What are your feelings on Coach Crean?

[JSHoosier 20,436]

Crean struggles with some coaching issues, but he was by far the best coach for the job. We can't thank him enough, because without him, I don't think IU is where it is. He ran it squeaky clean, and I bet most coaches wouldn't have taken that road.

Clean program, very good recruiter, tremendous representative of IU, and a good coach. He has his issues in coaching, but he also has great moments. He loves this program, and will do everything he can to make it great, but in a clean way.

Yes, I am critical of Crean with some coaching decisions, but Coach Crean has earned his keep per say. Only way I would ever consider him on the hot seat is if we miss the tourny next year, but will get him some wiggle room if Vonleh leaves.

We can all be upset, but anyone who wants Crean gone is out of line. I haven't read all the posts, but I'm referring to in general, not at any posts I've read.

Sent from my DROID4 using BtownBanners mobile app

Yeah, I'm not saying he needs replaced but his coaching record is pretty meh.  Certainly not worthy of the blind devotion he gets from so many on another board.

 

HC for 15 years with just 1 Final four and 2 conference titles.  Some posters act like he's been coaching 5 years with 4 Final Fours.

[JaybobHoosier 11,921]

[quote name="JSHoosier" post="32301" timestamp="1390699547"]Yeah, I'm not saying he needs replaced but his coaching record is pretty meh. Certainly not worthy of the blind devotion he gets from so many on another board.

HC for 15 years with just 1 Final four and 2 conference titles. Some posters act like he's been coaching 5 years with 4 Final Fours.[/quote]

Agree. He is definitely not above criticism, but there are extremist both ways.

Sent from my DROID4 using BtownBanners mobile app

[JSHoosier 20,436]

Agree. He is definitely not above criticism, but there are extremist both ways.

Sent from my DROID4 using BtownBanners mobile app

There are.  I post more here because of the "Crean is infallible" preferred rhetoric on the site we came from, anyone that dares say otherwise gets jumped on.

[JaybobHoosier 11,921]

[quote name="JSHoosier" post="32306" timestamp="1390699925"]There are. I post more here because of the "Crean is infallible" preferred rhetoric on the site we came from, anyone that dares say otherwise gets jumped on.[/quote]

Yeah, we want diverse opinions and views. No other way to do it. We each have our own styles.

Sent from my DROID4 using BtownBanners mobile app

[bronkonagurski 894]

Overall I think he is a decent coach.  I'm a firmly middle ground type of guy in my opinion of CTC.  I do feel a bit anxious about our immediate future though.  The 2012 class has mostly been a bust and THAT I think is the single biggest problem confronting the current team.  Also looking at the 2013 class, Fischer is already gone obviously.  Hartman and Davis have been disappointing.  If the 2012 and 2013 classes would live up to expectations overall, we would be in great shape but as it stands, not so much.  And if Noah goes pro after one season, man...just a lot of uncertainty in my mind as to when we will have our next team that is capable of a Final Four run.  If Noah returns, I think it is possible to be that kind of team next season.  I think adding shooters next season will help our offensive flow a lot.

[mdn82 25,546]

Overall I think he is a decent coach.  I'm a firmly middle ground type of guy in my opinion of CTC.  I do feel a bit anxious about our immediate future though.  The 2012 class has mostly been a bust and THAT I think is the single biggest problem confronting the current team.  Also looking at the 2013 class, Fischer is already gone obviously.  Hartman and Davis have been disappointing.  If the 2012 and 2013 classes would live up to expectations overall, we would be in great shape but as it stands, not so much.  And if Noah goes pro after one season, man...just a lot of uncertainty in my mind as to when we will have our next team that is capable of a Final Four run.  If Noah returns, I think it is possible to be that kind of team next season.  I think adding shooters next season will help our offensive flow a lot.

