The ever dilligent Zach Osterman chronicled the entire Crean lecture in the post below. I would recommend reading the whole thing, it's pretty solid stuff all the way through. For a recap of the lecture, but sure to check out tomorrow's IDS where Dollinger will have a story on it.
As for me? I'll share some of the quotes regarding this years team, as well as some observations while watching Crean adress the crowd.
1) "It's not ok to lose. It's not ok to not compete." - Crean said 70-75% of the drills that will be done in practice need to have a winner and a loser to keep the competitive juices flowing. On the same line of thought, Crean spoke about the importance of recruiting guys who were, 'raised on winning,' and come from successful high school programs.
2) "Defense starts with shot selection." - Crean's motivational speaking abilities were on display during the lecture, but the few times Crean spoke specifically about drills or stategy he came across as a detailed tactician. Crean stressed how every little detail in the game matters, and that players who put up careless shots will often be the ones taken out of the game. He didn't talk much about coaching detail, but when he did the impression that I got is IU will be a cerebral and precise team under Crean, not a run and gun squad.
3) "We can't get impatient." - Crean intended this towards the fans, as well as his coaching staff. Throughout the lecture Crean stressed that he wants the fans to be passionate for the program through thick and thin, and hinted that patience would be neccessary given the inexperienced team that'll be on display this season.
4) "He'll do whatever it takes for us to be successful right now...and he doesn't have a choice." - This quote was in regards to the prospect of the 6'4 Nick Williams playing power foward against much bigger foes. Crean also mentioned Malik Story likely to have the same chore of guarding far bigger opponents. Aside from inexperience, lack of size is perhaps the most glaring hole on this years team. Crean mentioned Willaims specifically however as a guy who is tough and 'raised on winning.' Crean didn't seem uncomfortable with the notion of Williams playing the four.
5) "We don't have a chance to get unified if we have a late arriving crowd." - Crean mentioned several times how he hopes for the fan base to be rabid and make Assembly Hall a tough place to play for opposing teams. Student section or not, Crean said the crowd won't be unified if it shows up to a game late. Regardless of what type of team IU has, Crean stressed the importance of the fans, even at one point saying, 'man we're gonna need you.'
Long and the short of it - Crean came off how he normally has since arriving to Bloomington. A basketball junky/historian who's excited about being a Hoosier. As he's stated before, his hope is for the loyal Hoosier fan base to stay on board and, as he said, "Watch this team grow again."
To anyone who was in attendance....Was there another Crean quote that I didn't mention that stuck out in your mind? Was there an aspect of the lecture that you found particularly compelling?
