by Kent Sterling
Tom Crean’s closing during his radio show last night has Indiana fans wondering about the future.
Strange days in Bloomington.
Hard to figure out what is going to happen next, but Tom Crean may have foreshadowed the next shoe to drop with his sign off to Indiana University voice Don Fischer, “There is a lot of great honors you can get in any walk of life, but especially in coaching basketball, but being able to partner up with you the last seven years, being able to be in here with you this year, to be at this podium with you, I’d put that right at the top, and I’m dead serious. So thank you, for everything.””
Does that sound like a guy committed to returning or saying goodbye?
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Time will tell, and if Wichita State is able to end the Hoosiers season Friday at 5p-ish, fans may not have long to wait to find out.
People generally don’t say goodbye unless they are leaving, and when Crean spoke about the “last seven years,” ears across Indiana perked up. It was kind of like seeing your gravestone with the year of death carved into the marble.
There are so many divergent opinions about Crean as the leader of the most important job at Indiana University that gauging the joy, sorrow, ambivalence, hope, disdain, and optimism that might accompany the departure of the latest coach to fail to thrill the difficult-to-satisfy Hoosiers fan base is like catching a ball of water.
For those who wish Crean gone, the question remains who might be willing to replace him. Indiana is not a top five national job, and it might not be a top five job in the Big Ten.
Put yourself in the shoes of a candidate, and evaluate the Big Ten’s basketball programs. Is Indiana better than Michigan State? No. How about Wisconsin? Nope. Ohio State? The Buckeyes are flush and can spend without fear of running the well dry. Michigan? Same thing. Rutgers, Northwestern, Penn State, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, and Purdue are at the other end of the spectrum. IU has an edge in history over Iowa and Maryland, but in terms of the last decade, they are pretty close.
Candidates are not going to be swayed by, “But this is Indiana!” They need cash, resources, and a light of success at the end of a short tunnel to consider a change.
Minus Fred Glass emptying his wallet ($6-million/year?) on a rainmaker like Brad Stevens, what candidate who would unify and please Hoosier Nation will take the job? Sean Miller? No chance he’s leaving Tucson for Bloomington. Fred Holberg? His end game is an NBA gig. Tony Bennett? He refused to interview for some NBA jobs and makes over $2-million in salary and bonuses at a place where he and his family have roots. Will $4-million make pry him from Charlottesville?
Gregg Marshall? No chance Indiana brings that cantankerous but successful guy to Bloomington. As nutty and difficult Crean can be, people in Wichita are far less kind in describing Marshall. Shaka Smart, Archie Miller, Bobby Hurley? Hurley is kind of interesting. Winning at Buffalo isn’t easy.
One thing for sure, Glass can’t afford to hire “a guy” because his equity has been drained due to the extension he negotiated with Crean that includes a wacky buyout of $12-million. Indiana needs to replace Crean with THE right guy, or why replace him at all?
The tone at the end of Crean’s radio show was ominous, but potentially meaningless. It did drive forward the story of Crean potentially accepting another job, which would seem a silly choice for Crean to consciously make if he isn’t going to leave.
The doubts about the direction of Indiana’s program are certainly not helping Crean recruit to Indiana, and would seem to make longterm survival less certain.
Crean is a very savvy user of the media, and is very aware of what he says to it, which is why the comments yesterday are being taken seriously.
What he said last night was yet another set of tea leaves that point toward one potential outcome, but reading too much into it will either bring you joy or disappointment depending upon which side of the Tom Crean fence you currently stand.
Not a Top 5 program in the Big 10? Are you kidding me?
Ahead of whom does Indiana rank in your mind? And why.
I would put them comfortably ahead of Rutgers, Penn State, Illinois, Minnesota, Northwestern, Nebraska, and Purdue. Ahead of Indiana is Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Michigan. Maryland and Iowa are parallel. I’m not talking about historical significance. This is about current ability to win based upon recent history.
That is so stupid Kent. Is that what they said at Alabama before they got Saban?
Yes-and at Kentucky before they got Calipari.
They sold out Assembly Hall for 3 years when Crean was winning less than 3 games a year, that’s not a top 5 program, give me a break. You think Ohio State would sell out if Thad were posting 15 win seasons, hell no I watched a recent game and there were many open seats.
That says a lot about the Indiana fans and their willingness to buy tickets for a mediocre product. Has a little to do with the quality of the program as the fans’ passion is really what has kept the ship afloat for the past 17 years.
Quality of the program does not mean winning Kent.
Your trying to add objectivity to something that is really more subjective. Indiana fans love iu win or lose and that is only measure by an Indiana fan. We have a way of winning and even a way of losing and we are one of the most basketball educated fan groups in the nation. Indiana has kept basketball in general afloat much more than 17 yrs – more like a 100 years. Your relative lack of knowledge about the game of basketball is really transparent which makes you just a “mediocre” product.