 

Agree.  I think the whole Crean thing is what it is at this point.  It isn't like this debate started recently.  It has been going strong for at least 4 years for many familiar faces.  My thing where I have concern is recruiting and the construction of the team.  We know what he is as a coach.  I don't think that is going to change.  I think as a recruiter he is pretty damn good.  The construction of this team just isn't where it needed to be before the season began.  There is nothing he could have done for Luke.  There have been plenty of posts pointing to the fact we were one big short before Luke left.  I agree with that.  We have projects, but at some point we need to have basketball players.  My biggest beef with how this team was constructed was with the shooters.  Austin is an ok shooter, but he isn't going to score at a high level at college.  The only other player considered a shooter was Colin, and he isn't going to play a lot as a Frosh.  We knew that going in.  I honestly think our best shooter is Noah Vonleh.  Its like he spent so much time trying to find the next Vic, that he forgot he still needs a Jordy to open up the middle.  Again, coaching is not the issue with me.  I know what he is.  I think he is a good enough recruiter to overcome that.  He cannot fail there.  IMO

[The Ola Depot 1,213]

I think these next two years will probably be his best chances to raise another banner. I'm not even considering saying for him to be fired...right now.
If we can't at least get a final four in these next two years then I'd start considering it. He'll have a vast amount of talent and great shooters, something we're missing this year.
Too early to consider it and finding a new coach isn't as easy as people say.


Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners mobile app

[Indymike7 35]

I think he is full of BS and hot air.  Tells everybody what they want to hear and hopes for the best.  That can get you some talent and some wins, but I don't see any final fours with him as head coach.  If he couldn't do it with last year's team then he won't ever do it.  Last year's team had a high basketball IQ.  He seems hellbent on going after and playing more athletic players instead of the more high IQ players.  Since he isn't a stronx x's and o's coach and very irratic with his coaching style, I think it's up to the players to pull together and figure it out.  I'm not sure he is that great of a recruiter either.  I think he has good assistant recruiters.  They always refer to the one assistand that recruits on the east coast for him.  They do most of the leg work and communications.  Tom just makes some calle, shows up at a few games and acts interested.

[Scooter D 928]

The biggest problem that I see is not with CTC, but the lack of upper classmen to lead the team. Crean needs get to his recruiting classes in order, so that IU can handle someone leaving early.

I don't think that IU is going to be a place where we have a lot of 5-star recruits coming in an out the door every year, so he need to start to smooth out the recruting classes so we don't have what happened last year.

[smitty3725 7]

The Syracuse game wasn't so much about not being able to beat the zone it was about having 2 starting guards under 6 feet tall. They couldn't see around Syracuse length

Sent from my LG-E980 using BtownBanners mobile app

[theriverpilot 5,631]

I think Crean sometimes gets a bad rap. Just saw a tweet that said "if that was IU losing to PSU, it would be Creans fault, but since it was Matta and OSU then they're struggling offensively". I thought that to be a fair jab.
Sure, I do see some head-scratching moves but I'm not in daily practices nor do I think he's instructing his players to shoot bricks.


Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

[JSHoosier 20,436]

I think Crean sometimes gets a bad rap. Just saw a tweet that said "if that was IU losing to PSU, it would be Creans fault, but since it was Matta and OSU then they're struggling offensively". I thought that to be a fair jab.
Sure, I do see some head-scratching moves but I'm not in daily practices nor do I think he's instructing his players to shoot bricks.


Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

No, he's not telling them to miss shots or turn the ball over.  He's the head coach though, so at the end of the day responsibility still falls on his shoulders.

[theriverpilot 5,631]

Good point, and he gets paid handsomely to take that criticism


Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

[IU Hoosier41 14,465]

Fantastic recruiter,
Fantastic Hire for where IUBB was,
Fantastic Developer of Talent,
NOT Indiana fans 1st choice back when hired...

I make that last point because I think it is very relevant. Many Hoosiers were surprised or not that excited with Crean and his track record coming to Indiana. Over his Indiana tenure, Crean has performed and done everything he can to silence the masses of people who want someone else. If you don't love Crean, you definitely see some issues and problems, but you couldn't complain prior to last season's Sweet 16 loss.

That was the first point where those fans start coming out of the wood work. If we don't make the tournament this year, it's going to get ugly. The Hot Seat will be thrown around daily. (I'm not saying that is right or wrong, just feel it will happen).

