Crean article on Yahoo sports

[cheebs09]

I really think Crean's issue is going to be reaching the success that Indiana fans want. I thought he'd get them back to the level of success he had at Marquette, which I feel is years like they have had this year. However, Indiana fans are looking at this as just the beginning and want to compete for Big Ten championships and Final Fours. He has a lot of talent coming in next year, and I think that's when the real test will come for him.

[Hoopaloop]

I don't think Crean will ever get caught and I'm not sure what he's doing is "illegal" but he's playing the game now in recruting.   As opposed to the first couple years when he couldn't get a sniff from a good/elite recruit.    

For IU fans they should be excited as those prospects funnel in.  Crean will get them to a FF, perhaps beyond imo.

They all play the game.  The key is whether things are illegal.  That is what rules and guidelines are for.  The video I linked the other day of Steve Novak got into the recruiting of Novak by Crean years ago.   He wasn't getting a sniff early on because few kids wanted to play for a program that was in deep trouble.  Painter used that against Crean and the two are not exactly buddies as a result of it.  No surprise.  Painter did what he had to do and negative recruit, that's his job, pain as bleak a picture about IU as you could. 

[Lennys Tap]

  Painter used that against Crean and the two are not exactly buddies as a result of it.  

Crean has very few "buddies" in the coaching profession. He lost his best buddy in the college ranks when Kelvin Sampson got canned.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I've always thought he would "win" at IU because TC is a workaholic and has a large ego.

Those types of guys usually aren't great neighbors, but professionally speaking, they tend to climb the ladder.

With this said, once IU fans determine the program is "back", their expectations are going to go through the roof.

I don't think TC was in danger of losing his job in the first 5 years... but year 8 or 9 could be tough if they aren't winning the big ten and/or getting a top 2 seed.

Fans are not the most loyal or logical bunch, and they will turn on him if they feel they have reached a ceiling.

[tower912]

I expected Crean to seal the borders, which is enough to win at IU.   Simply being at IU is enough to overcome one of his two biggest weaknesses at MU....the inability to land a quality big.   His second weakness at MU was the inability to make in-game adjustments, something I always felt was related to his first weakness.   What in-game adjustment can you make when you don't have a balanced team?   So far, he has met my expectations for him at IU.    The questions remain, has he grown enough as an in-game coach to return to their heights?    Can he make players better?

[Hoopaloop]

I expected Crean to seal the borders, which is enough to win at IU.   Simply being at IU is enough to overcome one of his two biggest weaknesses at MU....the inability to land a quality big.   His second weakness at MU was the inability to make in-game adjustments, something I always felt was related to his first weakness.   What in-game adjustment can you make when you don't have a balanced team?   So far, he has met my expectations for him at IU.    The questions remain, has he grown enough as an in-game coach to return to their heights?    Can he make players better?

He will not seal the borders.  First, too much talent in the state.  Purdue has a top 5 class in 2013, but there is more than enough talent to go around.  After reading Novak, Wade, Diener's comments about how he made them better, I believe in what the players say, they were the ones that had to do it.  Diener and Novak were not NBA material when they started at Marquette.  Neither were Matthews, McNeal, and Hayward.  Crean and Buzz did great jobs in making those guys better players.  I've been impressed with what he has done with some of the IU players. For the most part they are the same team as last year except for Zeller.  Now, Zeller is a major player but everyone else has stepped up their game considerably.

I've never understood the in-game adjustment comments.  It's as if we never won a game where we trailed at the start or trailed at halftime.  We did. Yes, we also lost games we were up at halftime.  So has Buzz.  So has every coach in America.

[Hoopaloop]

Crean has very few "buddies" in the coaching profession. He lost his best buddy in the college ranks when Kelvin Sampson got canned.

From what I understand, that is a false statement perpetuated by a few.  He apparently has Marquette's largest booster as a friend and plenty of those in the coaching fraternity.  Izzo, Heathcoate, Howland, Kevin O'Neill, Buzz Williams, LaRussa, Mike McCarthy and others.  He has a number of others that don't care for him like Matta, Painter, and Ryan.   Your favorite ex-poster told me he was a pain to work for and if you weren't on the same page it could get uncomfortable.  He also said, however, that the guy has a network of people that love him and would run through a brick wall.  Loyal friends.  Apparently Dick Strong is one of them.

http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=86090

[ringout]

Now you sound like a Purdue fan.  Well done.    

And I KEEP wondering why you don't sound more like a Purdue fan.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

And I KEEP wondering why you don't sound more like that.

if you give it long enough, all of the old tendencies start to come out again.

[Hoopaloop]

And I KEEP wondering why you don't sound more like a Purdue fan.

A few reasons

Marquette fan first and foremost
This is a Marquette board, not a Purdue board
Crean was great for MU.  I hold no grudges
I did pick IU to lose yesterday, MU to win, Purdue to win - you should like that.  Right there for all to see on the Scoop brackets
I'm not 15 years old and have the ability to control emotions when coaches of my teams leave

[Hoopaloop]

LOL.  You got that right, Hoopaloop -- back in Crean's early days at IU, if one posted supportive comments of our former coach on this board it was generally met with a barrage of abuse from a few posters.  Some of whom have still not moved on from that point.

As for where the IU program is now and my expectations back in Crean's first year in Bloomington, here is what I posted on this board on March 11, 2009:

"... like [redacted name of he whose name should not be mentioned  ], I expect big things.  (In fact, I have offered to bet many of my Purdue-supporting friends and relatives on the games in 2012; so far, I have not had a single taker.)

Keep in mind that this year's IU team was not without talent.  They were just extremely young and inexperienced.  They put forth the effort and hustle every night and progressed as the season went along.  It is a building process, and I like what I have seen so far." 

When I made that post in 2009, I expected the Hoosiers to make the NIT in 2010-11, and the NCAA tournament this year.  And as I said here recently, at no point in the time since Crean took the IU job was there any expectation or suggestion that he would be fired.  Hoosier fans understood the mess he inherited.

Congratulations Dale.  Did not think you would win either game.  Hulls has to scare you to death at the point, especially against Kentucky. 

[Coach Norman Dale]

Congratulations Dale.  Did not think you would win either game.  Hulls has to scare you to death at the point, especially against Kentucky. 

Thanks.  It has been a fantastic season, beyond my expectations for IU.  However, I believe their Road to the Final Four is about to end.  That is -- while it is deeply painful to say this -- I think IU will lose by at least 10 to Kentucky.

Knowing that they [Kentucky] mishandled the end of the first game against Indiana, then having to see the replay of the Watford shot every time they have turned on ESPN for the last two months should be more than enough motivation.  Also, I agree with you, the situation at point guard is not going to help the Hoosiers.

On the other hand, I REALLY like how things are shaping up for Marquette!