Crean: Program needs time to recover

Five months into his maiden voyage as IU’s men’s basketball coach, Captain Tom Crean is starting to feel a little seasick.

“We’re in as unchartered water as there has been,” Crean said during a press conference Wednesday.

A new recruiting period began Tuesday, and Crean has been busy trying to balance being out on the road and working with the team’s 11 new players in Bloomington.

With self-imposed sanctions still handcuffing what he can do, a result of the short tenure of former coach Kelvin Sampson, Crean said he’s been making sure not to put too much pressure on the players and coaches right now.

“When I sit and watch a lot of film, and I start to really look at (the Big Ten), it’s not a good feeling,” he said, “It’s a good league. It’s a really good league.”

The Big Ten season wasn’t the only concern on Crean’s mind during Wednesday’s press conference. A day after landing a verbal commitment from Christian Watford – a blue-chip recruit in the class of 2009 – Crean held court with about a dozen reporters discussing the state of the program.

The biggest concern still hovering over the program is the “failure to monitor” allegation handed down by the NCAA Committee on Infractions this summer. Crean said the University has composed a letter of response to the charges and described it as “oustanding.” Crean argued Wednesday that the penalties the University self-imposed on the Hoosiers have been more than enough and hopes the NCAA agrees.

“The biggest thing to me is the penalties were handed out,” Crean said. “They were very strong; they were intended to be very strong, and they held us back. And that’s exactly what they were intended to do.”

“I would really hope we’ve paid our price,” he said. “I know I’ve only been here five months, but I was here for that price paying, and that’s where we’re at.”

Crean said he has no idea when the NCAA will give it’s final response but said past precedent would lead him to believe the Hoosiers have already been punished enough.

Wary of committing any recruiting violations, Crean said the coaching staff has been operating under “a state of paranoia” since he took the job. The program has been particularly careful with new IU assistant coach Roshown McLeod, making sure the coach is aware of what he can and can’t do recruiting-wise.

In addition to improving their compliance practices, Crean said the Hoosiers have made significant strides in the classroom this summer. The Hoosiers netted a 3.34 GPA during the summer sessions.

“I don’t want to speak as much on the past, I just know obviously when I got here that it left a lot to be desired,” he said. “And I go back and say this all the time, Dan Dakich tried to put those guys in the position to do the right things, I don’t think there is any question about that. And just like him, with me, some of that fell on deaf ears. I was in a position where I could make the changes that had to be made.”

His position is likely as difficult as any a Division I coach could face. Nevertheless, Crean remains upbeat.

“His enthusiasm gives you energy,” said freshman guard Verdell Jones. “You’ll be dead tired, and he’ll give you a little motivational quote, and it will give you energy and you’ll be ready to practice.”

But the enthusiastic persona disappears when he talks about the damage that has been done at IU. Crean said it will be a long time before things are “business as usual” for the Hoosiers due to the restrictions placed on the program. 

“Make no mistake, this was a very scarring process for most people,” Crean said. “Once again, I wasn’t here, but I got to see the tail end of it – a lot of wounded people at this University, and rightfully so for what they’ve had to go through.”