Ex-Michigan State guard Ishbia to donate $32M to athletics

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State said Thursday that former Spartans basketball player Mat Ishbia has committed to donating a record $32 million to the athletic department.

Ishbia was a walk-on guard for the Spartans for their 2000 national championship team under coach Tom Izzo. He graduated from Michigan State's Eli Broad College of Business in 2003.

“This donation is not about me," Ishbia said. “This is to give credit to and thank coach Tom Izzo, the business school and Michigan State University for the incredible impact they have had on my life."

Ishbia is the chairman, president and CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage.

He is committing $20 million to improve the football training facility and has requested its expansion along with naming the school's basketball court after Izzo. Ishbia is also contributing $2 million to a fund set up to assist the basketball program, giving Izzo the discretion to use the donation as he wishes.

“Like me, he’s been lucky enough to live his dreams," Izzo said. “Today he’s helping countless Spartans to live theirs."

___

More AP college basketball: http://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25