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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

sports

Their Man

Jacob Kriese

Though IU President Michael McRobbie appointed a 10-member committee to help select a new IU men’s basketball coach, it was committee chair Harry Gonso, IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan and McRobbie who “did most of the footwork,” Gonso said after a press conference Wednesday.\nDuring the press conference to introduce new IU men’s basketball coach Tom Crean, the veil of secrecy that silenced the committee during its search was lifted, and members offered insight into the process that led to the second men’s basketball coaching hire in about two years. \nThe 10-member committee met only three times, during which it set out a list of goals and qualifications each member sought in a new coach, Gonso said. Members submitted a handful of names on their coaching wish lists before whittling the number of candidates down even further. From there, Gonso and Greenspan contacted coaches to gauge their interest in the job. McRobbie helped by calling Gonso, attending meetings and recruiting potential candidates. \n“He was with us every step of the way,” Gonso said. “He is a great man.”\nMcRobbie provided the committee with a list of qualifications the new coach should have, including an understanding of academic achievement, a clean NCAA background and an understanding of IU’s \nbackground.\nMcRobbie also asked that the new coach have a considerable amount of success coaching at the Division I level or in the NBA, as long as the NBA coach had an understanding of college basketball.\n“President McRobbie delivered to us a charge, and we, I think, satisfied every requirement that he asked that we achieve in our search,” \nGonso said.\nCrean coached at Marquette for nine years, leading the Golden Eagles to the Final Four in 2003 and compiling a 190-96 career record.\nMcRobbie did not attend Wednesday’s press conference, but he said in a news release he was pleased with Crean’s hire.\nGonso, who led the IU football team to the Rose Bowl in 1968, said he did not have a role in the selection of the committee members. \nThe committee worked without pay, he said. \n“A contribution to good ol’ Indiana University,” Gonso said. \nGonso, a lawyer for Indianapolis-based law firm Ice Miller, said the committee will not comment about any coach besides Crean, adding he was the only one offered the job.\nGreenspan called all reports to the contrary “poor journalism and inaccurate.”\nWashington State coach Tony Bennett said he and Greenspan talked, though Greenspan did not extend an offer. Bennett withdrew his name from consideration Sunday.\nGonso said he did not know whether IU’s NCAA violations had scared some coaches away from the job.\n“Everybody was aware of the situation with respect to the existing self-imposed sanctions and the termination of coach Sampson and the impending June (14) hearing,” Gonso said. “But yes, we had very open, candid \ndiscussions.”\nGonso said Crean’s courting was quick and took just 72 hours to complete. \nCommittee member Wayne Radford, a member of IU’s 1976 undefeated National Championship team, said he wasn’t surprised by how quickly the University moved on Crean.\n“I think if it were Tom Crean or another selection, the process probably would have been the same,” he said, adding the committee had already researched most candidates’ background information. “You already had all your T’s crossed, your \nI’s dotted.”

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