After nine seasons in Bloomington, the Indiana Hoosiers have parted ways with head coach Tom Crean. Crean missed his second NCAA Tournament in four years.
One of the biggest question marks for the Indiana Hoosiers Men’s Basketball team was answered just two days into the offseason. Thursday morning, Indiana announced they have fired head coach Tom Crean.
The decision has come under a squeeze from the Indiana’s fan base over the course of the last six months. It seemed that the size of the ‘anti’-Crean fans grew larger with every loss this season. After two top-five wins early on this season, the Indiana Hoosiers stumbled through a less than impressive 2016-17 season. The Hoosiers missed the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four years.
Tom Crean finished his tenure at Indiana with a record of 166-135 (.551), including three Sweet Sixteen appearances. Tom Crean undoubtedly pushed the Hoosiers through an extremely dark time for the program. He took over the team after replacing interim head coach Dan Dakich, a program that was under significant NCAA sanctions thanks to ex-Hoosiers head coach Kelvin Sampson.
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One of the greatest moments in recent Indiana basketball history happened under head coach Tom Crean. The Christian Watford game-winning shot against No. 1 Kentucky in the 2011-12 season put the program back in the spotlight. Tom Crean was a part of the 2012-13 team in which they maintained the No. 1 spot in college basketball for much of the season. Many never forgave Crean for losing in the Sweet Sixteen that season to Syracuse. A team that was destined for a Final Four and potential NCAA Championship fell short in just the second weekend.
It could be all too possible that Tom Crean peaked with Indiana far too early into his career. After that 2012-13 season, the Hoosiers missed the NCAA Tournament twice in the next four seasons. Indiana struggled with continuous off the court issues, including the dismissal of several recruits hand picked by Crean.
"”Tom Crean brought us through one of the most challenging periods in IU basketball history, led his players to many successes in the classroom and on the court and represented our university with class and integrity,” Glass said. ”While winning two outright Big Ten titles in five years and being named Big Ten coach of the year, Tom worked tirelessly to develop great young men and successful teams. However, ultimately, we seek more consistent, high levels of success, and we will not shy away from our expectations.”- Indiana AD Fred Glass"
All eyes now turn to Athletic Director Fred Glass, who will now be on a nationwide coaching search. This will be the second head coaching hire Glass will have to make in the past four months. After multiple reports about the behavior of Indiana football head coach Kevin Wilson, Glass fired Wilson and hired Tom Allen.
The expectation of Indiana basketball will put plenty of pressure on Fred Glass to make a splash with this hire. Some of the names that are rumored to be in the conversation include Dayton’s Archie Miller, Virginia’s Tony Bennett, Wichita State’s Greg Marshall, UCLA’s Steve Alford, and a handful of others. It looks like Indiana will be able to have their pick of virtually any coach available.