It's not easy being Tom Crean

[WayneFleekHoosier 51,026]

Your description of the two halves of the fan base is absurd. Everyone wants to win, and we're recruiting at a high level ever since Zeller.

The dividing factor within the fan base is patience. How much do you have? Half the fan base has another couple years of patience left, and are hoping a grand coaching option comes up, the other half has lost all patience and wants the change now.

Everyone wants to win. Pretending like your side of the fan base is the only one that wants to win and my side is a bunch of losers who don't care is ridiculous.

patience? Programs nowadays can be built in 1 recruiting class if done correctly. Ask Kentucky, they do it every season.

[BlueDevil 9,544]

For those that want to throw out the first 3 years not including the 2 wins this year they are averaging almost 21 wins and 11 losses a season the last 4 years. Don't know how that is acceptable to some people.

[WayneFleekHoosier 51,026]

Everyone wants to win, and we're recruiting at a high level ever since Zeller.

Our recruiting has more or less fit our results. Two sweet sixteens, missed NCAA, first round exit. Good recruiting. But not good enough. High level vs. highest level. If we want to win at the highest level with Crean we need to recruit at the highest level.

[Bittersince87 209]

Wrong. Calipari and Pitino both were interested but IU isn't. Say what you want about them but we have a mediocre program and they have both won national championships since Crean has been here.

As for Crean he regressed in year 3 in conference. Increasing win totals vs cupcakes means little to me. When it mattered he regressed, it counts.

I think it ends up being a 2 year process for him to cement himself and be here for many more years or for him to get fired. He must have a good year this year. He has to win something (Big Ten, BTT, NCAA) and make a deep run (Elite 8 plus). He must also have a good enough team next season to stay towards the top of the conference and make the dance comfortably in a "rebuild" year plus have us poised for another deep run after that. He fails anywhere along the way he needs to be gone.

Ultimately the past is the past. It's what can he do going forward that matters. He has been given time, maybe too much, and what he does over the next 18 months will make or break him at IU.

I have big problems with how u evaluate patience. Just look at this years team. Same defensive problems. We're going in circles and Crean still hasn't been able to help these kids change. Enough is enough.

[WayneFleekHoosier 51,026]

For as good as we are supposed to be this year, is anyone really confident we would beat teams like Louisville, Georgetown, UCLA, Florida State, etc. etc? Heck, even Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa? I'm not and I am not even sure what my point is.

I guess its twofold.

1. The difference in the 15 best team and the 70th best team isn't too large.

2. I don't think I inherently trust Crean to out coach anyone.

I honestly wish I could go into a game with Izzo confidence. Our coach is better, we have the advantage. Instead, it's our players are better we have the advantage.

[JSHoosier 22,194]

For as good as we are supposed to be this year, is anyone really confident we would beat teams like Louisville, Georgetown, UCLA, Florida State, etc. etc? Heck, even Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa? I'm not and I am not even sure what my point is.

I guess its twofold.

1. The difference in the 15 best team and the 70th best team isn't too large.

2. I don't think I inherently trust Crean to out coach anyone.

I honestly wish I could go into a game with Izzo confidence. Our coach is better, we have the advantage. Instead, it's our players are better we have the advantage.

/sigh

 

Damn I miss those days.

[Feathery 4,005]

I have big problems with how u evaluate patience. Just look at this years team. Same defensive problems. We're going in circles and Crean still hasn't been able to help these kids change. Enough is enough.

I don't think you have a problem with how I evaluate anything. I said I think it will be a 2 year process. I think that bc our AD loves Tom Crean and won't get rid of him unless he absolutely has too. So I think it will take 2 seasons (or less) for there to be a critical mass for Glass to be forced to make the change. That 2 years will give Crean enough time to either show big improvement or to make it clear to those who are ardent supporters of his to finally say enough is enough.

[Uspshoosier 53,722]

Our recruiting has more or less fit our results. Two sweet sixteens, missed NCAA, first round exit. Good recruiting. But not good enough. High level vs. highest level. If we want to win at the highest level with Crean we need to recruit at the highest level.

whicita st bounced us last year and I would bet that in the past 4 years our team recruiting ranking was probably better then theirs each year. Hard to believe baker was a walk-on early in his career

[JSHoosier 22,194]

This might be an unpopular opinion, but when we talk about Crean's tenure here thus far isn't it unfair to include the first three years? That wasn't due to his inability to coach, it was due to self imposed sanctions IU applied to themselves because they decided to hire a cheater for a coach a couple years prior.

