ONLINE ONLY: Crean Q&A with IDS

On Wednesday, the Indiana Daily Student had the chance to sit down and talk to IU’s first-year coach Tom Crean. Here is the interview in its entirety:

Q: What are your plans for homecoming this weekend?

CREAN: Well, I will be right here on this court quite a bit of it I’m sure. Because now we’re in the season and we’ll practice Friday, we’ll practice Saturday, we have Big 10 media day in Chicago on Sunday, but at the same time well be a part of  (homecoming). We’ll be a part of the pep rally, the football game. We have the Cream and Crimson scrimmage roughly 30 minutes after the game. I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to our staff’s first homecoming weekend.

Q: You’re very vocal and you’re the face of your program. Is that a position you cherish or are comfortable being in?

CREAN: I think that the head basketball coach at Indiana has to have a lot of faces and a lot of visibility. But certainly in the state of Indiana, you’re the caretaker of the program. I think the students see that. I’m very comfortable in that (position) because I’m very proud of that. I’m as excited to be here on a daily basis as I could possibly imagine. But at the same time, as you go forward, the team becomes the face of the program.  Obviously we’re going through a transition period, everyone’s well aware of that, but we have to get through that. In time, the team is the biggest part of what this is all about and we’ll get it to that point. Whatever brings visibility to the program right now in a positive light, we have to do that.

Q: Steve Lavin was at Hoosier Hysteria last week and said you had the perfect personality to take the IU job. He talked about your ability to brand and market, what do you think of that assessment?

CREAN: I don’t know about that, but I know my passion is a good match for this. And I think my passion for Indiana basketball and the passion I have for the game and coaching it, and being involved in something that is as great as this, I would feel like I’m ready for that. I’m excited about it, there’s no question. But it’s also an enormous opportunity for us. For me, I know marketing and branding are key buzzwords, but to me it’s just being a part of something. It’s continuing to have what is as good of a tradition as there is. And really, when you look at this, the student population at Indiana basketball games has far surpassed what anyone else has had in the country. I want to do everything in my power and this program’s power to keep it that way. That’s why we need our student fan base to be so involved in this. Because as we grow up, don’t wait until you think we’re going to be good or don’t wait until projections say we’re going to be good. Be with us the whole way through and make a difference. I got to believe fans can help bring so much to this team, but I don’t think any of us can sit back and look at it and project wins. I don’t think we can do that. It’s just not where were at. What’s happened, and its not anybody’s fault, its not anybody in this program’s fault, the only way we’re going to find a solution is we’re going to be together. And that’s not a phrase to me, that’s a way of life. Indiana basketball has been a way of life for so many alums for so long.

Q: Going back to Hoosier Hysteria, what did you think of the atmosphere and the turnout that night?

CREAN: I thought the atmosphere was great, really did. Next year, it will be even more interesting to see what its like when we have a home football game on a Saturday, and there’ll be even more people in town student wise. I thought the student turnout was fantastic; I thought the support from the public, the city, the state was fantastic. Any time you have two national television networks in your building and no one else can say that, that is a big deal.

Q: What are you looking for in the scrimmage Saturday you didn’t see from your team at Hoosier Hysteria?

CREAN: That was really more of a get up-and-down the court exhibition, while now we’ll have a few things in place. We’re behind in a lot of ways. We have probably 12-15 different things in right now when you count plays, baseline out-of-bounds, sideline out-of-bounds. If we were at Marquette we’d have 50-55 things in already. It’s just where we’re at. That helps keep us in perspective of how far we have to go and how slow we have to take this. I will look to see who can play defense for longer stretches of time, who can get up and down the court. There will be less stoppage since it will be fully officiated. We’ll take statistics and do things of that nature, we’ll look at different combinations and we’ll wear the uniforms again. It will be fun for people to put names with faces and the jersey number and all those types of things. We’ll be very interactive; people can get autographs and meet the team. I’m proud of these guys, I want people to be proud of them as well. Whether it’s the student body who doesn’t know them or the public who doesn’t know them.

