Thursday, March 24, 2011

Yeah, go ahead...Fire Tom Crean already!


The 2010-2011 Indiana Basketball season has officially come to a close, though some would suggest the season ended a few months ago. It was another difficult season for IU fans. What was supposed to be the season that began the "turn around" for the Hoosiers ended with the question "Is Tom Crean the right coach for this school?". Let's take a look...


I began my research by reading numerous blogs, news articles, and opinions of fans to find out exactly where the overall consensus was leaning. What I discovered was frightening. Tom Crean will not survive at Indiana. How can he? He was the wrong hire to begin with. One writer noted (his name will remain nameless for copyright reasons but will be known as the "source") that Indiana Basketball deserved an accomplished coach, one with championship experience upon being hired. I couldn't agree more! Indiana should've hired a coach with a ring to take them back to the promise land. Easy right? Except for the fact that no coach in history has ever won a national basketball championship at two different schools. I had a hard time reading the rest of his article. (As a side note, I did send a question to this so called accomplished writer asking "what other schools have won a title by hiring a coach who had already won one?", he didn't reply...and didn't need to)


So right from the start, Coach Crean failed. He was unable to win a championship at Marquette, therefore, should never been granted the opportunity at Indiana. Indiana should have went after Izzo, Coach K, Pitino, or any other coach with a ring because obviously, like the "source" stated, you need a coach with a ring to win another. Then, the "source" brought up Creans past at Marquette and how he never did anything there. He discounted the final four appearance because D. Wade was on the roster, but forgot to mention that Crean recruited the kid and talked him in to attending Marquette instead of Duke or Michigan. Yeah, I guess that counts for nothing. Kids were turning down big schools all the time back then to attend Marquette.


Let's move on to what Crean has been doing since being hired. We have to start with the record, 6-25 after year one, 10-21 in year two, and 12-20 after this season. What garbage! I mean, a collective record of 28-66 after three seasons? 8-46 in the Big Ten/Eleven/Twelve...I can't keep up with what they will call themselves each year... is terrible! Where are all the recruits he promised? Where are the banners? He hasn't accomplished anything. Who cares that he took over a program that was left in shambles from Kelvin Sampson. Who cares that Indiana had lost 2 scholarships a season for the first 3 years Crean has been there. Lets not worry ourselves that there was a post-season ban for those 3 years as well (although the post season ban was lifted during a 2008 hearing). It should have been easy to get the top recruits during that time knowing they were going to be playing for nothing at the end of each season, and with no help of incoming scholarships. It astonishes me that Crean still has his job. How he has made it through 3 losing seasons is beyond me, and many others as well.


It seems that Indiana needs to get rid of him sooner than later. We have to realize that if they wait any longer, the basketball program will continue to decline. I mean, where is the cavalry? Crean has only signed two members to the 2011 class; Cody Zeller (5-star by scouts.com) and Austin Etherington (4-star by scouts.com). Are these guys really capable of bringing relevancy back to our program? And what about the year after? Ok, so he has commits from 5 recruits so far for the 2012 class, big deal. Who are they you might ask? Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell (5-star by scouts.com), Hanner Perea (5-star by scouts.com), Jeremy Hollowell (5-star by scouts.com, signed today), Ron Patterson (4-star by scouts.com), and Peter Jurkin (no stars but with a name like that, who needs one). Why is he still employed?! This 2012 class ranks a mere #4 in the country, why couldn't he get in the top 3 spots?


It's obvious that the direction of the program is in question under Crean and the seat he sits on these days is extremely hot. With his lack of accomplishments at Marquette (2003 final four appearance), adding the lack of anything so far at Indiana (taking over a program sanctioned by the NCAA), and combined with the recruits coming in the next 2 seasons I can't imagine Crean being around much longer. So I say, finally, let him go. Pay him his buyout of the 13 year contract he signed last year and move on. From what I have been reading and hearing he hasn't accomplished anything so far, and with what he has coming in soon, there is no way he accomplishes anything in the future...not with that talent.


So yeah, go ahead...and fire Tom Crean already! (I dare you)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Psycho Bob's kid is available!