 

When he was going through those first few years, everyone was applauding him for changing the tides so IU could be a respectful academic and well behaved basketball team. Now that we know more about the basketball side, people use those years to tack on his resume to make it look worse than it would otherwise.

 

You can make an argument that since the 2011-2012 team we have only been to the sweet 16 twice and sorely underperformed with the number 1 team in the country (and arguably with the following years team), we have had off the court issues, but to include the years when Crean was trying to bring IU back from the grave now just because you want him gone isn't appropriate.

 

Sorry for ranting.

Like it or not all 3 count on his official record.

 

I was in complete agreement on throwing out the first year, I understand the 2nd, but I can't agree with throwing out all 3.  I remember when posters kept saying the year shouldn't count, then all of a sudden it became 3.

[JSHoosier 22,194]

For those that want to throw out the first 3 years not including the 2 wins this year they are averaging almost 21 wins and 11 losses a season the last 4 years. Don't know how that is acceptable to some people.

And just to add on to this, 20 wins is not the measure that it used to be.

[WayneFleekHoosier 51,026]

Sorry meant to quote upshoosier about Wichita St. read into that as you may. Have players switch benches at beginning of year. Give WS our guys and Crean his guys, who wins? Honest question, I don't know but interesting premise.

[WayneFleekHoosier 51,026]

I am ALL IN this year for this team. That is what matters. I hope Crean can recruit and retain players to be extremely successful next year too.

Go Hoosiers.

[OliviaPope40 7,437]

Interesting to see that this thread is no longer about the article.

[biteoftheapple 4,115]

I have not done the research, but, I am willing to bet that our recruiting rank has been better or equal to Wiscy, since our B1G conference championship. We have been middle of the pack. Where were they?

[JSHoosier 22,194]

Interesting to see that this thread is no longer about the article.

The article was about Crean so I really don't think it's that off topic.

[Uspshoosier 53,722]

Sorry meant to quote upshoosier about Wichita St. read into that as you may. Have players switch benches at beginning of year. Give WS our guys and Crean his guys, who wins? Honest question, I don't know but interesting premise.

anyhing can happen in a one game senerio, so you don't know what would happen but if the coaches were on opposite sides I would assume Marshall's team would be favored by a lot more then what they were favored last year

[Chips&Dipo 1,464]

Wrong. Calipari and Pitino both were interested but IU isn't. Say what you want about them but we have a mediocre program and they have both won national championships since Crean has been here.

As for Crean he regressed in year 3 in conference. Increasing win totals vs cupcakes means little to me. When it mattered he regressed, it counts.

I think it ends up being a 2 year process for him to cement himself and be here for many more years or for him to get fired. He must have a good year this year. He has to win something (Big Ten, BTT, NCAA) and make a deep run (Elite 8 plus). He must also have a good enough team next season to stay towards the top of the conference and make the dance comfortably in a "rebuild" year plus have us poised for another deep run after that. He fails anywhere along the way he needs to be gone.

Ultimately the past is the past. It's what can he do going forward that matters. He has been given time, maybe too much, and what he does over the next 18 months will make or break him at IU.

In what world was Pitino or Calipari interested in the IU job?

[bleedhoosier 3,627]

Great article.. I hate the personal attacks on Crean and his family. Absolute garbage IU fans in my opinion. I get what others are saying. Go to a freaking final four already and nobody is cheering in a classroom that you are fired. Tom Crean is a fantastic man. I love him.. Seriously.. But just grab the big ten title again bro!! I don't need a banner to want to keep him at IU.. I just need IU to be the juggernaut each year to be dealt with!

[Chips&Dipo 1,464]

Also, seems like people are putting words in my mouth. I am not saying that Crean gets a pass for the job he has done. I am saying, base your arguments on the years where it was relevant and a reflection of the job he did not the sanctions. I doubt many of you people wanted him gone after year 1, 2, or 3. 

[Miller'sTheMan 1,652]

My question was what does he have to do to make you think he isn't good enough to take us anywhere. I just took the furthest he has ever taken this program, the Sweet Sixteen, as a leaping off point. Some of you guys act like Crean should be getting all the time in the world, regardless of what he actually accomplishes on the sideline.

 

I'm just going to go on record that I don't get the Final Four talk with this group of players. We still haven't had the chance to see if they can actually play even decent defense against a team that isn't awful, our best player goes through stretches when he just wants to chuck up a bunch of horrid shots. Our second best player has a bad habit on having tunnel vision, and we're relying heavily on a true freshman big to be our anchor defensively. Not to mention our coach's only time making it past the Sweet Sixteen took an extraordinary player to do so. 

Oh, well I would probably say elite 8 or bust for Crean this season.