And it gets even better...

[MUBasketball]

Yeah, thats why I never really understood people being so upset with how his departure went down.

In a perfect world, he would have accepted the gig, and then had the entire team right by him and he could have told them. Instead, the guys were all over the place at the time. Does he try to call all of them after he accepts? Or does he wait to tell them in person?

My assumption is he wanted to tell them all together, but once he accepted, all it takes is one person at IU to leak to one of the media guys, and then it's a wild fire. After a few minutes, its all over TV.

[TallTitan34]

In an interview with the big three shortly after it all happened Dom and Wes said they found out when they were watching ESPN and went upstairs to tell Jerel to turn it on as he was sleeping.

[muwarrior87]

In an interview with the big three shortly after it all happened Dom and Wes said they found out when they were watching ESPN and went upstairs to tell Jerel to turn it on as he was sleeping.

I know there was shock by the team upon hearing it as interviews with them state and i know they did not initially hear the new from Crean.

EDIT:  From Rosiak's 4/2/08 article.  https://secure.jsonline.com/CommunityServer/muhoops/archive/2008/04/02/news-conference-highlights.aspx

Wesley Matthews on hearing Monday's breaking news and subsequent team meeting...
It was a sad moment. We found out through ESPN, through the news, and it didn't settle in right away, not until we got to the meeting. It was sad. It was an upsetting meeting, because of all the closeness of this team and the coaching staff and everything. I'm sure it's probably not how he intended on us finding out, but you just have to move on.
 
Dominic James on hearing the news and the team's reaction...
I got a call from my mother asking about it and that kind of surprised me. That was the worst thing about the situation, is how we found out about it. [Today] was great. Just getting back into rhythm with the team and just the camaraderie - you know, everybody just being together and being there for each other. That's the best thing about the situation, knowing that you still have people that care about you and knowing that there still are people here that will make us work and get better.

[pbiflyer]

Crean has made amends with Father Wilde and the MU administration. He knows he handled it badly and has apologized.

Just out of curiousity, where did you get that tidbit of information? I am not quite sure that is accurate.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Yeah, thats why I never really understood people being so upset with how his departure went down.

In a perfect world, he would have accepted the gig, and then had the entire team right by him and he could have told them. Instead, the guys were all over the place at the time. Does he try to call all of them after he accepts? Or does he wait to tell them in person?

My assumption is he wanted to tell them all together, but once he accepted, all it takes is one person at IU to leak to one of the media guys, and then it's a wild fire. After a few minutes, its all over TV.

the leak was one of the harbaugh bros.

[RedWebster]

Some fans love to hold on to the hate.

You are misinterpreting why people dislike him. The legions of fans who disliked Crean intensely were thankful that he showed his true colors upon his departure. Our dislike was not formed or enhanced in any way when he left.

I'm still trying to figure out if Jack Harbaugh is still working for MU. If not, what were his duties? Did he have to resign? Can somebody explain that to me? How much was he making?

These are the kinds of minute details that, upon review, probably irked Fr. Wild. He saw that he'd been hoodwinked by a guy who spent at least 30 minutes a day under a sun lamp for God's sake!!!

[4everwarriors]

Has the dude ponied up his soccer donation yet?

[TallTitan34]

I'm pretty sure he will pay up once enough money is raised.  There was a press conference after all.  They still have a ways to go money wise though. 

[MUBasketball]

No, Harbaugh does not work for MU anymore. I saw Jack and his wife at the airport a little while after Crean left. I chatted with him briefly. He mentioned he was going to Bloomington to help them move into their new house. He also told me that Scott Skiles bought Crean's house here.

Anyway, the way I interpreted the convo was he and the wife were moving so he could be with them. I know I was watching an IU game recently and they showed him in the stands.

What did he do? Well, for those of us who were in Anaheim in March, he gave a hell of a pre-game pep talk to everybody who came to the send-off at the team hotel. Other than that, walked out the season tix holder of the game (by the way, that is so stupid. Nothing like killing the energy during a time-out after a big run or a nice play than to kill the music and recognize people with tickets. Anybody with me?).

[GOMU1104]

Just out of curiousity, where did you get that tidbit of information? I am not quite sure that is accurate.

It is entirely accurate. I doubt you will find it in any article, but it is very true.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

No, Harbaugh does not work for MU anymore. I saw Jack and his wife at the airport a little while after Crean left. I chatted with him briefly. He mentioned he was going to Bloomington to help them move into their new house. He also told me that Scott Skiles bought Crean's house here.

Anyway, the way I interpreted the convo was he and the wife were moving so he could be with them. I know I was watching an IU game recently and they showed him in the stands.

What did he do? Well, for those of us who were in Anaheim in March, he gave a hell of a pre-game pep talk to everybody who came to the send-off at the team hotel. Other than that, walked out the season tix holder of the game (by the way, that is so stupid. Nothing like killing the energy during a time-out after a big run or a nice play than to kill the music and recognize people with tickets. Anybody with me?).

careful, that's hilltopper you're talking about.   

[Norm]

Has the dude ponied up his soccer donation yet?

4everwarriors,

I don't know for sure, but I do know that during fund raising efforts, you usually already have most of the money in hand before you announce a major effort. For instance, if your goal is $10 million, you pretty much already have $5 million to $6 million on hand when you have your major public announcement. In that vein, my guess is Crean already donated the majority, if not all of the donation, when the public announcement was made.

