Crean holds meeting with IU players

An hour before newly-christened IU men’s basketball coach Tom Crean stepped into the Hoosier Room at Memorial Stadium to receive his official IU welcome, he got his first chance to address the players on his new team. \nOr what’s left of it. \nOf the nine players with remaining eligibility who competed for the Hoosiers this season, only six met with Crean in Bloomington \nWednesday morning.\nTwo players who didn’t show up, junior guard/forward Jamarcus Ellis and sophomore guard Armon Bassett, were kicked off the team by former interim coach Dan Dakich on Monday. A source close to the team said neither Ellis nor Bassett was invited to the team meeting. \nIU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan said he supported Dakich’s decision.\nAt a press conference Wednesday morning, Crean said he was aware of the situation and did not know whether he would consider reinstating Ellis and Bassett to the program. He said, though, he’d answer the question with a response he thinks “sums it up.”\n“All along the way, (IU) stood for class, it stood for integrity, it stood for doing the right thing, it stood for being the right way, it stood for treating people with the respect,” Crean said. “And the only way you can give respect is to have self-respect and to do those things.”\nGreenspan said he would support any decision Crean made regarding Ellis and Bassett’s future. \n“I don’t want to be in the business of micromanaging the basketball program,” Greenspan said, adding it would not be too difficult to reinstate the players because the University had not begun to terminate their financial aid.\nEllis told the Indiana Daily Student on Tuesday he looked forward to meeting Crean and rejoining the roster. \nBassett declined comment.\nFreshman guard Eric Gordon, the team’s leading scorer, was invited but did not attend the meeting. Gordon is mulling over a decision about whether to enter the NBA Draft. If he does, Gordon is projected by several experts to be a lottery pick. \nCrean said he was glad to meet with the players who showed up for the meeting. \n“I had a chance to meet with my team today, and without getting into details, I told them the same thing that I told my team (at Marquette) last night, which was as painful as anything I’ve ever done in my adult life,” Crean said. “I won’t say that I said goodbye, but (I told) them how I felt about them.”\nCrean paused, fighting his emotions.\n“I had their heart, and they had mine,” he said. “And that’s exactly what I’m looking for at this University.”\nFreshman guard Jordan Crawford said he was impressed with Crean in the brief interaction they had during the players’ meeting, but he had not decided whether he will return to the Hoosiers next year or seek a transfer. \n“Of course (transferring has) crossed my mind because the coach that I came here for is gone,” Crawford said. “It had to cross my mind. I thought about it; I’m still thinking about it.”\nOne day after Kelvin Sampson resigned as coach, Crawford declined to discuss his future, saying he was focused on the season. \nOn Wednesday, Crawford said he wanted to talk to Crean more in the future before making a final decision. Crean will meet with the players on an individual basis, Crawford said.\n“I’m looking for a passionate coach,” he said. “You can tell he’s very passionate about the game. That’s always good.”\nFreshman forward Eli Holman, who missed most of the season with a wrist injury, said he, too, had not reached a final decision about his future in Bloomington. He said he’s going home to California this weekend to talk with friends and family. \n“I am not leaning either way,” Holman said. “I just want to get through these last two days of school and see what tomorrow holds. I think all things happen for a reason, and I think this will be a good fit for some of the guys here.”\n-Men’s basketball reporter Chris Engel contributed to this report.