Explain what “we have a way of winning and even a way of losing” means and enlighten me as a man who possesses “a relative lack of knowledge about the game of basketball.”
And why is mediocre in quotes?
What does, “Indiana has kept basketball in general afloat much more than 17 yrs – more like a 100 years” refer to, and what does it mean?
I’m so sick of this IU isn’t a top 5 program anymore, is that what they said at Alabama before they got Saban? Really stupid and kind of a big excuse if you ask me.
It isn’t a top five program. What would lead a sane person to believe it’s a top five program? The last 20 years tell a story that does not describe a top five program. Can it be again? Sure. The resources are there. But if you were a kid who had offers everywhere and in the process of deciding where to go, you would have Indiana on your short list?
It pays like at least a top 10 program Kent!!!
IU’s brand based on history does matter when it comes to winning. That’s how Crean is able to recruit guys like Vonleh or Troy Williams that aren’t local. The passion of the fans does matter when they come to a visit and are impressed with the environment at Assembly Hall and think it would be a fun place to play. The local talent in Indiana is always flush. Many of OSU, Michigan and MSU’s best players over the year have been poached from Indiana. The talent base will always be here since it’s a basketball state.
Wisconsin has been successful for years with Bo Ryan at the helm. Will it be once he retires? It’s more of a football school. Michigan and Ohio State clearly are football schools.
Only Michigan State can even put up an argument and will it surely be successful once Izzo retires? Knight recruited many McDonald’s All Americans at the tail end of his tenure, Davis brought in many top recruits, Ditto Sampson and Ditto Crean. Any halfway decent recruiter can bring top talent to IU.
In my opinion, IU basketball is going through a spell like Oklahoma football did prior to hiring Bob Stoops. Tradition, high level of fan support/passion, local talent, a brand that means something. IU just needs to bring in that right guy to tie it all together.
Amen, Crean can’t even recruit Indiana anymore. He got lucky with Blackmon but after Cody the flood gates should have opened up. Why are we recruiting 3 star guys from Missouri? It makes no sense. The high school coaching is the best right here.
What does the ability of the Michigans, Michigan States, and Ohio States coming into Indiana and “poaching” kids tell you about the esteem with which IU is held? I hope you’re right that IU’s greatness can be re-launched.
It tells us the coaching at IU SUCKS and the high school coaches in Indiana know it. You know how you change it, go out and kick everyone’s ass in the big ten that’s how then you tell that kid that went to Michigan “you know what you went to the wrong school.” How has Urban Meyer changed Ohio State?
Kent, I can’t tell if you’re just trying to be a contrarian as stirring the pot is part of your job or if you’re being genuine here. The esteem with which Indiana is being held doesn’t matter. What matters is that the talent is there. That’s part of what makes the IU job an attractive one along with the other factors I mentioned previously.
Maybe Don Fischer is not coming back?
I thought that at first, but I know someone who knows Don well and they said they’ll pry the microphone from his dead hand before he stops calling IU basketball. IU Football play by play might be another story soon, but he’ll call basketball until he is no longer living.
IU not being a top five Big Ten school is so off target its not funny! With the right leadership, IU is the #1 Men’s basketball school in the Big Ten! It has been that way since the 70’s. Michigan State has an argument and possibly Wisconsin, based on the last 20 years. At worst IU is the third best job in the conference.
14. Rutgers
13. Penn State
12. Northwestern
11. Nebraska
10. Minnesota
9, Iowa
8. Illinois
7. Maryland
6. Michigan
5. Purdue
4. Ohio State
3. Indiana
2. Wisconsin
1. Michigan State
Kent is mistaking a lack of winning as a decline in the program, those two things are not equal. So I guess Alabama wasn’t a top 5 program when Florida with Urban Meyer was cleaning up in the SEC, see that makes no sense Kent.
I would say it was that way in the 1970s, not since the 70s. A top five job is different from a top five program. The value of the job is determined by the $$ attached to the job as much as anything else. That is negotiable but not unique. Any school could choose to overpay a coach to hire a solid one. The Indiana program might squeak into the top five of the Big Ten with a generous appraisal. One championship in 20 years does not impress the impartial.
So when the Alabama Football Program went 171-104 in the years after Paul Bryant to the years until Saban the Alabama Football program was not a top 5 program anymore. That is the most INSANE (your words Kent) that I’ve ever heard.
Army was a tremendous power under Red Blaik. Are they still a top five program. The University of Chicago was rolling then too. I would assess your memory of Indiana Basketball as top five.
Does Army pay their coach $3 million dollars?
