Dear Board of Trustees,
I am a proud graduate of Indiana University. I grew up on the north side of Indianapolis but was instantly moved to Illinois after graduation. Being from the state of Indiana, we take pride in the game of basketball and would hope to see that same pride carried out by our coach and players.
Coach Crean has always spoken in a very prideful manner about Indiana University and the basketball program but "the proof is in the pudding". Our players nonchalant attitude on the court is a direct reflection of the coach and what this program has become. Did we underachieve this year? Yes, but I don't believe that hits at what the real issue is here. This stems from team after teams lack of mental toughness the fan sees on the court. When you don't have mental toughness you will be perceived as lazy and nonchalant. This was quite apparent by our horrible defense all year long as well as being one of the most careless basketball teams I have seen in years with turning the ball over. I ask you how can so many of coach Creans teams be so good offensively but yet so bad defensively? It's the same player that plays both ends of the court. Folks, this comes down to coaching. If a player is only concerned about offense but not defense what is the point in playing them? This years team was all about themselves. They shot the three pointer at a staggering rate whether it be a good shot or not from a three point shooter or not. For a program with this perceived stature with a coach making the type of money that he is making, I was embarrassed for this team and our fans. I'm sure you all know that this has reached a boiling point.
So now it has come down to what do we do about this moving forward? I'm sure I do not have to tell you that you are losing your Fanbase because of the type of basketball that has been taught under this coach. I'm sure that you know that he is not thought of fondly in the state that he is coaching by high school coaches and AAU coaches alike. This has become quite apparent in his recruiting. I always heard that Coach Crean was losing the recruiting battle in the state of Indiana but I wanted to see proof. So I did a search for all basketball rosters in the big 10. I think you will find some of these numbers interesting to say the least. Below is a list of all players that reside in the state of their men's big 10 basketball team, neighboring state or a fairly easy drive away. Here are the numbers:
Illinois 14 of 17 - 82%
Wisconsin 13 of 17 - 76%
Michigan 12 of 16 - 75%
Iowa 11 of 15 - 73%
Ohio st 10 of 14 - 71%
Purdue 9 of 13 - 69%
Mich st 10 of 16 - 62.5%
Maryland 10 of 16 - 62.5%
Northwestern 8 of 14 - 57%
Penn st 8 of 14 - 57%
Minnesota 8 of 16 - 50%
Rutgers 7 of 15 - 47%
Nebraska 7 of 17 - 41%
Indiana 6 of 16 - 37.5% (James Blackmon Jr., Johnny Jager, Zach McRoberts, Quentin Taylor, Grant Gelon and Collin Hartman)
This is the proof that everyone continues to talk about. If you can't recruit (at a high level) The state the University resides in there has to be a deeper issue. That issue boils down to trust and respect. Unfortunately, Coach Crean has dug himself into a deep hole with current coaches in the great state of Indiana and doesn't seem likely to be able to get out of this hole. He has lost their trust and respect. The only Way we can win that trust and respect back is with a new coach. Coach screen has been given a decade and if he has not won the trust and respect in Indiana by now, he won't. It's time to move on and give someone else a shot. Give someone a shot at winning back the state, the coaches in Indiana and most importantly, the fans. Thanks for your time…
Hoosier fan for Life,
I am a proud graduate of Indiana University. I grew up on the north side of Indianapolis but was instantly moved to Illinois after graduation. Being from the state of Indiana, we take pride in the game of basketball and would hope to see that same pride carried out by our coach and players.
Coach Crean has always spoken in a very prideful manner about Indiana University and the basketball program but "the proof is in the pudding". Our players nonchalant attitude on the court is a direct reflection of the coach and what this program has become. Did we underachieve this year? Yes, but I don't believe that hits at what the real issue is here. This stems from team after teams lack of mental toughness the fan sees on the court. When you don't have mental toughness you will be perceived as lazy and nonchalant. This was quite apparent by our horrible defense all year long as well as being one of the most careless basketball teams I have seen in years with turning the ball over. I ask you how can so many of coach Creans teams be so good offensively but yet so bad defensively? It's the same player that plays both ends of the court. Folks, this comes down to coaching. If a player is only concerned about offense but not defense what is the point in playing them? This years team was all about themselves. They shot the three pointer at a staggering rate whether it be a good shot or not from a three point shooter or not. For a program with this perceived stature with a coach making the type of money that he is making, I was embarrassed for this team and our fans. I'm sure you all know that this has reached a boiling point.
So now it has come down to what do we do about this moving forward? I'm sure I do not have to tell you that you are losing your Fanbase because of the type of basketball that has been taught under this coach. I'm sure that you know that he is not thought of fondly in the state that he is coaching by high school coaches and AAU coaches alike. This has become quite apparent in his recruiting. I always heard that Coach Crean was losing the recruiting battle in the state of Indiana but I wanted to see proof. So I did a search for all basketball rosters in the big 10. I think you will find some of these numbers interesting to say the least. Below is a list of all players that reside in the state of their men's big 10 basketball team, neighboring state or a fairly easy drive away. Here are the numbers:
Illinois 14 of 17 - 82%
Wisconsin 13 of 17 - 76%
Michigan 12 of 16 - 75%
Iowa 11 of 15 - 73%
Ohio st 10 of 14 - 71%
Purdue 9 of 13 - 69%
Mich st 10 of 16 - 62.5%
Maryland 10 of 16 - 62.5%
Northwestern 8 of 14 - 57%
Penn st 8 of 14 - 57%
Minnesota 8 of 16 - 50%
Rutgers 7 of 15 - 47%
Nebraska 7 of 17 - 41%
Indiana 6 of 16 - 37.5% (James Blackmon Jr., Johnny Jager, Zach McRoberts, Quentin Taylor, Grant Gelon and Collin Hartman)
This is the proof that everyone continues to talk about. If you can't recruit (at a high level) The state the University resides in there has to be a deeper issue. That issue boils down to trust and respect. Unfortunately, Coach Crean has dug himself into a deep hole with current coaches in the great state of Indiana and doesn't seem likely to be able to get out of this hole. He has lost their trust and respect. The only Way we can win that trust and respect back is with a new coach. Coach screen has been given a decade and if he has not won the trust and respect in Indiana by now, he won't. It's time to move on and give someone else a shot. Give someone a shot at winning back the state, the coaches in Indiana and most importantly, the fans. Thanks for your time…
Hoosier fan for Life,
