What really makes sense for the Indiana Hoosiers and Tom Crean?

The Hoosiers should be looking beyond the Big Ten Tournament this week, rather the future of their head coach Tom Crean.

March is normally the time of year Hoosiers fans look forward to every year. March Madness consumes most of the college towns across the nation, including Bloomington.

Barring a serious run for their first Big Ten Tournament Title, Indiana will be looking at an invitation to the NIT at best. This is not exactly what fans envisioned when they filled the seats of Assembly Hall in the fall. The players, coaches, and athletic director did not envision this outcome. But here were are, old friend.

This season has been a roller coaster I prefer never to ride again. The extreme highs and excitement early on lead to a free fall of injuries and disappointment. Two of the best wins owned by the Hoosiers accompanied by one of the worst losses in college basketball. A struggle of mediocrity and immaturity.

So where does that leave us looking ahead to the future? A flurry of speculation in the past few weeks has brought the same reoccurring narrative – Tom Crean’s departure is priority number one for a majority of fans. The same names are churned out on a daily basis across social media. Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics and Steve Alford of UCLA among those names. You could toss in a few other names (Billy Donovan, Tony Bennett, Archie Miller, etc.) and you now have yourself a full rumor mill of coaches who Indiana probably would not land right now.

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As the program sits right now is it one that would incline you enough to leave the NBA? or leave a program that has shown sustainable success? If Indiana can find a way to land a coach like Billy Donovan (don’t get your hopes up), that’s great.

The mediocre season that has been Indiana basketball is leading to rumors of Tom Crean taking another job. NC State and Missouri have been among the vacant positions linked to Crean’s name. While there is no real substantial evidence that Crean is looking into these positions, it’s worth noting one scenario.

Tom Crean agrees to a mutual buyout and parts ways with the program. A more unlikely but still viable option is Crean walking away on his own. Maybe a fresh start in another program is something he is looking for. Maybe he sees the writing on the wall and decides it’s best for both parties involved.

The Hoosiers should not be looking for a mid-major conference coach to come in and try to create some type of fairy tale story. If Indiana is going to move on from Tom Crean they should know that they will be landing a sure-fire win. A head coach that has proven success at the highest level. A coach that will be more fitting in the expectations of making it back to the top of the NCAA. That’s not going to happen quickly with a coach coming from a smaller school in a weaker conference. That’s not a shot at coaches like Archie Miller, rather the expectation that is being called upon by fans.

I’m not saying Tom Crean is that guy either. He very well could have hit the peak of his success with the Hoosiers. Three of the last four seasons have been underwhelming. He can hold to the two Big Ten Conference Championships Crean brought in the past, but it more so proves a point that he might have hit his peak of success. His development of players who were underrated coming out of high school and turning them into legitimate NBA players is another positive worth noting. The players he recruited who have not worked out at Indiana is a longer list than the ones who have.

The problem is Indiana fans want more. They expect more and rightfully so. The task at hand for Indiana’s Athletic Department is a tough one. A decision that could alter the direction in which a historically rich and successful program is currently trending towards. Can the Hoosiers find a coach that can bring success back to Bloomington rather quickly? Well, that I am unsure of.

It leads me to believe that pushing Crean out the door after this season could potentially hurt the Hoosiers. The scale at which we measure Indiana’s success is compared to programs like UCLA, Duke, North Carolina, and Kentucky. All schools with a rich history of sustainable success. The Hoosiers don’t align with those schools success rate of late. So what leads you to believe that Indiana can land a coach like Billy Donovan or Steve Alford? To be quite frank, it leads me to believe that they would rather stay put in the position they currently are in.

If Indiana does not land one of those sure-fire wins in a new head coach, what are we left with? A full-fledged rebuild of the basketball program? Not something Indiana fans want to see anytime soon. My head is telling me that Indiana will move on from Tom Crean. My heart says Indiana is not ready to give up on him. My gut opinion, well it tends to change by the hour.

The only thing we know for certain at this point – it will make for an interesting off-season.

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Indiana Basketball: What really makes sense for both the Hoosiers and Tom Crean moving forward?

By Jordan Maly | Mar 8, 2017

The Hoosiers should be looking beyond the Big Ten Tournament this week, rather the future of their head coach Tom Crean.