Perspective

[incrediboy 925]

Ever since the PU loss, it seems the Crean haters have re-emerged with unsubstantiated "we'll never succeed with that man at the helm" posts in various forums. I consider this all to be total crap.

 

We are 6-3 in the Big Ten, and only one team has a better record, and that team got pre-season votes for #1 and has stayed in the top 10 all year. Yes, we're about to go to 6-4 and fall out of that second-place tie (barring a miracle in Cheeseland), but we have only three road games remaining in our last eight. Given Maryland's slump we might even be able to pull out all eight, but six seems realistic and a 12-6 B1G season with our only big man hurt through the toughest portion of it says "good coaching" to me.

 

The Ohio State loss looks a lot less painful given what OSU did to Maryland, too. In case no one noticed, Pitt knocked off Notre Dame this past weekend.

 

Of course, I'd like to see us in our elite Knight mold. But I'm old enough to remember the Lou Watson era, and what we have now is the best non-Knight coaching we've ever had. Even some of Knight's later years weren't so wonderful, but memories are short when it comes to his failures (as it should be given all his successes).

 

Do I like everything Crean does? Heck, no. But I like that he coaches outside the box, and I am highly impressed that we are 6-3 in the B1G after what we saw in November. So count me as one on his side until he proves to me he's going to take the program down. And I'm not seeing that at this stage.

[Alford Bailey 12,398]

Lou Watson? You going waaaaayyyyyy back!

[shortspacequickness 1,034]

Thought it was just me! Somehow winning the Big Ten was misconstrued into taking our program down in the past couple years.
 

Everyone here wants Indiana to some day be a top 5-10 program again. But it's gonna take a lot more time than 7 years. Would Knight have had sustained success in today's basketball climate? I mean, it's kind of why he got out.

 

IMO we are lucky to have a good man as our coach--lots of schools can't say that. And he is a proven big time coach in college ball. He was pursued every year at Marquette but waited. Funny how that is constantly ignored.

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,276]

Go IU! and go Coach Crean!

[djsalway 4,161]

Remember that dude like a month or two ago who put the word "perspective" in like every post of a certain thread (to be honest I don't remember the thread or the poster)? That was fun.

 

But anyway, I'm completely with you. We have had a great season thus far and we should finish strong.

[KelleyHoosh 2,263]

I agree that perspective is really needed these days. A lot of people run with Crean not being the answer and a lot of people are quick in the name of not being rash to defend everything he does.

 

Crean, like almost every other coach in the NCAA, has faults. Does he have a lot of them? Sure.

 

The reason so many people are jumping down this throat, especially lately, IMO is twofold.

 

1) We haven't LOOKED good the last few outings.

 

2) Recruiting is slow, needs aren't seeming to be meant, and our scholarship situation is perplexing to say the least.

 

Again, we are back to Crean's faults.  

 

Everyone that has followed the program knows theres been an issue achieving class balance. Theres been a lot of turnover on the roster. Legitimate reason or not, it is what it is. There doesn't always have to be fault in a situation either though. 

 

What really gets me is how we have been playing. We knew coming in there were issues with lack of post presence on offense and defense. We should be able to scheme around that to remain competitive. And for a while, the 2-3 matchup zone we were running didn't look half bad. Our shooting was excellent, but like all teams that rely on that, it runs hot and cold. 

 

Other coaches are paid to figure it out too. So some coaches figured out how to beat what Crean had been doing (a good coaching job by him), and we are seeing a down turn. But you know what gets lost in all this message board debate? The fact that this is okay. This is college basketball, not college football. There are ups and downs throughout the course of the season. What matters a lot is how we answer these down turns. 

 

It bothers me that we have come out flat against Purdue. It really, really, bothers me. At times the team has looked like its been its own enemy. Players yelling at each other, bad body language at times, etc. 

 

Crean has started using timeouts throughout the game to stop momentum. He has tried juggling the lineup. To deny this is to deny fact. Critics have called for him to try these exact things. As a coach, all you can do is try new things. Sometimes things work and sometimes things don't. The point is, he is trying. The levelheaded critics and sunshine pumpers understand this. 