[muwarrior87]

4everwarriors,

I don't know for sure, but I do know that during fund raising efforts, you usually already have most of the money in hand before you announce a major effort. For instance, if your goal is $10 million, you pretty much already have $5 million to $6 million on hand when you have your major public announcement. In that vein, my guess is Crean already donated the majority, if not all of the donation, when the public announcement was made.

it has not been donated yet and they are nowhere near their total for the entire project so it may be a while before MU gets that money.

[5YearsatMU]

It is entirely accurate. I doubt you will find it in any article, but it is very true.

I tend to think that it is part of both.  It is true that he personally called MANY people throughout the University (not just athletics), however, just because he called doesn't mean that the amends were made.  Many people appreciated the call, but knew/thought it was damage control on his part, and that was the only reason he was doing it.  So to say it is entirely accurate, is, well, not entirely accurate. 

[TJ]

Regarding the way Crean left, couldn't someone from IU have leaked the news before Crean got to tell his MU players? From what I recall, the players started to get contacted about the time the news broke on ESPN. Would those who bash him for the way he left town be as upset if he had told the players before the news broke?

No.  That's the major complaint.  Players should not have found the news out by watching the ESPN ticker.  Take away the major complaint, and people wouldn't be as upset, that's pretty obvious.

But unfortunately that did happen...

[TJ]

MUbasketball is right. The news leaked on ESPN but there was no press conference until after he talked to the MU players.

Crean has made amends with Father Wilde and the MU administration. He knows he handled it badly and has apologized.

Some fans love to hold on to the hate.

If Father Wilde needed an apology before all was forgiven, why wouldn't the fans?  As far as I'm aware, he hasn't apologized to the fans yet.

[GOMU1104]

I tend to think that it is part of both.  It is true that he personally called MANY people throughout the University (not just athletics), however, just because he called doesn't mean that the amends were made.  Many people appreciated the call, but knew/thought it was damage control on his part, and that was the only reason he was doing it.  So to say it is entirely accurate, is, well, not entirely accurate. 

It was more personal than just phone calls.

[RawdogDX]

he showed his true colors upon his departure.

What 'true colors'?  That he was an ambitious person?  That he wants to win championships? That he behaves just like every other coach in the country when one of the top 5 programs come calling?
Is his color: after-nine-years-of-loyal-service-he-got-a-job-offer-he-couldn't-resist-at-one-of-the-premiere-basketball-schools-in-the-country green?

That sucks that someone leaked the story before he could get the team together, but it sucks more that people are constantly bitching about the 'way he left' because someone talked to espn hours before he could gather the team.  

Note: saying people are bitching isn't name calling.

[4everwarriors]

Web is right. For those of us who couldn't stand him, his manner of leaving was very much in character. I wouldn't have expected anything else from Crean. I'm thrilled he's gone. It was like Christmas in April.

[TallTitan34]

That sucks that someone leaked the story before he could get the team together, but it sucks more that people are constantly bitching about the 'way he left' because someone talked to espn hours before he could gather the team.  

I just think it would have been nice to let the team or athletic department know he was considering looking into the Indiana job before asking Tom Izzo what to do.  Maybe that's just me.

If he gave some heads up that he was considering it, people would be supportive of him I think.  After all, it's Indiana!  But leaving in the middle of the night: uncool.  Sure someone leaked the story, but Crean should have informed MU before the story even had a chance to be leaked.

[jce]

I just think it would have been nice to let the team or athletic department know he was considering looking into the Indiana job before asking Tom Izzo what to do.  Maybe that's just me.

If he gave some heads up that he was considering it, people would be supportive of him I think.  After all, it's Indiana!  But leaving in the middle of the night: uncool.  Sure someone leaked the story, but Crean should have informed MU before the story even had a chance to be leaked.

Unrealistic on both counts.  If I am looking to change jobs, I am not looking to my boss for advice.  I am going to ask people I trust in the "industry."  Also, there are too many people involved in these kind of things to reasonably expect that there will be no leaks.  He tried to contact his bosses, but they were on an airplane to Denver.

Look, it could have been handled better no doubt.  But my guess is that this is pretty much par for the course when it comes to coaching changes.  I also think that if MU would have hired Miller or Bennett, and the same thing would have happened at Xavier or WSU, we would have thought nothing of it.  We were just on the side of being dumped and that makes some people irreversably bitter.

[tower912]

In the spirit of Christmas, it is time to forgive and move on to better things.

[mosarsour]

In the spirit of Christmas, it is time to forgive and move on to better things.

+1. I've really had enough of the Crean bashing. I felt the way that Trevor left the team was a million times worse. But it's definitely time to move on and enjoy and support the coach and the great group of players that we have. We're blessed with a top 25 program, a top 10 recruiting class, and a team that's finally playing at full strength for the first time this season.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Mo

[MUshrooms]

I was extremely upset when he left and hated the guy for months.  But it really is time for everyone to get over it.  He was great at MU while he was here and I honestly don't think this program would be where it is today if we had hired another coach instead of Crean.  It's easy for a lot of us die hard MU fans to understand why he would leave when he did but it made a lot of sense for him to do it.  I think he loved MU when he was here and probably still cares about the program a lot, but he made a career decision that made sense for him and his family.  It will be easier for him to recruit at Indiana and he'll have success there in the long run.  Some of you that are still calling him a traitor and "Judas" need to put yourself in the guys shoes.  He handled the transition the exact same way that a lot of us would handle changing jobs.  Get over it, we have Buzz now and we'll move on from there.  Crean did a ton for the university when he was here so let's just be thankful for that.  And maybe in the long run Buzz can get us where Crean wasn't able to.