A CREAN START

Tom Crean agreed to become the IU men’s basketball coach after signing a letter of agreement Tuesday to coach the Hoosiers, IU trustee Philip Eskew Jr. confirmed Tuesday. \nCrean, formerly the coach at Marquette, will be introduced at a press conference at 11 a.m. today in the Hoosier Room at Memorial Stadium, IU Athletics spokesman J.D. Campbell said. The press conference is closed to the public.\nCrean, 42, arrived at the Hilton Garden Inn on College Avenue at about 11 p.m., met by a few members of the media and a couple fans. \n“If you’re a college basketball coach, you identify this as one of the greatest jobs in the country,” Crean said outside the hotel. “I’m incredibly honored to have a chance to do this.”\nHe asked the fans near the hotel to sing him the IU fight song, which he said he did not know. He even took the phone from an IU fan to wish the student on the other line a happy birthday. \nCrean flew from Milwaukee into Monroe County Airport shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday and was greeted by a handful of IU fans and members of the media. \nIU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan was with Crean at the airport. \n“What are you all doing here?” Greenspan joked with the crowd. “We had a visitor come visit us today, and we’re pretty happy about it.”\nGreenspan said one of the reasons he wanted Crean is because the coach has been successful over a long period of time.\nHe coached at Marquette for nine years, leading the Golden Eagles to a Final Four appearance in 2003.\n“He has an impeccable background, and I’m just thrilled,” Eskew said. “I think he is just an outstanding coach for Indiana.”\nCrean, who helped the school make the switch from Conference USA to the Big East during his tenure compiled a 190-96 record with Marquette.\n“He did very well at Marquette,” said Joe Weis, IUSA president-elect, adding Crean was able to recruit one Indiana high school star, Dominic James, to play in Milwaukee for the Golden Eagles. “Hopefully we can see that trend continue.”\nMarquette released a statement wishing Crean well Tuesday night.\n“Marquette University wishes Tom Crean, his wife Joani and the Crean family the very best as he pursues new professional opportunities,” the statement read. “Coach Crean has brought pride, honor and a winning mentality to our men’s basketball program. It is no surprise that other universities would seek him out.”\nAt IU, Crean inherits a program facing possible NCAA sanctions.\n“It will be a challenge, I understand that,” Crean said.\nFormer coach Kelvin Sampson resigned in February after the NCAA released five alleged major recruiting violations committed by Sampson and members of his staff. In October, IU reported a series of impermissible recruiting phone calls to the NCAA and classified the violations as “secondary.” IU self-imposed a handful of recruiting sanctions, including the loss of a scholarship for the 2008-09 season and restrictions on off-campus recruiting visits for assistant coaches. \nThe NCAA’s February report revealed new information and reclassified the violations as “major.” It could impose more punishments if it deems necessary.\nThe NCAA Committee on Infractions will conduct a hearing regarding IU’s situation on June 14 in Seattle and is expected to make its final decision within 30 days of the hearing. \n“There’s no way I would have accepted this if I didn’t feel I was up to it,” Crean said.\nRay Schneider, who played basketball at Mount Pleasant High School in Mount Pleasant, Mich., while Crean was an assistant at the school, said he believed Crean could handle the challenges of the program. \n“He understands what he’s getting himself into,” Schneider said, though he added he had not talked to Crean since the hire. “I think he himself is accountable, and he’s going to hold everybody associated with the program accountable.”\nSchneider, now a professor of sports management at Bowling Green State University, credited the new IU coach with helping him play collegiate basketball at Central Michigan.\n“He has lived his entire life to be the best college basketball coach in the country,” he said. “He’s always wanted to coach at one of the top basketball programs in the country. Even when he was a high school coach, you kind of knew he’d be successful.”\nWithin minutes of hearing the news of Crean’s hire, IU senior Chris Eline started a Facebook group in support of the new coach. \n“I’m very excited because hiring a new coach was going to be difficult with our short-term player and sanction issues,” said Eline, the “Crimson and Crean” Facebook group creator. “We needed a guy who would look at the long-term. I think we got someone who’s going to do really well.”\nJunior Brian Bulgatz, founder of student fan group “The Hall Monitors,” supported the hire. \n“I’m feeling it,” Bulgatz said. “It will do wonders for our recruiting.” \nSchneider thinks it could do even more. \n“I think everybody will be thrilled with the situation,” Schneider said. “I’m confident it will lead to many wins and somewhere down the line a National Championship.” \nMen’s basketball reporter Chris Engel and multimedia director James Brosher contributed to this report.