 

The state of college basketball as it is today is that there are very few elite programs. IU isn't one of them. And right now, we are tied for 2nd in the B10. Better than anyone would've thought to this point of the season. 

 

If we finish this year top 5 in the B10, we will have surpassed preseason expectations in epic fashion. There will still be people clamoring Crean is not the one. And that may be true. But, to deny it would've been a great coaching job this season would be ignorance and thickheadedness. 

 

Every team struggles. Nobody is always perfect.

[incrediboy 925]

Lou Watson? You going waaaaayyyyyy back!

Yup, I'm old. I was actually a sports writer at the Herald-Telephone (now the Herald-Times) when Knight was hired. I was mostly on high-school beats, although I did cover the George McGinnis press conference when he was introduced by the Pacers as a merger-mania millionaire. I won a bet with my boss Bob Hammel that IU would win 20 games Knight's first year. In retrospect that wasn't too bright given our stars were guys like Bootsie White, Kim Pemberton and Steve Downing. Incidentally, the first guy to apply for Watson's job was his assistant, Jerry Oliver. I had another of Watson's assistants, Tom Bolyard, as my HPER instructor my freshman year at IU (both semesters, no less).

[mamasa 15,354]

Yup, I'm old. I was actually a sports writer at the Herald-Telephone (now the Herald-Times) when Knight was hired. I was mostly on high-school beats, although I did cover the George McGinnis press conference when he was introduced by the Pacers as a merger-mania millionaire. I won a bet with my boss Bob Hammel that IU would win 20 games Knight's first year. In retrospect that wasn't too bright given our stars were guys like Bootsie White, Kim Pemberton and Steve Downing. Incidentally, the first guy to apply for Watson's job was his assistant, Jerry Oliver. I had another of Watson's assistants, Tom Bolyard, as my HPER instructor my freshman year at IU (both semesters, no less).

 

My friend who grew up in Bloomfield still calls the paper the Telephone, lol

[incrediboy 925]

My friend who grew up in Bloomfield still calls the paper the Telephone, lol

I covered a lot of games in Bloomfield. They had a crafty old codger named Guy Glover Jr. coaching there in my time at the H-T.

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,276]

I'm pretty close at perfection

[mamasa 15,354]

I'm pretty close at perfection

 

The pop up timer puzzle game? 

[Alford Bailey 12,398]

Yup, I'm old. I was actually a sports writer at the Herald-Telephone (now the Herald-Times) when Knight was hired. I was mostly on high-school beats, although I did cover the George McGinnis press conference when he was introduced by the Pacers as a merger-mania millionaire. I won a bet with my boss Bob Hammel that IU would win 20 games Knight's first year. In retrospect that wasn't too bright given our stars were guys like Bootsie White, Kim Pemberton and Steve Downing. Incidentally, the first guy to apply for Watson's job was his assistant, Jerry Oliver. I had another of Watson's assistants, Tom Bolyard, as my HPER instructor my freshman year at IU (both semesters, no less).

interesting.

[jmsgws 2,181]

Ever since the PU loss, it seems the Crean haters have re-emerged with unsubstantiated "we'll never succeed with that man at the helm" posts in various forums. I consider this all to be total crap.  Those posts are not any more unsubstantiated, than the total support of crean.  I would say in most cases they are more substantiated, because they are looking at Crean's total record, and no where in there is anything to suggest he can bring IU back to the levels we want and expect.

 

We are 6-3 in the Big Ten, and only one team has a better record, and that team got pre-season votes for #1 and has stayed in the top 10 all year. Yes, we're about to go to 6-4 and fall out of that second-place tie (barring a miracle in Cheeseland), but we have only three road games remaining in our last eight. Given Maryland's slump we might even be able to pull out all eight, but six seems realistic and a 12-6 B1G season with our only big man hurt through the toughest portion of it says "good coaching" to me.  Most people have been complimentary of the overall coaching job that Crean has done this year.  The exception has been in our losses.  I don't even put that all on Crean, I do put the lack of defense on Crean, because the history of the last couple of years tell me it is a coaching issue as well as a player issue.  The guys (with one or two exceptions) just don't know how to play defense.

