines to 176 wins, including a program-record 33 during the 2017-18 season when they closed the season with a national runner-up finish.
Prior to his arrival at UM, Washington spent a decade with Oakland University (2006-16) in Rochester. For the first seven seasons, he served as an assistant before a 2013 promotion elevated him to associate head coach. Working under Oakland’s legendary coach Greg Kampe, the Grizzlies compiled 198 wins, with five 20-plus win seasons during Washington’s tenure.
The Grizzlies made back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament after winning two straight Summit League regular-season and conference tournament titles (2010, ’11). During the course of those two seasons, Oakland was 34-2 in conference play as the Grizzlies recorded back-to-back 17-1 win league records.
Following a seven-year professional career overseas and in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), Washington started his coaching career serving as a volunteer assistant coach at MHSAA powerhouse Romulus High School (2005) under head coach Nate Oats, who is currently the head coach at Alabama.
As a professional, Washington was the No. 1-overall draft pick in the 1998 CBA Draft by the Grand Rapids Hoops, while also having professional stints in Italy, France, Greece and Israel. In 2001, he was a member of the Detroit Dogs of the American Basketball Association (ABA) that went on to win the league’s inaugural championship.
Washington graduated from Western Michigan University in 1998, double majoring in business management and marketing. While in Kalamazoo, Washington was a star for the Broncos on the court, earning All-Freshman team honors in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in 1994 and then earned second team (1997) and first team honors (1998). As a senior in 1998, he helped guide the team to a 21-8 record with a team-best 626 points (21.6 ppg), while adding 4.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists as the Broncos earned a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament and upset No. 6 seed Clemson for the program’s first D1 NCAA Tournament win.
A two-time MAC All-Academic selection (1997-98), Washington played in 102 games, finishing with 1,688 points (16.5 ppg), 413 rebounds (4.0 rpg) and 258 assists (2.5 apg). He still ranks among Western Michigan’s all-time top-10 in seven categories – points (1,688; 6th), steals (173; 5th), minutes per game (32.7; 2nd), field goals made (575; 5th), field goal attempts (1,323; 5th), free throws made (394; 7th) and free throw attempts (505; 9th). In 2010, he was inducted into the WMU Hall of Fame.
A native of Lansing, Mich., Washington prepped at Lansing Sexton High School, where he was a four-year letterwinner in basketball and track & field, receiving all-state recognition in both sports.
He and his wife, Channon, have two children — daughter, Sidney, and son, Caleb.
Washington’s late father, Stan, ranks No. 33 all-time in scoring at MSU with 1,242 points. He averaged 18.0 points and 10.5 points from 1964-66 and was a three-time All-Big Ten selection, earning third team honors in 1964, second team in 1965 and first team in 1966. His career scoring average (18.0) ranks No. 6 all-time, while he ranks No. 5 all-time in rebound average (10.5 rpg).
