Doubts linger about current basketball players, academics, recruiting

Rebuilding a storied program is not easy – just ask the new coach of the IU men’s basketball team, Tom Crean.\nCrean received several calls and texts during an interview with the Indiana Daily Student on Tuesday morning. Each time the phone vibrated, Crean eagerly checked who was trying to contact him as he is limited in how many times he can contact a recruit because of sanctions levied against former Hoosier coach Kelvin Sampson.\nThe rebuilding job is not going to be easy, Crean said, but he is looking forward to the challenge.\n“That’s why I have to have my phone with me 24-7 \nliterally, because if you miss a call right now with the sanctions we are under from the previous staff, we can’t return it,” Crean said. “Recruiting is going to be 24-7. When I lay down at night, it’s there.”\nRecruiting has taken on extra importance this off-season as Crean is trying to assemble a team for next season. The Hoosiers had four seniors graduate and recently kicked sophomore guard Armon Bassett and junior guard/forward Jarmarcus Ellis off the team for violating team rules.\nCrean has not yet decided if he wants to reinstate Bassett and Ellis, which would overturn the decision of former interim coach Dan Dakich. Crean has only met with Bassett and said a decision is not necessarily going to be made soon.\n“No, I don’t have a timetable,” Crean said. “Absolutely not.”\nThe Bassett and Ellis situation is not the only problem facing the program as concerns have surfaced over the last few days about academic problems within the team.\n“There are some things that I am not real happy with right now,” Crean said. “I am not real happy with our academic situation right now, but I think that is on the players.”\nPutting together a coaching staff is as important right now as recruiting players Crean said, adding that he expected to name a few coaches during this week. The new staff will first try and persuade two former Hoosier signees, forward Devin Ebanks and point guard Terrell Holloway, to re-commit to the University.\nIf the two players do not return, then the staff will have to move in a different direction. The picture gets more complicated when factoring in the decision facing current Hoosiers to stay or transfer to another school. Either way, the team has to be able to adjust to the circumstances, Crean said.\n“We are active,” Crean said. “The plan has to be ongoing, adjustable, flexible. Not make rash decisions on anything and take in all the information we can get.”\nNext, Crean must focus on the 2009 recruiting class this summer. With one signee so far, Crean has somewhat of a foundation to the summer recruiting period – even if he is hampered by sanctions.\n“I think at Indiana that we are going to be able to recruit some people that can come in here and play,” Crean said. “What I don’t want to do is to get people who are going to slow us down. I don’t want to turn us into a team that plays half-court basketball.”