Indiana AD Fred Glass sees a ‘big move’ for Hoosier basketball this coming season

[Dalton26]

http://www.news-sentinel.com/sports/2018/07/01/indiana-ad-fred-glass-sees-a-big-move-for-hoosier-basketball-this-coming-season/

 

It depends on your perspective as to whether or not you feel the Indiana University men’s basketball program was better off in the 2017-18 season under first-year Archie Miller as compared to his predecessor Tom Crean the prior season. However, Hoosier athletic director Fred Glass wasn’t waffling in his assessment when he looked back at last season recently.

“Archie has already had a dramatic impact on the program,” Glass said at a university event last month. “We have trimmed three turnovers per game on average off of where we were before (and) we won two more Big Ten Conference games even though we lost three guys to the professional ranks.”

Both of those statistics are unequivocally accurate. The Hoosiers did take care of the ball better under Miller and they won more league games, despite losing starting center De’Ron Davis just three games into the league schedule.

The Crean supporters will point to the fact that Indiana wasn’t more productive offensively – or defensively (to the surprise of some) – though Glass disputes that notion.

“Our defense was dramatically improved,” Glass said, “which you can see with the eye test.”

Again, that is depending on your eyesight.

In Crean’s final season, Indiana limited opponents to 42.9 percent shooting overall and 33.7 percent from long range. In terms of rebounding, the Hoosiers outworked the opposition by over seven boards per game.

Each of those numbers was worse last season.

Glass cited an improvement in defensive efficiency, which was accurate.

In Miller’s first season, the Hoosiers did improve in that category from 163rd under Crean to 140th last year. However, in Crean’s defense, Indiana ranked inside the top 39 teams nationally twice (including as high as 19th) in his final five seasons in that category.

Numbers can be skewed in a myriad of ways to make varying points but Glass was also quick to note just how improved the recruiting by Miller was over previous seasons. In that regard – particularly in terms of making the Hoosiers a presence within this state – Miller’s positive impact really wasn’t debatable.

“It was the number one recruiting class in the Big Ten,” Glass said of the 2018 group. “It was number seven nationally. We had three kids on the Indiana All-Star squad that are Indiana University recruits and that is only the second time that we’ve had that many kids on the Indiana All-Star team in 29 years.”

With the influx of that talent, as well as the maturing of the returning players, as well as the health of Davis, there are a lot of reasons in which Glass should feel positive about the Hoosiers moving into next season. And he is. However, he isn’t willing to set specific goals for Miller to attain because there are factors (such as Davis’ injury last year) that can negatively impact a season.

“I really don’t like to set preset expectations,” Glass said. “I really think that is unfair in a lot of ways. You have to see how the season goes.”

Indiana is returning starters in Juwan Morgan, Devonte Green, Davis, Al Durham, and Justin Smith, as well as bringing in that recruiting class, which is led by Indiana Mr. Basketball Romeo Langford, so Glass is hopeful for improvement.

“I think that it is a little bit of a cop-out for administrators to set litmus tests or define success in advance. But having said all of that, I’m optimistic that we will move toward the goals that I have for men’s basketball.”

Following a two-year absence from the NCAA Tournament, returning to that level IS one of the specific goals that Glass is hopeful the program can reach this coming season.

“I think that we will compete for a Big Ten championship,” Glass said of where he wants the program to get back to. “I hope we are in the NCAA Tournament. I think that year two will be a big move for us.”

For more on college basketball, follow Tom Davis on Twitter at Tom101010, Facebook at Thomas Davis, and Instagram at tomdavis101010.

See more on Indiana basketball

[GnarlyNormEllenberger]

Interesting article, although I have never been a fan of the writer, Tom Davis.

In regards to his articles about IU basketball, he always comes across to me as someone who watches bits and pieces of certain games and then looks at the box score the day after to try and tell us what happened. Look at this quote...

“Our defense was dramatically improved,” Glass said, “which you can see with the eye test.”

Again, that is depending on your eyesight.

He goes on to point out that our opponents' shooting percentages were higher last year. I mean, sure. Guess we need to scrap the pack-line and move back to playing man-to-man until 7 seconds left in the shot clock then try switching to zone for some ridiculous reason. And we should probably bring back the "call out" signs. Those innovative coaching techniques did wonders for our defense in 2016-2017.

Seriously though, there are better metrics to use these days (which is why Glass used defensive efficiency) that are mathematically more accurate to determine the overall success of the defense. It's not really debatable. Points per possession is another one. Plus, when Crean was playing Houston Baptist, SE Missouri St., Miss Valley State and Delaware State, that's gonna pad your stats in a positive manner. The fact is, once conference play rolled around, our defense had structure. There was purpose. There was understanding. Guys were in the correct position a lot more. They were active. They played a lot smarter. They weren't great, but they were better. You could see it by watching the games. Ask any non-biased observer and they'd agree. But the numbers say we gave up a higher shooting percentage... give me a break.

