Column: Crean deserves chance to even record at IU

1,517 days.

That’s how long it has been since IU Coach Tom Crean’s record at Indiana first dropped below the .500 mark, a 5-6 record, after a 55-42 loss to Northeastern on Dec. 22, 2008.

Since that loss four years, one month and 25 days ago from this Saturday’s game against Purdue, Crean’s record at IU has remained below the .500 mark. The team limped to a 6-25 record in his first season and a combined 28-66 record after his first three years at the helm of the program.

These numbers can be evened if the Hoosiers beat in-state rival Purdue on Saturday.

Entering round two against the Boilermakers, Crean’s IU record sits at 77-78 — one game under .500.

Career records don’t mean anything toward the success of this year’s team, but reaching the .500 plateau would be a symbolic step for the program under Crean.

Since last year’s victory against Kentucky, fans have proclaimed that IU’s program is back because they have the best coach in the Big Ten.

But it was hard to take that claim seriously when the shadows of Indiana’s darkest seasons still skewed Crean’s record.

When you talked about some of the best coaches in the Big Ten, Crean’s name was certainly in the conversation, but you would have to use other reasons besides his record to justify your point.

There are plenty of other examples that you could cite such as leadership, recruiting ability and overall enthusiasm, but nothing speaks louder than wins versus losses.

By returning to an even record at IU, the importance of Crean to the full-circle return of the IU basketball program would be validated because when it comes down to it, he is the man in charge of it all.

During Crean’s first three years, critics could not keep his record at IU against him because of the turmoil that the program was going through and the lack of talent on the roster.

But with a big name like Cody Zeller finally arriving in Bloomington last season, the time had come for Crean to be judged like every other coach — by wins and losses.

Let’s just say Crean and the Hoosiers have passed that test with flying colors.

Since the beginning of last season, only one team in Division I basketball has more wins and a better winning percentage than IU.

Michigan State
50 wins and 12 losses (80.6 winning percentage).
Indiana
49 wins and 12 losses (80.3 winning percentage).
 
Percentage points might say differently, but it’s hard to argue that there has been a more successful team during the last two years, and that is because of the work that Crean and his staff have done.

Wins and losses are decided on the court but, as IU fans found out in the first three years under Crean, they can also be decided by the roster list.

Crean’s ascent back toward the .500 marker at IU has largely been because of his success on the recruiting trail – especially in the state of Indiana.

That is why his attempt to return to a .500 record could not have come against a more appropriate team than Purdue.

When the Hoosiers were at rock bottom a few years ago, the Boilermakers were flying sky-high on the backs of one of the school’s strongest teams ever.

It was a tough time to be an IU basketball fan in the state of Indiana because of Purdue’s strength and the rise of Brad Stevens and the Butler program.

But through it all, Crean was determined to regain basketball dominance in the state of Indiana, so he began stockpiling homegrown recruits.

Now, those in-state recruits and other important out-of-state players like juniors guard Victor Oladipo and forward Will Sheehey are the ones turning the coach’s vision into a reality, while the Boilermakers struggle to keep up.

With a win against Purdue Saturday, IU would sweep the season series with the Boilermakers for the second year in a row, while returning Crean’s IU record to the .500 mark for the first time this decade.

Of course, the Hoosiers could follow up a win against Purdue with a loss against Michigan State next week, which would drop Crean’s record below .500 once again.

But as coaches say, it’s all about focusing on winning one game at a time.

This game has just been 1,517 days in the making.

Prediction: Tom Crean’s IU record returns to .500 for the first time since December 2008. Hoosiers win 89-65.

­— mdnorman@indiana.edu