Indiana Basketball: Tom Crean Shouldn’t Be Fired…Yet

You know when you boil a pot of water and before it’s really bubbling and gurgling there are just tiny bubbles quickly coming to the surface? That’s about how hot Tom Crean’s seat in Bloomington is right now. Not quite scalding, but you wouldn’t want to stick your hand in the water.

After a devastating loss to Syracuse in the 2013 NCAA tournament as a No. 1 seed, a 17-15 record with no invite to a major postseason tournament the next season, numerous transfers coming after and six players in legal trouble since February, it’s been a disturbing period for Indiana basketball.

After the events of the past couple of days, some have called for Crean’s job, including Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel. The points are valid. The behavior of Indiana’s players has been unacceptable, and almost half of the roster has had some sort of legal trouble.

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But despite the problems surrounding Indiana basketball, I don’t think Crean deserves the boot yet. While the player conduct issues from the last several months are bad, you can’t totally fault Crean. Yes, he’s in charge of the players, but at some point the individuals need to be held accountable. Crean did institute new rules, such as forcing every player to live in dorms instead of off-campus, thinking a more stable environment would limit the reckless behavior. It may not have worked, but it shows Crean is trying.

Crean has not committed any violations himself, unlike former head coach Kelvin Sampson. Crean may not have accounted for the immaturity of his team and it in turn made him look bad, but I don’t think he deserves to get fired over things that are more the players’ faults.

The thing is though, if this season doesn’t go well, it will be time to bring in a new coach. For Crean to keep his job, not only does he have to keep his team in line, but IU has to win games. A lot of them.

Let us not forget how truly awful last season was. Turnovers, lack of offensive creativity and poor performance in the game’s waning stages plagued the Hoosiers. In the final four minutes against Northwestern, Nebraska, Minnesota and Penn State, the games were close. Indiana was either winning or down by just a couple of possessions. The deficits were not insurmountable. The Hoosiers were outscored 14-9, 9-5, 8-4 and 15-4, respectively, with every game resulting in a loss.

Jan 21, 2014; East Lansing, MI, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Tom Crean reacts to a play during the 1st half of a game at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Against the Nittany Lions, IU had one of the biggest meltdowns I can ever remember seeing. The Hoosiers couldn’t even inbound the ball to force Penn State to foul and put a Hoosier on the free-throw line for a chance to pad the lead. The Hoosiers turned it over three straight times on inbounds passes in the game’s final 40 seconds.

They couldn’t accomplish one of the most fundamental plays in the sport not once, but three times! Sorry for digressing, but it is the perfect example of the subpar play that was the difference between the Hoosiers playing in March or sitting on the couch.

I’ll concede that Indiana had just lost a ton of talent and experience in Christian Watford, Cody Zeller, Victor Oladipo and Jordan Hulls, but it wasn’t like the cupboard was bare. Yogi Ferrell and Will Sheehey returned and the recruiting class, led by 5-star Noah Vonleh, was a top ten class in the country. A 17-15 record is and remains unacceptable.

But, that time has come and gone. For Crean, it’s Big Dance or bust. Missing the NCAA tournament again combined with the turbulence of the offseason would easily send Hoosier nation into a feeding frenzy with the only way to appease it being the hiring of a new coach.

Yes, Crean did bring IU back from the cellar of college basketball, but at some point success needs to be sustained. He had a nice two-year run, but even with one of the three or four best teams in the country, he couldn’t make it past the Sweet 16. This fan base demands a winner and wants a consistent one. If Crean can’t produce again, that proverbial pot will boil over.

Crean should be safe for now, but make no mistake, the chair in his office is plenty hot. But, he deserves a chance to right the ship before calls to possible replacements begin.