And oh yeah... our offense suffered. Imagine that. We lost OG, Bryant and Blackmon and our offense suffers. Must be an Archie problem. He shoulda ran more iso plays for guys like Yogi... oh wait a second... it's almost like his predecessor left him a flawed roster.

I just get the vibe Mr. Davis is skeptical of Archie and IU basketball and wants to make sure we know that he is.

Sorry for the rant. Little pot-shots like that just annoy me.

[Walking Boot of Doom]

41 minutes ago, Iugradman said:

Davis seems to forget the roster Archie had last year was different than the one Crean had the year before. No Blackmon, Bryant, or Anunoby. When you lose your best three best players and bring in no impact freshmen a regression should be expected. Instead we went from a tenth place finish to a sixth place finish in the conference.

That being said, IU has to make the tournament next year. Another three year drought under Fred is easily grounds for dismissal.

It's official, Fred personally wronged you in some way. Did he fire you? What happened? Help me understand. How can we help you heal?

[LIHoosier]

40 minutes ago, GnarlyTimGarl said:

He goes on to point out that our opponents' shooting percentages were higher last year. I mean, sure. Guess we need to scrap the pack-line and move back to playing man-to-man until 7 seconds left in the shot clock then try switching to zone for some ridiculous reason. And we should probably bring back the "call out" signs. Those innovative coaching techniques did wonders for our defense in 2016-2017.

Don't knock the signs, man.

[Walking Boot of Doom]

I am sick of IU sports sucking. This last decade has been awful.

It’s been a bumpy ride, but has also contained some great seasons and moments for IUBB and IUFB, all-time highs for IUBase, a championship for IU soccer, a handful of Olympian swimmers, and massive amounts of renovation and investment in facilities.

In short, you are unequivocally wrong.


Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

[mdn82]

Football without a winning record since 2007 and men’s basketball has had its worst stretch in fifty years. How the hell do you screw up basketball? You have to be a complete moron and incompetent to do that.

How has he personally screwed up the basketball team? I can’t wait to hear this.


Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

[Brass Cannon]

8 minutes ago, mdn82 said:

How has he personally screwed up the basketball team? I can’t wait to hear this.


Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

He did extend Crean to be fair. 

[Dalton26]

1 minute ago, Brass Cannon said:

He did extend Crean to be fair. 

[mdn82]

He did extend Crean to be fair. 

At the point he did why wouldn’t you? Our arrow was pointing up. That is the norm around college basketball. Glass didn’t hire him and he had to show him he backed him. The buyout was actually lower compared to other top schools with that level of a contract. Crean’s consistently inconsistent recruiting, quarks, and horrible in game coaching did him in. He also beat more top 25 teams from 2011-2016 than any team in the country, won 2 outright titles. He didn’t belong here at the end and Glass canned him. I am happy we fired him and even more ecstatic Glass hired Archie. I for one am overall pretty happy with what Glass has done in renovations, graduation rates, donations. He is probably the best if not one of the best in overall responsibilities of his actual duties.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

[Brass Cannon]

I’m not saying I wouldn’t have done the same thing but it was still a huge mistake. 

[mdn82]

I’m not saying I wouldn’t have done the same thing but it was still a huge mistake. 

That’s fair


Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

[Brass Cannon]

26 minutes ago, Dalton26 said:

This board needs more HIMYM

[Old Friend]

Anyone who watched the team last season and knew what they were watching saw a different team in February than in November/December.   Even losing Davis and Hartman, the team was better, more efficient, and more difficult to play against.    Using the whole season as a barometer for measuring last season's team is foolish.  Clearly, Indiana had players new to their roles AND learning a new system (a 180* change from Crean's system and tolerance of turnovers and poor defense), and it took time.  

Yes.  That is an excuse.  And I hate excuses.  It's also true.   Indiana finished 6th in the Big Ten with talent that would have done well to finish 8th or 9th when healthy.   They were not healthy, and still over achieved.  

Anyone who knows recruiting knows what's happening.  Anyone who understands the game of basketball as most here obviously do can see what's happening.  Fred Glass should be excited, but I don't need to see the AD talking about turnovers and minutiae like that.   Big Picture, Fred.  We are doing very well recruiting locally and balancing talented kids from elsewhere.  Relationships with coaches have been rebuilt.    No chance Langford comes to Indiana to play for Tom Crean.  Zero.  

I am as excited for Indiana Basketball as I have been since 1993.  Since Knight left, for the first time I feel like we have the right guy telling the right story to the right kids and building the program in a way any IU fan can be very proud of.  Regardless of what Tom Davis or anyone else uses as a measuring stick; I do use the eyeball test, and I love what I see on and off the floor.  

