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Indiana Hoosiers: Does making the tournament save Tom Crean’s job?

By Ryan Phillips

Dec 31, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Tom Crean watches action as Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Tim Miles stands in the background at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Tom Crean watches action as Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Tim Miles stands in the background at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Indiana Hoosiers reached the NCAA Tournament, did that save Tom Crean’s job?

The Indiana Hoosiers are set to face the Wichita State Shockers in the NCAA Tournament on Friday. The fact that the Hoosiers even made the tournament was a surprise to many, who saw the team’s bubble slowly losing air down the stretch of the season.

Indiana head coach Tom Crean is a divisive figure right now, and it’s not clear if he will return for the 2015-16 season.

Was making the tournament enough to save Crean’s job?

The answer is more complicated than you might think.

As Creen stepped up to the podium for his introductory press conference at Indiana and delivered his off-the-cuff speech detailing why Indiana was the best college basketball job in the country, nobody knew how difficult a task he was inheriting. Within weeks Crean and the rest of the country learned that what the departed Kelvin Sampson had left him was no more than a smoldering pile of rubble.

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Sampson was let go because of repeated NCAA violations, that much everyone knew. But later it came to light that his program was mired in drug-related issues and a terrible record in the classroom. Crean set about rebuilding from nothing. When the dust settled the next year, only two roster players returned, both were walk-ons who had combined to score 36 career points.

Over the next three seasons, times were tough for the Hoosiers, but virtually everyone gave Crean the benefit of the doubt. No coach in major conference history has ever had to rebuild the way Crean did. Indiana’s record in those first three years was 28-66, but he continued to sell an upbeat message about the positive momentum the program was building. He also recruited extremely well, finally landing key in-state players like Jordan Hulls, Cody Zeller and Yogi Ferrell.

During the 2011-12 season, that patience finally paid off, as the Hoosiers went 27-9 and 11-7 in the Big Ten. They wound up reaching the Sweet 16 and the season also included one of the most dramatic wins in program history. The stage was set for a huge 2012-13 season.

That year did not disappoint as Indiana went 29-7 and finished 14-4 in the Big Ten for the school’s first outright Big Ten title in 20 years. The Hoosiers were ranked No. 1 for 10 weeks during the season and secured a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. After reaching the Sweet 16, Crean’s team faced a Syracuse team that was a terrible matchup. Syracuse had two things that have befuddled Crean’s teams at Indiana: length and a disciplined zone defense. Indiana bowed out with a 61-50 loss that was terribly disappointing for the entire fan base.

Crean faced a rebuild during the 2013-14 season, especially after the loss of two lottery picks (Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller) and two additional 1,000-point scorers (Christian Watford and Jordan Hulls). But instead of a season of building, the 2013-14 season turned to one of disaster. The Hoosiers stumbled to a 17-15 record and a 7-11 mark in the Big Ten. They didn’t even manage to receive an NIT bid. At that point, some of the villagers grabbed their pitchforks.

Most expected this season to be Crean’s put-up or shut-up moment. It began ominously with a horrifying car accident and three suspensions but the team pulled together and got off to a phenomenal 15-4 start. On January 22, Indiana dismantled an outstanding Maryland team 89-70 and was tied for first-place in the Big Ten. All of that came despite the team’s complete lack of a post game thanks to the early departure of another lottery pick (Noah Vonleh) to the NBA. Indiana was riding high and incredibly fun to watch.

Then, everything began to slip away.

A few key injuries and some extremely poor execution put the Hoosiers on a path to stumble the rest of the way. Plagued by comically bad defense and an offense that tends to stagnate for long stretches, Indiana finished the season winning just five of its final 14 games. On Selection Sunday, the Hoosiers were given the 10th seed in the Midwest region and will face seventh-seeded Wichita State in Omaha.

What Crean has done to rebuild Indiana basketball has been nothing short of phenomenal. He has re-emphasized academics, made the program a national recruiting power again and taken it from the deepest place it has ever known to a No. 1 ranking. The problem is, that after seven years his teams haven’t proven they can sustain a high level of play game-in and game-out.

There is no doubt the way a certain segment of Indiana’s fan base has treated Crean and his family has been shameful. Scenes like booing the team during home games, chanting the name of other coaches in the stands and disgusting stuff like this (even if it was mostly high school kids) is just plain embarrassing for the school and the majority of its fans. It has gotten to the point where the negative elements of the fan base are critiquing Crean’s clothing choices, his facial expressions and the fact that he claps on the sidelines. No, seriously, these people actually exist.

Crean is a good man who has done a lot to restore the culture of family around Indiana’s program. He has made many positive changes that needed to be implemented years ago. Given everything he has built and everything he has given to the program a part of me wants to give him another chance. After all, this is the second-straight year he has had an absurdly young team. If he were to lead his team to a win over Wichita State, then at least have a good showing in the Round of 32, maybe I could be persuaded he should return. If he also happens to secure a commitment from a true low-post threat, I would be even inclined to give him another season. But the likelihood of that scenario playing out is pretty slim.

It may be time for both parties to move on. After the way he and his family have been treated over the past year, I couldn’t blame Crean for wanting to go somewhere else and start fresh. If he does negotiate a buyout and the school moves on, Indiana’s entire fan base should thank him for his tremendous service and wish him well in his future endeavors, not dance on his grave.

The future of Indiana basketball looks bright and most of that is because of what Tom Crean has done for the program. He may not be the right man to take the Hoosiers to the top of the mountain again, but he was definitely the correct choice to dig them out of a ditch.