ANDERSON – Indiana University men’s basketball coach Tom Crean found some parallels between his rebuilding task and that of Anderson.
He shared his comparisons Thursday afternoon at Hoosier Park as the keynote speaker of the Anderson Black Expo Corporate Luncheon.
“We need the same things at Indiana University as you do here in Anderson, Indiana,” said Crean. “The past gives us a great opportunity to build for the future. There’s a standard that’s been set in Anderson. We need to bring back the people who set that standard and get them involved. We’ve got to get it back to where it belongs.”
Crean is preparing for his second year as head coach of the Hoosiers, having taken over after Kelvin Sampson resigned. His first season wasn’t the most successful in school history by any means.
“I know you didn’t ask me to come here because we were 6-25 last year,” he said. “Anyone with a pulse knows things weren’t going well for us last year.”
In Crean’s 10 years as head coach at the collegiate level his teams have won 196 games and lost 121. All 27 seniors who have played for him have earned college degrees. For the 2009-10 season he has recruited a class of players ranked among the top 10 in the country.
Crean has made several bold ventures to get players from IU’s past involved in the rebuilding of the program. “We had a luncheon in French Lick in August and had 275 players, coaches and managers show up,” he said. “There were 10 people from the 1953 (national championship) team.”
He spoke about what it takes to restructure success.
“We don’t need the top scorer in the country, though the top rebounder would be welcome,” said Crean. “We certainly do need the guy who takes the most shots. What we need are great teammates.”
Crean is married. He and his wife Joani have three children. Joani’s father is Jack Harbaugh and her brother is former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh.
Crean told a story about Harbaugh that centered on a trip he made to Anderson when Jim Harbaugh was a member of the Indianapolis Colts and training in this city.
“After practice we went out to eat,” said Crean. “Here was a guy who had it all. He’d been on the cover of Sports Illustrated. He’d had a high-rise apartment in Chicago. But he thought he was going to be cut. He wasn’t getting much out of (offensive coordinator) Lindy Infante or (head coach) Ted Marchibroda. Craig Erickson had been brought in to lead the team. He started as the backup quarterback.
“But he prepared as if he were the starter. He took the high road. He didn’t play the entitlement card or the pity me card. He played the I’m going to do it card. After four or five games he was the starter and he came within a dropped pass in the end zone of going to the Super Bowl.”
Crean encouraged those in attendance to go forward with a commitment to make things better.
“We can’t allow pockets to form in a negative way,” he said. “I hope you’ll take this luncheon as a springboard and not a platform.”
The Anderson Black Expo runs from Aug. 1 until Aug. 9 with many of the events taking place at Jackson Park.
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IU coach Tom Crean speaks Thursday in Anderson. John P. Cleary
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John P. Cleary
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John P. Cleary
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