Crean names assistant basketball coach

The IU men’s basketball team rounded out its coaching staff Thursday when Tom Crean announced the hiring of former NBA player Roshown McLeod.

McLeod played two seasons at St. Johns before transferring to Duke. After his senior season, McLeod was selected in the NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks with the 20th overall pick. Forced into retirement by a ruptured Achilles tendon, McLeod turned to coaching in 2002 when he took a job as an assistant coach at Fairfield University. Before taking the job at IU, McLeod was working as the director of basketball operations and head varsity coach at Woodward Academy in Atlanta.

“Not only was Roshown an outstanding player but he is a very good coach who has been a student of the game for a long time,” Crean said in a press release. “His ability to teach the game, adjust quickly on his feet to different circumstances, and to make players better were very apparent in the process of getting to know him. He will be a tremendous mentor to our team, but especially to our inside players.”

McLeod will also be a major boost to the Hoosiers in recruiting. In addition to being a former NBA player and playing under some of the best basketball coaches around (Mike Krzyzewski, Larry Brown, Lenny Wilkens and Bob Hurley Sr.), McLeod also previously coached the Atlanta Celtics, an AAU squad with a rich tradition in producing Division I players. Former Hoosier forward Jeff Newton played for the team.

In the release, Crean said he thought McLeod would still be in the NBA if it weren’t for injuries.

“When that wasn’t an option anymore, he followed his heart and got involved in many different aspects of coaching basketball, whether at the collegiate level, the high school level or inside of the summers,” Crean said. “His personality is very engaging and outgoing and he has built up many outstanding relationships already in the basketball world, with many more to come.”

While working for the Celtics and his own company, Next Level Players Development, McLeod dealt with college recruiting on a daily basis. In an interview with Blue Devil Nation in July 2007, McLeod explained his involvement with his AAU players and their future destinations:

“I leave (the decision) to the parents. I make them aware of the pro’s and con’s,” McLeod said. “Some of the parents, especially Mothers don’t understand the business, so I lay it out for them and tell them in a way they understand the process. I let them make the best decision for their kid. At the end of the day, they’re the ones that have to live with it. If they know everything around them, it makes for a more comfortable decision.”

In the same interview, McLeod expressed his interest in assistant coaching if the “right opportunity comes along.”

“I coached at Fairfield under former Duke assistant Tim O’Toole for one year. That’s when I realized I wasn’t ready yet," he said. "I was thinking like a player and not like a coach. So, I spent time with my family but eventually came back to the game realizing how much I missed it. Now, I’m prepared mentally. It’s tougher being a coach than it is being a player, so you have to prepare.”

Crean said he thinks McLeod’s energy will make him a good coach and valuable piece to IU’s program.

“Most importantly, I think our fans will respect how hard he works and the energy that he has,” Crean said.