 

The Ohio State loss looks a lot less painful given what OSU did to Maryland, too. In case no one noticed, Pitt knocked off Notre Dame this past weekend.

 

Of course, I'd like to see us in our elite Knight mold. But I'm old enough to remember the Lou Watson era, and what we have now is the best non-Knight coaching we've ever had. Even some of Knight's later years weren't so wonderful, but memories are short when it comes to his failures (as it should be given all his successes).

 

Do I like everything Crean does? Heck, no. But I like that he coaches outside the box, and I am highly impressed that we are 6-3 in the B1G after what we saw in November. So count me as one on his side until he proves to me he's going to take the program down. And I'm not seeing that at this stage.  I also have not heard anyone say he is going to bring the program down.  That was already done because of the boneheaded moves the administration took in the bungling of Knight's last couple of years, and since.  They just don't believe he is going to be able to bring back the level of success that we expect.

I don't consider myself a Crean "Hater"  I also don't think Crean is ever going to bring a championship back to Bloomington.

[bleedhoosier 3,627]

^ great post.. too long to quote.. that's just annoying

[DawgBawls 712]

Ever since the PU loss, it seems the Crean haters have re-emerged with unsubstantiated "we'll never succeed with that man at the helm" posts in various forums. I consider this all to be total crap.

 

We are 6-3 in the Big Ten, and only one team has a better record, and that team got pre-season votes for #1 and has stayed in the top 10 all year. Yes, we're about to go to 6-4 and fall out of that second-place tie (barring a miracle in Cheeseland), but we have only three road games remaining in our last eight. Given Maryland's slump we might even be able to pull out all eight, but six seems realistic and a 12-6 B1G season with our only big man hurt through the toughest portion of it says "good coaching" to me.

 

The Ohio State loss looks a lot less painful given what OSU did to Maryland, too. In case no one noticed, Pitt knocked off Notre Dame this past weekend.

 

Of course, I'd like to see us in our elite Knight mold. But I'm old enough to remember the Lou Watson era, and what we have now is the best non-Knight coaching we've ever had. Even some of Knight's later years weren't so wonderful, but memories are short when it comes to his failures (as it should be given all his successes).

 

Do I like everything Crean does? Heck, no. But I like that he coaches outside the box, and I am highly impressed that we are 6-3 in the B1G after what we saw in November. So count me as one on his side until he proves to me he's going to take the program down. And I'm not seeing that at this stage.

 

 

Lou Watson? You going waaaaayyyyyy back!

My Grandpappy always said... "there are three things not to skimp out on....good T.P., good whiskey, and a well placed Lou Watson reference.. :D

[KingPG21 6,587]

Somehow winning the Big Ten was misconstrued into taking our program down in the past couple years.

What the heck are you talking about. This statement is just as insane as anyone actually saying that

[shortspacequickness 1,034]

What the heck are you talking about. This statement is just as insane as anyone actually saying that

Many fans think Crean is ruining our program. As if Indiana was some kind of power when he showed up.

[BlueDevil 8,697]

Speaking of perspective.. Been going through the 2011 ESPN whatshot game thread and man what a happy place. Ultimate UK trolling, the support for Tom Crean was as if he was a prophet, hell I even saw purdue fans jumping for joy congratulating IU. It has been a ton of fun reading through this.

[The Baby Bull 280]

Yup, I'm old. I was actually a sports writer at the Herald-Telephone (now the Herald-Times) when Knight was hired. I was mostly on high-school beats, although I did cover the George McGinnis press conference when he was introduced by the Pacers as a merger-mania millionaire. I won a bet with my boss Bob Hammel that IU would win 20 games Knight's first year. In retrospect that wasn't too bright given our stars were guys like Bootsie White, Kim Pemberton and Steve Downing. Incidentally, the first guy to apply for Watson's job was his assistant, Jerry Oliver. I had another of Watson's assistants, Tom Bolyard, as my HPER instructor my freshman year at IU (both semesters, no less).

I was at I U during that period. LW was a very good player. Not so much as a coach. By the way Steve Downing was a hoss and big ten player of the year.