Glass didn't screw up the IU Men's basketball team.  You can thank Myles Brand for that, with help from Michael McRobbie, Adam Herbert, that moron Mike McNeeley, and Rick Greenspan.   The story is long and has been told; but all in all, Glass has done far more good than harm to IU Athletics.  We all want football to be better; and I think we are despite being completely screwed by the division we play in.  Basketball is on the rise, and despite my distaste for Tom Crean, he and Glass DID preside over 2 Big Ten champs.  Baseball at IU is at a level unprecedented in my lifetime, as are facilities.  Swimming and soccer are still nationally relevant; and Indiana is a consistent top 10-20 in the President's cup (now the Capital One cup), finishing 9th this past season on the men's side.   I don't agree with anyone who says Fred Glass hasn't done at least a credible job; and I would be willing to bet 8 months from now, IU fans will all be pretty happy.

[Walking Boot of Doom]

57 minutes ago, Iugradman said:

Football without a winning record since 2007 and men’s basketball has had its worst stretch in fifty years. How the hell do you screw up basketball? You have to be a complete moron and incompetent to do that.

Maybe basketball was screwed prior to him getting there and the basketball caoch he inherited did enough to build a loyal ($$$) supporter base to earn an extension? People also make mistakes. In hindsight, the Crean extension was a mistake, but we STILL had great IUBB moments after that mistake. Additionally, the basketball program is in an infinitely better position than it was when Fred took over in 2008, and not in spite of his hires.

[Magnanimous]

2 hours ago, Brass Cannon said:

He did extend Crean to be fair. 

I hate when this is the primary argument used against Glass. Was Crean's extension bloated? Yes. Would it have been nice if Crean left sooner? Yes, assuming we got a viable replacement. But the fact remains that Crean won the Big 10 and was a 1-seed in the NCAAT in 2012-13. Even with the SW16 exit, he was going to be extended after that season, and justifiably so. Upsets happen all the time in the tournament, and we would never have been able to sniff another decent coach if we were firing conference winning coaches after one tournament upset against a very good team, all following a massive rebuild.

Looking back, there were only two options regarding the extension. Either extend Crean before the 2012 season or after. If it happened after we may have had him at least a year longer, and with the conference title to fall back on he may have had more leverage to demand a larger buyout. 

Glass fired Crean and brought in what looks like a great up and coming coach. What else do you want him to do in managing our athletic department? He didn't hire Mike Davis, Sampson, or Crean, the three biggest reasons why our program fell to where it is now. He's maintained high standards for our programs and has held negligent coaches accountable. With how dirty college athletics have been, especially recently, Glass has done a commendable job keeping the ship afloat. 

[mamasa]

Just to add a little, here are Glass's hires that are coaching currently (may not be totally correct, but to the best of my knowledge is):

Teri Moren:  

Tom Allen:

Archie Miller:

Todd Yeagley:

Angel Escobedo (wrestling):

Shonda Stanton (softball):

Jeremy Wurtzman (men's tennis):

Ryan Castle (water polo):

Steve Aird (volleyball):

Ramiro Azcui (women's tennis):

Amanda Janney Misselhorn (field hockey):

Amy Berbary (women's soccer):

 

Going down this list, I'm very very impressed with the quality of hires (in general).  If you're not familiar with the accomplishments of these coaches, I'd strongly encourage you to take a look!  

 

[Old Friend]

4 minutes ago, Iugradman said:

There were warning signs with Crean for years, even when we were making the NCAA tournament. Any AD who understood sports, hell any AD simply paying attention, would have addressed these issues or moved on to find another coach. Crean should have been gone by 2014.

Wilson was a bad hire. There was a reason he wasn’t sought after by other schools. He showed what a prick he is within a few days of being hired by drunkenly berating a couple of RAs. His off field conduct was abysmal but he got away with it.

The guy who is now the OC at Ohio State cannot be considered a bad hire.   I get and agree with the personal stuff, but he took IU to back to back bowl games for the first time since 1993 and had a 3-1 record vs. Purdue.  Best since Bo McMillan.   Hindsight is helpful in judging him, and I get that.  I also saw the warning signs w Crean and was open about them.   Hindsight also helps here, saying we should have hired Brad Stevens.  I completely see and understand that perspective too.  I thought it myself.  But logic says that wasn't going to happen. 

 I was openly critical of Tom Crean in year 2 or 3 of his tenure.  I saw what you saw.  Results trumped the eyeball test and Crean's downfall was his inability to win consistently and build teams consistently.  He was ultimately let go for it,  Just not on your preferred time frame.   I get what you're saying and to a point agree with you.  But I think you're using hindsight to a higher level than reality dictated at the time.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

33 minutes ago, Old Friend said:

 

I am as excited for Indiana Basketball as I have been since 1993. 

Sums it up perfectly for me.

[Brass Cannon]

Im excited but i think 2019 we will be ready to retake a consistent top 10 spot where we belong so more excited for that

[Lebowski]

I blame Kelvin Sampson for a lot of the heart ache we Hoosiers have gone through.  How he's still coaching is beyond me. 

And this article is just click bait.  We all know how well last year's bunch of guys played.  They all bought in and got better over the season.  I'm really excited to see how they do this year.