What a stupid analogy. Yea maybe the University of San Francisco will make the final four. I know a little history Kent but I’m not the one that it took 6 years to graduate from IU.
Listen why don’t you list the criteria that says your program is top 10 in the nation Kent. Here are mine:
1. 20 year ticket sales and number of sell outs.
2. Paid salary of head coach
3. Recruiting Budget for head coach
4. Revenue from all Basketball merchandise
5. Revenue from donors due to Basketball
6. NCAA Championships
7. Winning should come because of these things not in spite which is what we have now.
BTW Alabama didn’t dick around and give a coach 8 years to get things going, Gene Stallings got about 6 but he even won a NCAA Championship. Crean has had plenty of time to get the job done, it ain’t happening.
Let me just keep this going Nick Saban made 6.9 million last year and Tom Crean 3.2 million. Nick Saban has won 3 titles.
Where Indiana is as a “program” will be determined by the caliber of its next coach it brings in. Where are we in the eyes of top coaches??? I get that many were not interested in the position 7 years ago when things were a cesspool, but now a new coach can take off running. If IU offers the job to the Shakas, Stevens, Marshalls, Donovans of the hoops world and they all turn us down, we will have our answer.
I just hope we haven’t become Nebraska Football and have to settle for a “mike riley”.
Lots of programs have just made bad hires that have set them back. UNC-Doherty, Kentucky-Gillespie, Florida- Zook, IU-Sampson to name a few. I have no faith the IU administration interviewed the right people 7 years ago nor that they will do the right thing now.
Exactly. Indiana needs to act like Michigan, not Nebraska.
I would argue the big innovation in SEC football is paying big time coaches twice what the other programs would pay. Saban, Meyer, Myles, were paid big dough. Meyer was offered $2mm to go to FL and $1mm to go to ND.
Elite programs act like elite programs. They fire when it’s clear the coaches aren’t working out. Gillespie, Dougherty, and others were whacked quickly. IU is not acting like an elite program, nor showing the results of an elite program.
Pauly-Crean had a $725,000 recruiting budget last year if that doesn’t scream elite then I don’t know what does.
Spending Sak’s Fifth Avenue money to get Kohl’s merchandise.
And I would surmise Crean has had a similar budget for 7 years. Are you pleased with the result? Was it money well spent? Brad Stevens went to two final games, and probably invested 20% of that.
If IU is an elite, top 3 of the Big Ten program, wouldn’t we have consistent top 20 recruiting classes, if for no other reason than luck and scholarship availability?
By the way, I think we basically agree on the salient points. Top 3 or top 5 program in Big Ten aside, IU is burning through it’s “elite program” currency season after season. You have to look at it through the eyes of a 17 year old. I am 52, Wisconsin was a joke in all sports in the late 70’s early 80’s. Not so much anymore, but I still have that bias.
We no longer have the moral high ground, championship teams, new arena, swagger, etc.
Yes we agree what I’m saying is some are saying IU isn’t elite anymore but they have a $750,000 recruiting budget when all you need is my parents old Dodge Caravan to travel to every Indiana High School to do your recruiting.
I wish Coach Crean and team good luck playing Wichita State.
when assembly hall is shown on tv there are 5 national championship banners hanging from the rafters. those 5 banners tell you youre in a basketball mecca. as you look about assembly hall it SCREAMS character and future head coach you had better believe it screams come gametime.
matterhorn makes great points. the iu coach makes a ton of money and has incredible resources at his disposal.
THE guy makes less than 4 million a year and coaches 82 games a year and spends many days and weeks on the road. how about we pay that guy an even 4 million to coach 35 games a year. significantly less travel time. closer to family. and with the winter boston has had maybe mrs stevens is as disgusted with boston as mrs crean is with btown.
brad stevens can coach. he can win with less talent. he will get Indiana kids because he is respected by the high school coaches. tom crean ran Indiana kids away.
brad stevens is “THE guy.” he can coach. he can relate to kids and he will get the right kids whether they are 5 star or 3 star.
so brad how does a raise half the workload and more time at home sound?
It’s not more time at home. I know a former NBA coach. He spent roughly 45 nights a season in a (first class luxury) hotel. No travel all summer long recruiting 17 year old punks, their AAU shakedown artists, psychotic relatives and hangers on, acting like you care about high school coaches, or running camps, or kids backing out at the last minute, or transferring, or speaking to alumni groups, or driving to small towns, etc., etc.
I hear what you are saying, and I agree on Stevens, but a college program is not a lifestyle gig compared to the NBA.
this just sounds like Tom Crean saying thanks. He is rather over the top that way. I am neutral on him staying or going, but he won’t leave of his own volition and Glass does support him 100%. Don’t read anything into this statement.