MU fan's live blog of Crean's presser at IU

[Husker4MU]

These are live comments of my buddy's thoughts during Crean's presser at IU.  Very funny, way too much truth.  Long, but enjoy.  At least scroll down to the part where Crean is describing his offense.

I'll give you rough transcript as it happens:

Greenspan just introduced Crean.

Incredible sadness at the people I'm leaving, incredible joy at the people I'm joining.

Held up "Crean & Crimson" shirt.  Nobody moves as fast as IU.

So many feelings, so many emotions.  No success w/out family's support.  Introduced "soulmate and partner" Joanie.  12-year-old Megan, and Riley.  Been blessed w/ family that is "unspeakable" to me.  (Wrong word, Einstein.)

Keeps talking about family.  Harbaugh – was w/in one dropped pass of Super Bowl.  (Favre won one, dude.)  John Harbaugh – head coach of Havens.  Jack Harbaugh.  "I have to start w/ family because that's what I just walked into."  (Heard that before.)  Great feelings for the tradition of IU since he was young.  Will never forget '76 championship, just like he won't forget '77 MU championship.  Loved watching IU.  (Liar.)  Kent Benson came to Central Michigan, got autographs – never a bigger celebrity than Kent Benson at CMU.  Kept picture of Benson in IU uniform.  (Gaywad.)

Haven't had the right words to explain why he was leaving what he considered the "greatest job in the world."  (Sh!t is actually oozing out of him at this point.)  When I received this opportunity, when Mr. Fogler called, I listened and I thought, and I still come back to what I thought at the beginning: "It's Indiana." (You're good at geography.)  Incredible tradition at Indiana.  I know what the values are.  (Not loyalty, apparently.)  I'm going to learn about Indiana over the next ten years – whoops, only eight-year contract.  (WOW.  You're already renegotiating.)

This is a challenging situation; I hope you realize that.  (Please don't fire me in two years when we finish 8th in the Big 11.)

Loosely: this is the best school that has ever existed, in this or any other dimension.  I don't have a lot of eloquent things to tell you why I'm excited.  (Used car salesmen rarely do.)  It is a "humbling honor."  Like it was humbling to work at Marquette – dropping names now: Wild, called Cottingham "Cotter."  (Just as humbling to knife them yesterday.)

Talks about leaving the team yesterday.  (HE'S CRYING!  I WIN!  I WIN!  I WIN!)  "I had their heart, they had mine."  (But not my pocketbook.  Straight cash, homies.)

Crean family cannot wait to be part of Hoosier nation.  For last nine years, we've been blessed to be at Marquette.  No way he would've left if this wasn't the pinnacle of college basketball.  (Have you looked at your roster?)  No question that we're humbled.  (Not as much as you will be when Bucky beats you by 30 at home.)  He's a "big fan" of the IU president.  Our eyes are wide open for the greatness that is Indiana basketball.  (What in God's name does that mean?)

They're taking questions now.  This should be fun.  Hit 'em up, Rosiak.

Will he reinstate the two guys who got kicked off the team yesterday? 
Dunno.  I don't know what happened.  My watch started at 10 when I met our players.  We'll deal with this head on.  With our eyes wide open.  (Why does he keep saying that?)  We have an incredible tradition during a challenging time at Indiana.  We'll take it hour by hour.  I don't have an answer that would be correct right now.  (Cliché count: 97.)

Have you talked to the IU recruits?
Won't comment on that now.  Going to study the four young men who have committed to university.  We're going to need the Hoosier Nation's help.  (Cash, preferably.  Lexuses, if you have them.)  I walked away from a very long contract.  The security of the years is important to me.  "We are here for the long haul."  (Having déjà vu...)  We're going to build it the right way.  Trust that we're going to build on the tradition.  I don't need people to make phone calls.  (Kelvin Sampson just crapped his pants; thanks for that one, Tommy.)

Lance Allen, from Channel 4: TC says "I know you drove here, TMJ didn't pay for you to fly."  Lance asks: When did you decide to do this?
It's been so quick.  There's no good time to leave.  There's no good time to say goodbye.  (You should be a poet, or write songs for R Kelly.)  There was a "genuine interest" from the university.  If you're a college basketball coach, you understand this is in the top 3, top 5, top 10 – I rank it No. 1.  It was hard to leave, but I felt this was the right thing.  It happened very fast.  (That's what she said.)

