Crean's Indiana overhaul right on track
Posted: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 6:10 PM
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Big Ten
Hard to believe the cliché “nowhere to go but up” actually applies to Indiana basketball.
After all, the Hoosiers are one of the greats. They’ve won five NCAA tournaments and were the last men’s D-I team to finish a season unbeaten. In many ways, Indiana is college basketball.
Except last season. A 6-25 campaign featured 1 Big Ten win the school’s worst winning percentage in nearly a century. When that happens, you’re not rebuilding a program. You’re doing a complete overhaul.
Michael Conroy/AP |
Tom Crean was just 6-25 in his first season at Indiana.
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That’s Tom Crean’s task. He’s even sounding a little hopeful about this season. The Hoosiers may not win the Big Ten, but they’re done being an embarrassment.
"We don't want to lead the country in turnovers again, I can tell you that," Crean told the crowd at the team's first official practice. "You can be guaranteed that these guys who represent Indiana University will absolutely spill it every day inside here. They are here to help bring you back."
Having a full roster will help. Indiana had just eight scholarship players last season. Now there are 12 scholarship players, three returning starters and several promising newcomers.
And those players already have the right attitude. Forward Bobby Capobianco gave perhaps the quote of the year to ESPN’s Dana O’Neil:
"I know this: We won't be scared or intimidated by anyone," Capobianco told O’Neil. "We won't be out there with pee running down our legs. We want to be the team where people are sitting in the stands thinking, 'How in the world are they winning this game?' We want that stunned silence, like people can't believe what they're seeing."
That’s music to the fans’ ears. One of the game’s most devout fan bases – Indiana was 16th in D-I attendance last season, averaging 14,431 fans a game – will be dying to see a team compete with, and beat the likes of Purdue, Illinois and Michigan State. If the Hoosiers can hit some 3s, it’ll happen.
"We're really trying to open the floor even more for drives and keep the top of the floor open for drives and keep constant movement," Crean said. "Constant movement, not just spotting up. When you can put three or four good 3-point shooters on the floor at one time, then you will have the drive and kick."
Hustling and the potential for upsets? Things are indeed looking up in Bloomington.
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