The Indiana Hoosiers made the decision to fire head coach Tom Crean on Thursday. What could that mean for Thomas Bryant’s future?
By now you have probably already heard. Tom Crean is out as head men’s basketball coach at Indiana after nine seasons. Many have been calling for this move for awhile and those fans who were pleading for change now get their wish.
The nationwide search for a new head coach for Indiana will come over the next several weeks. The move that the Hoosiers make will need to set the program up for sustainable success. It’s not said who is the likely favorite for the job just yet, but speculation has drawn up plenty of names.
Now that Tom Crean is out as head coach, what does that mean for some of the current players on Indiana’s roster? One of the more interesting names associated with potentially leaving is sophomore center Thomas Bryant.
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Thomas Bryant was recruited by Tom Crean and in recent days has shown his utmost support for the former head coach. He told reporters after the loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament that “Coach Crean is my guy” among other words of support. Draft Express has Thomas Bryant being selected with the No. 35 pick in the second round this year, should he chose to enter the NBA Draft. That question will be looming even heavier now that the coach who recruited him to Bloomington is no longer around.
The video courtesy of Inside The Hall shows the full post-game comments made by Bryant, including his backing of Tom Crean (1:30 marker).
Thomas Bryant addressed the question of whether or not he would enter the 2017 NBA Draft more recently after Indiana’s first round NIT loss to Georgia Tech.
Thomas Bryant said postgame he hasn't thought yet about NBA decision. Just focused on team, teammates. #iubb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) March 15, 2017
It’s unclear whether the head coaching change will sway Bryant to lean more on the side of taking the leap to the NBA. Bryant this season averaged 12.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG and 1.5 APG on 51.9-percent shooting. I can only speculate that if his teammate O.G. Anunoby decides to enter the draft it would make all the sense in the world that Bryant would follow suit.
More so than just some of his teammates leaving for the NBA, the Hoosiers will be in a transition period next season. A new head coach with new direction and perspective might not be something a player in his third year in college is exactly looking for. It should not be surprising in the slightest if Bryant and Anunoby decide to call it quits at Indiana after just two seasons. If Bryant genuinely backed Crean the way he says in the interview (which I think he does), all signs would point to the NBA Draft for the big man.
Next: Indiana Hoosiers fire Tom Crean
In regards to whether or not Bryant is ready to make that leap, well that’s another story. Bryant has shown the work ethic needed to survive in the NBA, but his some of his skills are still unpolished. If he may not believe that he is 100-percent ready to enter the NBA but this might be the best opportunity he has to be drafted for the reason stated above.