What can people expect to see from your team, the style of play, etc?
That's a great question.  (Lots of dribble hand-offs.)  I'm tweaking the system all the time.  (I have no idea what my offense is.  I allegedly run 1000 offensive plays, but they all look the same somehow.  It's kind of like how every Smashing Pumpkins song sounds the same, even though they've put out 10 albums.)  I believe in individual development of players.  (Though only a handful of my players got better over their time at MU.)  Wants the fast break to be good.  We don't run motion, per se, or the Princeton offense.  We don't play that way.  We drive in space, score in the lane.  Some of our best post-ups were guards.  (Maybe because the best big man I recruited was Chris Grimm.)  We're going to guard the 3.  (That's revolutionary: most teams completely ignore the small forward on defense.)  I don't know our team yet.  I want to watch film.

Had a chance to talk to Izzo yet?
We've talked quite a bit.  (We're totally gay for each other.)  Indiana has a big fan in Tom Izzo.  (They're going to lynch you.)  Last time I matched up with him, it didn't turn out so well.  (You looked like a 3-year-old playing chess against a 40-year-old.)  He was very high on me coming here.  (Why wouldn't he be?  2, maybe 3 guaranteed wins a year.  Bank it.)


I saw Isiah Thomas' quote and Jered Jeffries' quote and I wanted to cry.  (Let's not quibble; you did cry.  You're a cryer.  It's who you are.  Embrace it.)  This base of alumni is so strong.  (Strong enough to tear you limb from limb when Izzo beats you 6 times in a row over 3 years.)

Who will be on your staff?
This has moved so fast; I need to get to know the players.  (Shouldn't be hard.  There's only four of them left.)  Then I want to think about the staff.  I have an outstanding staff back home.  (Tampering!  Tampering!  He's talking about our staff.)  I just saw Darrin Horn; that's why I'm peeling, we were in Arizona.  (You're peeling because you're a lizard.  And are you suggesting that you got MORE tan in Arizona?  What's more tan than bronze?)

Is it important to have someone w/ Indiana ties on your staff?
We gotta look at that.  (THIS IS MY SHOW!  MY SHOW!  You don't tell TC who's on TC's staff!  Do you have an eight-year contract?  Because this guy does!)  Our players have to be able to relate to them (and tan with them).

I need to explain to the players why I'm here.  Every one of those players chose IU for a reason.  Something drove them to make this decision.  I'm going to let them know what I feel about Indiana, about winning (we won't be doing very much of it), and all that.  I'm going to visit with those people quickly.  (Obviously – most of them are booked on the next plane out of town.) 

Was there anything MU could have done to make you stay?
No.  The students at MU have a "love affair" with .... (he didn't finish the thought.  He wanted to say "me.")  There was nothing that could've happened once I got the feeling.  MU has done more for me in every area.  (CRYING AGAIN!)  This was a "heart decision."  (It clearly wasn't a "brain decision.")  I've learned so much about appreciating fans and students.  (And killing their program.)

I already met 12 students.  I can't wait.  You have to build it up.  We worked incredibly hard.  I'm in the Cadillac of students, alums, and supporters.  (Marquette is more of a Honda.  A nice, mid-size one, but nothing too flashy.)

Mercifully, it's over.   Thanks for letting me do that.  It was therapeutic.

[77ncaachamps]

Was there anything MU could have done to make you stay?
No.  The students at MU have a "love affair" with .... (he didn't finish the thought.  He wanted to say "me.")  There was nothing that could've happened once I got the feeling.  MU has done more for me in every area.  (CRYING AGAIN!)  This was a "heart decision."  (It clearly wasn't a "brain decision.")  I've learned so much about appreciating fans and students.  (And killing their program.)


Puh-lease don't tell me he was going to say, "AL" but didn't have the balls to say it.

But he's right.

He ain't no AL.

[TallTitan34]

Nah I don't think he was going to say AL.  Students are aware of AL but by no means is there a love affair.  I'm trying to think of where he could have been going with that comment.

Thanks for the hilarious comments by the way!   

[Daniel]

Great job on the comments - I was literally laughing for the first time since Crean left town at the "lizard" and "honda" lines! LOL!

GO MARQUETTE!!

[muhoosier260]

"Kept picture of Benson in IU uniform.  (Gaywad.)"

i haven't heard anyone say gaywad since at least 6th grade, but it was so appropriate in this context.

[TJ]

"Kept picture of Benson in IU uniform.  (Gaywad.)"

i haven't heard anyone say gaywad since at least 6th grade, but it was so appropriate in this context.

that name's gonna lose you a lot of popularity points around here from now on.   

I don't envy your position!

[muhoosier260]

"Kept picture of Benson in IU uniform.  (Gaywad.)"

i haven't heard anyone say gaywad since at least 6th grade, but it was so appropriate in this context.

that name's gonna lose you a lot of popularity points around here from now on.   

I don't envy your position!

heheh. don't get confused, i'm an mu student, from indiana. although IU was the only other school i applied to, by no means am i an IU fan. by hoosier i'm just identifying with the state

[77fan88warrior]

This post is wiki material. Still laughing.