Smith: It’s time to get off Tom Crean’s back
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Editor
(Courtesy of IU Athletics/Mike Dickbernd)
Having a history of winning in a program can sometimes be a blessing and a curse. At times, the expectations of fans can become a little unrealistic based on the past. The Indiana Hoosiers’ fan base is large, loyal, and passionate. But is the Hoosier faithful expecting too much from their head coach?
Every time the Hoosiers lose, Tom Crean gets blamed. Every time the Hoosiers win, Tom Crean gets very little credit. Bashing Tom Crean has become the popular thing to do, even when it makes very little sense.
Does Coach Crean have some weaknesses? Of course. Does he also have strengths that get overlooked daily? You bet.
Check out some of these statistics:
-After Indiana’s win over #22 Ohio State, the Hoosiers are now 18-12 against top 25 teams since 2011. That is good enough for the most wins and fewest losses against ranked opponents among Big Ten teams.
-Crean is the only Big Ten coach to mentor an NBA lottery pick, a National Player of the Year, a first team All-American, a first team Academic All-American, and a Senior Class Award winner in the last decade.
-Indiana won 73 games from 2011-2013, which represents the highest 3-year win total for IU since 1990-1993.
-Since 2011, the Hoosiers lead the nation in field goal percentage and three-point percentage. They’re fourth in the nation in points scored and second in free throws made during that same time period. (Yet the fans say Crean can’t coach offense!)
-Indiana leads the nation with 10 wins over top-10 ranked teams in the last three seasons.
-The Hoosiers had consecutive Sweet 16 appearances for the first time since 1994, and won their first Big Ten Championship outright since 1993.
I know what many fans are thinking: “We want more than the Sweet 16 at Indiana!” And I agree with you there. The loss to Syracuse a few years back will probably never be forgotten among Hoosier fans. That team should have gone farther. Other than that loss, however, I don’t understand the constant complaints over this coach. Fans seem to downplay a Big Ten Championship for some reason. They also seem to downplay the fact that Tom Crean has accomplished things at IU that haven’t been accomplished in 20 years. It’s one thing to want more. It’s another thing to repeatedly bash a guy while giving no credit for the good.
Go ask guys like Victor Oladipo and Dwyane Wade if Tom Crean can coach.
You may also be thinking: “Crean is a great recruiter but he can’t coach in games!” Let me remind you of where a lot of his players were ranked coming out of high school: Jordan Hulls (107), Will Sheehey (141), Victor Oladipo (144), Christian Watford (41), Verdell Jones (126), Troy Williams (47), Robert Johnson (48). He’s only recruited one player at Indiana that was a top 10 recruit nationally (Noah Vonleh). This isn’t the NBA. He’s not inheriting good players to coach. He’s going out and getting these players and then developing many of them at a very high level. You can’t exactly say Cody Zeller led Crean to a conference championship, when Crean was the one who brought Zeller here in the first place.
Make no mistake about it: this is a big year for Crean and the Hoosiers. They were expected to be a top team this season until the departures of Vonleh and Fischer. If missing the NCAA tournament and being mediocre in the conference becomes the norm, then fans could make a greater case at putting Tom Crean on the hot seat. Until then, I encourage fans to get off his back. He’s done some very good things at Indiana. This year’s team has a chance of making some noise despite its youth. Next year’s team could be pretty special. And if you’re going to blame the coach for every loss, how about a little credit in the wins? (87-35 in the last 4 seasons to be exact).
I’m not saying the guy is perfect. I’m not saying he’s a top coach in the NCAA. You may enjoy bashing him because all of the cool kids are doing so. But when you stop comparing him to Bob Knight, you might just realize he’s done a good job here.
Follow Tyler on Twitter: @TylerSmith_ISL
