Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Judging the Housecleaning Before We Even Get to a Bathroom
You can't judge Tom Crean yet. It's as simple as that. If you're objective, fair, rational, and patient, it's simply too early to have any idea whether or not he's : A) the right man for the job at Indiana; B) Doing a good job; C) a good recruiter; or D) going to be the head coach 5 years from now. That won't stop some people though, and I guess it's understandable. When you're a fan of a program known for excellence, losing can be a tough thing to watch. Especially when it comes with mistakes and an offense that looks flat terrible sometimes. I get it. But I'm also realistic.
Think about it. Crean arrived to his new job with a cupboard filled with Kyle Taber and Brett Finkelmeier - two former walkons. That's like arriving to the Playboy mansion and the only guest to arrive before you is Tonya Harding. I mean, she'll get naked for the right price, and she'd be quick to tell you all about herself, but is it really what you came for?
At first arrival, just to field a roster and put a team on the floor, Crean had to have warm bodies. After cleaning the proverbial house and starting completely from scratch, he had to feel just a tinge of "what have I gotten myself into?" If a kid had a pulse and could run from baseline to baseline without falling over, he had a scholarship waiting (though word has it Tijan Jobe tripped and alomst went down). Hence, Jobe, Jeremiah Rivers, and Devan Dumes. Granted, Matt Roth, Tom Pritchard, Nick Williams, Malik Story, and Verdell Jones were in that class also; but no Big 10 team will ever be successful with a team that relies on late-signees and cast-offs. And alas, Indiana finished with it's worst record ever, but hope rang anew because even though Crean couldn't even leave his office to recruit, he landed a top 10 rated recruiting class and would get Rivers off a redshirt. Indiana was back on the map. Or so it seemed.
The 2008-2009 season was a wash for IU. Nothing but a bunch of kids in INDIANA jerseys running around and trying hard. Williams and Story decided to bolt for various reasons, leaving Indiana with a thin margin for error in 2009-2010. The recruiting class was indeed solid, but many myopic Indiana fans had expectations inflated by the appearance of a few more accomplished players. What IU fans didn't know was that highly touted recruit Maurice Creek would go down in late December with a season ending injury after scoring 17 ppg through 12 games. They didn't know sharp-shooting Matt Roth would go down with an injury while in Puerto Rico, and be lost for the season. They also didn't know Jeremiah Rivers had been spending more time developing "street cred" than working on his game, and wound up as a huge disappointment and turnover machine. They didn't realize that despite a greater level of overall talent that Derek Elston, Christian Watford, and Jordan Hulls are still freshmen playing with an inexperienced team; a forumla very unlikely to succeed in the Big 10. "We can win 20 and go dancing!" some said. "Indiana's BACK!" said others. Fools. Many of those same guys are now screaming for Crean's head or at least wondering why he's not being "held more accountable."
Here's the reason, boys and girls. Tonya Harding can't play. She's entertaining, but she's not a winner. We need Tanith Belbin. We need Jamie Sale'. We could even use Sasha Cohen. (You have to understand, when I write, I go off on tangents. I have never seen Belbin or Sale' skate, and only saw Cohen because my wife made me a few years ago...I just know they're hotter than Tonya Harding, so I went with it) Bottom line? Indiana needs players. Indiana needs difference makers. And Indiana needs time. The current freshman class along with Jones and Pritchard will eventually be the core of a solid team. Maybe even next season. But to expect any more than a .500 record is simply foolish. It "could" happen, but Indiana will still be young and small. Expecting 20+ wins and an NCAA berth is expecting kids to over-achieve just because their jersey says "INDIANA" on the front, and it's assinine. But, there are some who still do.
IU started from scratch, boys and girls. Crean was still in "warm body mode" to some degree in recruiting this year's class. How else do you explain Bawa Muniru? But Dumes' departure will be, without question, addition by subtraction; and Jobe won't be missed on the floor. At some point, "rah rah" and hustle aren't enough. Wins are needed, and Jobe did nothing to help Indiana win; simple as that. But in 2010, IU gets Creek and Roth back, and adds 2 capable wing players in Will Sheehey and Victor Oladipo. I know, I know...they need size. Maybe they'll get it and maybe they won't. Maybe Moses Abraham will decide that IU's his new home, and that if Georgetown can't even beat Ohio, they aren't worth his time. Who knows? Indiana also needs a point guard who can get into the lane and make good decisions which don't involve getting airborne and having no option other than a wild "up and under" shot with a 3.9 degree of difficulty and 12% chance of success, or throwing it to the cheerleaders. And no, I didn't mention any names or send anyone up the River(s).
When Crean has a senior class which has been through his program, then you can judge. When he has all of the pieces he needs, or consistently fails to get them, then you can judge. Until then? Indiana Basketball is going through a massive rebuilding project. This is no "paint and carpet" remodel. This is termites, asbestos, mold, and a cracked foundation. So far, the foundation's fixed and some framing's been done (Now I'm into home remodeling. I have more.). When we get to pick colors and paint the place, then it's fair to judge Tom Crean. Personally? I think it's fun to stop by every day to check on the progress.
RT Brightman
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3 comments:
Absolutley love the blog. While most IU fans seem to wear the crimson colored glasses, it's refreshing to hear someone "tell it how it is"
Hopefully MOST IU fans come back down from the clouds and realize that it'll take time. It'll be frustrating yes, but hopefully the worst is behind us and we can begin to watch this team begin to grow together.
It's about time you cranked this up again "Lou".
Excellent blog.
The way I see it in hind site is that we basically got an unofficial "death penalty"
Sure it is not a bad as the death penalty because we still have had a coach, can recruit, and play games.
But we were as close as we could get.
Two role players is what we started with. Thats not much
I am willing to wait 3-4 more years on this coach. I don't think it will take that long. As long as he does it right. Just do it right so we do not need to take any steps back.
In 5 years from Coach Crean's arrival, I want to be back where we were.
Just build it right and don't take risky shortcuts.
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