The Indiana Basketball All-Crean Team

Coach Tom Crean has been under the microscope since the day he accepted the head coaching position for Indiana basketball. While he has markedly improved the program since taking over the reins, there are still (and always will be) doubters of Crean’s ability. However, when you look at the quality of players Crean has attracted to Bloomington, you can really begin to see just how good of a recruiter Crean really is. Since 2008, Crean has landed five McDonald’s All-Americans, and has had eight former players sign professional contracts. In order to better understand the caliber of player Crean draws to IU, it is necessary to compile them into a single team. What follows is the All-Crean team at IU. These are the best players that have played for Coach Tom Crean while at Indiana. The team is comprised of the usual five positions on the court, plus a sixth man bonus choice. Without further adieu, the All-Crean Team:

PG- Yogi Ferrell

This one is a no-brainer. Breaking the all-time assist record halfway through his senior year, this four-year starter has made an incredibly transition from wide-eyed freshman to Big 10 Player of the Year candidate right before our eyes. Yogi is the type of player that you almost never see in college basketball these days. Whether through his own choices or physical limitations preventing him to make the jump to the NBA, Ferrell has become the face of Indiana basketball under Tom Crean by staying for all four years of his college career. He has averaged at least 16 points per game since his sophomore year, and hit a three-pointer in an IU-record 68 straight games. He will go down in history as one of the greatest point guards in Indiana history, and one of the only athletes to have a cartoon bear named in his honor.

SG- Victor Oladipo

Dipo is without a doubt the most exciting player to ever play for Coach Crean. His amazing rise to superstardom was one of the most exciting times in Indiana basketball history. Coming into the program as a scrappy three star prospect, Oladipo improved his game to become Sporting News’ College Basketball Player of the Year in the 2012-2013 season. Whether it was his NBA Jam-level dunks during the games, or his silky-smooth melodies off the court, Oladipo became one of the most beloved players to ever come through the program. He was that special combination of glue-guy and superstar that led some pundits to compare him to some guy named Michael Jordan. On top of that, Oladipo was one of the coolest guys that have been lucky enough to call Bloomington home. In fact during my freshman year, Oladipo’s junior year, I was lucky enough to see him at a house party. It was a cold and snowy night in February of 2013, and Oladipo-mania was in full swing. The party had been going on for a few hours at that point, and everyone was having a good time dancing and hanging with friends. Suddenly, rumors began to swirl that THE Victor Oladipo might be making an appearance. Not a minute later, Oladipo and his crew emerged in the corner of the jam-packed house on Indiana Avenue. To this day I still do not know why, but someone had the wherewithal to start playing the song “Wobble” by Vic Mensa. Suddenly, the crowd of people split like the Red Sea, revealing Oladipo in his all-red IU sweat suit. Without saying a word, Oladipo proceeded to hit the wobble dance with such conviction that every girl in a 4-mile radius passed out from how smooth his entrance to the party was (I assume). As everyone in the party circled around him and started chanting “Go Dipo! Go Dipo!” I knew that we were witnessing history. Soon thereafter the song ended, Oladipo took some pictures, and he was gone before we knew what had happened. Perhaps the most amazing thing about this entire experience was that Oladipo somehow managed to spend 20 minutes at this party without saying a single word, yet people still talk about him showing up to this day. Oh, and he’s also really good at basketball. Long live Dipo.

SF- Christian Watford

You may be starting to see a trend here. Yes, this is the third player on the list from the legendary 2012-2013 IU squad, but there is a reason for that. Watford may deserve to be on this list for the “Wat-Shot” alone, but he provided so much more than that to the program. Watford was both a 1,000-point scorer and a four-year player for Coach Crean. You could always count on Watford to come through in the clutch, even though it may have looked like he took seven pills of Nyquil Severe before some games. Watford could be frustrating to watch at certain points, but he was a team player and an athlete who was far more dedicated to the name on the front of the jersey instead of the one on the back (I know IU doesn’t have names on the back of its jerseys but you get what I’m trying to say). Also, Watford still holds the award for youngest-ever person to sport a full beard. Seriously, he must have had his signature beard since he was like 12 years old. The whole time he played for IU I seriously could not tell if he was 20 years old, or a 40 year old that could ball and still had some eligibility left. Regardless, Watford surely deserves a spot on this team.

PF- Noah Vonleh

They say if you listen closely, you can still hear NBA scouts screaming “THE POTENTIAL!” every time you say Noah Vonleh’s name. A case of a player gone too soon, Vonleh showed glimpses of brilliance during his one year in Bloomington. Unfortunately, Vonleh had to play for an underwhelming 17-15 team. However in his one year here, Vonleh averaged 11 PPG and 9 rebounds, and would make a play every once in awhile that would make you really think he could turn into something special. Noah is without a doubt Tom Crean’s “Great White Buffalo”, or the one that got away. If you consider the fact that Vonleh would currently be a junior playing with the current IU team, you will also lose sleep thinking about what could have been. In another life Noah Vonleh would be putting up 15 and 15 for the current team, and Tom Crean wouldn’t look like he just walked by a fish market every time a camera is on his face, but we can’t always get what we want.

C- Cody Zeller

The Big Handsome. The Chosen One. The Savior. All of these aliases are appropriate for two things only: a 4am Cheesy Gordita Crunch from Taco Bell, and Cody Zeller. Zeller was not only 2010’s Mr. Basketball for the state of Indiana, but he was also the shining beacon signaling the return of Indiana basketball. He was the first major signing for Tom Crean, and paved the way for all of the other McDonalds All-Americans that have graced Assembly Hall with their presence since then. In his two years in Bloomington, Zeller was honored with the Big Ten Freshman of the Year Award, a second-team All- American award, and a first team All-Big Ten award. He was the main reason for the #1 ranking IU held throughout most of the 2012-2013 season, and is also responsible for one of the more awkward Sports Illustrated covers of all time. Ladies wanted him and guys wanted to be him (I’m fully aware this is an incredibly outrageous claim). Although Victor Oladipo overtook the spotlight towards the end of the 2012-2013 season, Zeller was the constant that kept the team together, and helped produce one of the best seasons in IU basketball history.

Honorable Mention:

SF- Will Sheehey

I could not, in good conscience, make this list without the addition of Will Sheehey. His magical 14-year career at Indiana saw many ups and downs. He was a part of the IU basketball resurgence in 2011 and 2012, and also saw the darker days of the 17-15 2013-2014 team. On top of all of that, Sheehey is the only player in IU history to play for coaches Lou Watson, Bob Knight, Mike Davis, Kelvin Sampson, Dan Dakich, and Tom Crean. He is truly an all-time great.