Q: You only been practicing for a little less than a week, but what has stood out?

CREAN: I think there attitude has been very good. The moment someone fatigues or the moment someone isn’t in a real competitive mindset we go after that. We keep trying to teach how important it is to compete on a daily basis. I don’t look at the basketball court as a classroom. I look at is as a combat zone for what we’re trying to get accomplished. When you get into the games and when you go against other people its nonstop competition. We’re doing a lot of stopping, a lot of teaching, a lot of correcting. A lot of building retention and repetition and things of that nature. But we want it to be extremely competition and full of energy. Our biggest focus is having that mental preparation when we’re teaching schemes.

Q: You addressed the student body at IU Auditorium earlier this month, were you at all disappointed with the attendance?

CREAN: No, I didn’t have anything to gauge it. I think the last time it had been done was Bob Knight, and I could certainly understand that being sold out or packed. I get that. No, there aren’t a lot of disappointments to me. What we went through, with the personnel that was in this program, and with what we had to deal with academically and off-the-court issues and attitudes – that was disappointing. Getting in front of the students, talking to a group of people, no matter how many there are, that’s never disappointing.

Q: I’ve read you used to have a lot of fun at Marquette home games with the students. Do you have plans for similar things here?

CREAN: I’d say a lot of impromptu things, not a lot of planned out things. I always thought the most important thing was to make sure the students knew how much we appreciated them, myself in particular. The students feel the same way here, I hope. We just got to make sure we have enough of them. Because there has been such a great student base for so long, that if we lose any of that student base, we’re still going to have to sell those tickets. And if the tickets start being sold in a public way, the tickets that were going to the students, it’s going to be hard to get those tickets back, because they are going to sell. I want everyone to experience and participate in this, there is nothing like a college student being able to be a part of sporting events. When you get a chance to be that way for Indiana basketball, when you look at the almost 300,000 alums in this state what being a part of it is like is a pretty special thing.

Q: How are the student season ticket sales going?

CREAN: I don’t think they are where they should be. I don’t want that to become a disappointment. Because we might be disappointed in the short term, but the students who don’t get them, or don’t choose to buy them, are going to be disappointed in the long term. This is a unique opportunity for everybody, it’s extremely unique for us. But there really has never been a student body that I could think of anywhere in the country that is going to be more needed than us as we go through these first few seasons here. That’s not to take away from anybody in the past or the future, but we are starting over. We need everybody to be a part of it. Not wait and see, but jump in with both feet. There’s a lot of talk about ownership. We always talk about ownership. But before you can have ownership, you have to invest. In the investment, it’s a daily process. We’re investing in a daily process in getting better inside this program. Were trying to get everything we can  to go out and invest in how important the student body is. The investment return, in the land of economics, is coming in and support this and see how much you’re needed. It’s going to be unique. We’re going to try and make it a chaotic atmosphere in here, were going to try and play with extreme energy. With people on the floor who are going to represent thes students well. If people get caught up in the wins and losses right now, they are going to miss the point. We have to put ourselves in a situation where our home crowd is second to none, and the students are a big part of that.

Q: Do you get the feeling students and fans are going to get behind this team?

CREAN: The only thing I known about this is that I’m not going to tolerate people who don’t work and hustle and have energy and toughness are diving on the floor for loose balls. I wont put those people on the floor for consistent measures of time. I just won’t. I got a lot of letters when I first got here, and there were some ones that were disappointed in the way some players had participated and their energy levels on the court. But I wasn’t here, so I can’t put a lot of stock on it. And there wasn’t a lot of need to go back and watch film since none of those guys are here. But the bottom line is, I listened. I listened to the letters, the fans, the people who were out there. We made our own decisions, but we listened. And now this is what we got. A program that’s brand new, a team that’s brand new, we are going to need every bit of spirit. That’s what it’s about. If the passion is strong, the spirit is strong. That’s what gets you. And that’s what we need.

