Growing up in Chicago, there were only two options when it come to collegiate sports teams. You were either a Fightin' Illini or a member of Notre Dame nation. Period. Occasional Chicagoans would feel sentimental toward Purdue or DePaul because they had relatives that went there, but that was about it. Regardless which area team you passioned over, the enemy never changed -- and never will. It has always been the hated Indiana Hoosiers. WIth their rich tradition and historical success. Bob Knight and Scott May. Tom Coverdale and Dane Fife. Kelvin Sampson and Eric Gordon.
After copious amounts of allegations and wrongdoings, the Indiana program has made an attempt to move out from under the dark cloudy mess caused by Sampson and start a brand new chapter. The prodigal successor to the Indiana throne: Tom Crean. The former Marquette head coach was rewarded with an eight-year deal worth $18.24 million in hopes that he will restore the coveted Hoosier legacy -- just like he did in Milwaukee.
Crean, a former Tom Izzo apprentice, spent nine years at Marquette (with a 190-96 record) building a perennial Conference-USA powerhouse before the Golden Eagles bolted for the Big East just three years ago. His success practically put Marquette basketball back on the national stage for the first time since the 1977 Al McGuire-led national championship squad. In fact, it was Crean's successful recruitment of Chicago product Dwyane Wade that led the Eagles on a historic run to the Final Four in 2003.
While Crean was cheered by the Hoosier faithful at his early morning press conference, he's got very big shoes to fill. Indiana has yet to have a national champion since the Bob Knight era ended in 2000 and Crean is now the third head coach in the past eight years.
Unlike at Marquette, where he was in the shadow of Bo Ryan's Wisconsin Badgers, Crean will be the top dog in terms of Indiana basketball. He will transcend from the second head coach in "cheese land" to a larger than life figure at Indiana. Truth be told, Crean reached the peak at Marquette. He led his boys to the Final Four where they played at the highest stage possible. More so, the three-headed monster backcourt of Dominic James, Jerel McNeal and Wesley Matthews are all approaching their senior seasons while Danny Fitzgerald and Ousmane Barro's careers recently expired. The grizzled coach realized that the best job in the relatively weak Big Ten was worlds ahead of a middle-of-the-pack position in the superior Big East.
"This was a heart decision. I'd had other opportunities to walk away [from Marquette], and none of them felt like this. I'm going to miss those people a lot, but I'm excited to be here. It's Indiana. That is the bottom line, that is the premise that we are going to work under here." - Tom Crean
In the end, this hiring is a tremendous success for athletic director Rick Greenspan and Indiana University. Crean is an old-fashioned, no nonsense coach that will embellish discipline and a hard work ethic on his players. It doesn't matter that all five starters from this past season might no longer be a part of the 2008-09 plans. If Eric Gordon turns pro and Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis remain off the roster, it won't change how Crean goes about his duties. He's a leader. He knows the Xs and Os. He can recruit. And he has all the attributes and support to bring the treasured Indiana basketball program back to the promise land.