I'm afraid that pretty soon, we will have a divide in fans calling for Crean's job based on what he's done recently; vs people defending Crean for all he's done for IU.

I understand what he's done, but if we can't get past the Sweet 16, then maybe we need to find someone that can.

I like Crean, but I've never loved him as a coach. Great PR, Great marketing, questionable Game coach.

[southsidehoosier 5,059]

^Who do you feel Indiana's fans first choice for coach was?

[JSHoosier 20,436]

^Who do you feel Indiana's fans first choice for coach was?

I don't think it really matters who the fans first choice was.  He was not IU's first choice though that much we know.

[IU Hoosier41 14,465]

[quote name="southsidehoosier" post="33313" timestamp="1391099073"]^Who do you feel Indiana's fans first choice for coach was?[/quote]. I don't think there was one collective favorite (although Brad Stevens turned in to that). It's more related to Indiana going after other coaches first, and many IU fans don't think Crean is a good coach. They have just had to keep their lips sealed until things started going south.

[RBB89 3,497]

I commend crean on what he has done for this program going from nothing to putting us back in the national spot light last season is incredible but with that being said i don't see how anyone can be content with the sweet 16. Creans lack of in game coaching cost us a national championship last season. how do we not win with 2 of the top 4 picks in the draft. Syracuse has ran the same defense for 40 years how can you not figure out the zone and expect to be national champions. Also on the topic of this year how do you lose 80 percent of your scoring and not go out and recruit anyone who can shoot the ball from long range? we cant expect to make the tournament with nothing but inside scoring. I like crean and i like what he has done for the program but i don't see us winning with crean he's not a basketball mind. With all that being said i say you give crean next year with the all the talent and shooters we have coming in and if he cant get us past the sweet 16 its time to move on. Indiana simply cant be a sweet 16 team. We need to hang banner 6. I say if things dont work out we push to get Stevens from the NBA if he struggles with the Celtics.

Syracuse is 20-0. Must be a lot of dumb coaches out there.

[RBB89 3,497]

I think he is full of BS and hot air.  Tells everybody what they want to hear and hopes for the best.  That can get you some talent and some wins, but I don't see any final fours with him as head coach.  If he couldn't do it with last year's team then he won't ever do it.  Last year's team had a high basketball IQ.  He seems hellbent on going after and playing more athletic players instead of the more high IQ players.  Since he isn't a stronx x's and o's coach and very irratic with his coaching style, I think it's up to the players to pull together and figure it out.  I'm not sure he is that great of a recruiter either.  I think he has good assistant recruiters.  They always refer to the one assistand that recruits on the east coast for him.  They do most of the leg work and communications.  Tom just makes some calle, shows up at a few games and acts interested.

what in the world? A. Crean has been to a final four. B. By your logic, no head coach is a good recruiter...assistants do a lot of the work on every staff. And Crean got yogi and Cody before Johnson got here.

[Golfman25 5,747]

Unfortunately IMO the jury is still out on CTC.  I understood the first and second years.  I would have liked to see a little more progress in the third.  Obviously the fourth year was the breakout year.  But now where are we? 

 

I like his PR.  He's doesn't seem like a tool.  So he represents the school well.

 

Is he a good recruiter?   Yes he can bring the players in.  But I don't see right now that he can build a team for the long term.  I'm not sure he brings in the right mix of players.  It's a work in progress.

 

I think a big problem is his lack of flexibility (or knowledge) and running offense based on what skills we have.  We have no half court offense that I can figure out.  It is all one on one type stuff.  For the first time last week, I saw Jeff Howard in there setting screen after screen after screen.  But he is the only one, so it doesn't appear that that is part of a consistent offensive system.  Their just doesn't seem to be a real high basketball IQ there.  His philosophy seems to be that great talent can make any offense look good -- great players make good coaches.   

 

Watch Chris Collins at NU.  He may be the next "star" coach.  And he may leave if NU isn't giving him admissions flexibility.