Q: You’re in a unique position as a coach searching for a new athletic director. What characteristics are you looking for in the next AD?

CREAN: First off, I have a great trust. I was part of the committee, which was a great experience for me, since I’d never really been on a committee before, and especially as intense as this one was. I have great faith in the leader of that committee, Bill Stephan and all the people the president put on there. To me, I’ll tell you the same thing I said in there, I think there needs to be someone who loves Indiana, someone who has a passion to be competitive and to work and keep building what we have. A person who looks at this as a great opportunity, not just as a challenge. And someone who can really come in and build on the work Rick Greenspan has done. Because frankly, I haven’t been here Rick’s entire tenure, but the things I’ve seen have been pretty impressive. That’s what we need, someone who can put a team together and build on the things that have been done. As far as me personally, I’m looking for someone I can partner up with, that we can work on things together and what it takes to build the atmosphere even more in the arena, what it takes to fundraise to make things better for the other sports programs. What it takes for us to produce revenue, get them involved in our recruiting. All of those things I’ve been able to do with Rick. I’m looking for an extension of that.

Q: We’d heard the coaches had a meeting about the search for a new athletic director. What did the other coaches say in the meeting? Were you for the most part on the same page?

CREAN: I don’t want to speak on behalf of the other coaches, but I would think they were looking for a lot of the same qualities, someone who has an appreciation for Indiana, someone who can tie people together, somebody that understood what each and every individual sport was about, what their needs were. And not unlike anything else, just a chance to really have an opportunity to grow their programs. That’s what everybody would want. That makes the most sense.

Q: Do you know the timetable for when a selection will be made?

CREAN: It’s out of my hands. I was a part of the committee, and its in Bill Stephan’s hands and President McRobbies’ hands, things of that nature. I have a great confidence and great trust for whatever they decide to do. Because I had an opportunity to be a part of it, I feel very good about the direction it is heading in.

Q: You’re planning a Haunted Hall of Hoops event for Halloween. Do you have costume picked out?

CREAN: I won’t wear a costume, I’m coaching. I will be leading the costume parade. If we have enough students in costumes, we’ll have some contests, some prizes. I want it to be interactive for everybody. We’ll have all the young people, the kids, I’ll lead them around Assembly Hall. There will be trick-or-treating in the building, an opportunity to get candy, meet the players…we’ll also get some work done that night…maybe my sweat suit will be a costume.

Q: Have you named any captains yet?

CREAN: No, I’m not really as locked into that as a time frame. That’s something that we’ll look at as time goes on. I’m not sure I can say if we will or won’t. Leadership is a constant. Everyone has to show leadership, whether it’s positive or negative, it’s going to be shown. As we go on, obviously that could be something where they come to the forefront. Right now we need everyone to do their part.

Q: Are you more nervous or excited for your first game in Assembly Hall?

CREAN: I really haven’t gotten to that point. I’m sure when it comes, you get nervous for every game. If your stomach is any indication, maybe it’s anxiousness. I don’t know if its nervousness, but I like it because, the way I get is, I play a lot of scenarios in my head, certainly I put it down on paper, but I think those things are positives. I don’t look at that. My stomach disagrees, my stomach doesn’t exactly feel positive, but that’s every game and that’s been since I’ve been an assistant coach.

Q: You seem to be one of the hardest workers on this campus and are always busy. When do you sleep?

CREAN: Well, I think there are a lot of hard workers, and I think my staff would be ahead of me in that area. With young children, and we’re up every morning with them to get things rolling, I try to make it a point that if I’m in town to take (my children) to school everyday, unless there is some reason I cant, a big reason. But I don’t know, I work better with seven than I do with four or five. I’d like to get it to that point, but obviously it doesn’t work that way a lot. I’m back on the coffee kick, coffee and tea. I try and stay awake, but inevitably, here it comes.