Should IU Coach Tom ?Crean keep his job?
Let’s go through the facts of what has happened in 2014 for IU men’s basketball.
Hanner Mosquera-Perea was arrested for driving a car with a BAC greater than .15 on Feb. 14.
Yogi Ferrell and Stan Robinson tried to get into Kilroy’s Sports Bar on April 25, even though they were both under 21. They were charged with underaged drinking and having a false ID.
Devin Davis was struck by a car driven by his teammate, Emmitt Holt, Saturday morning, or late Halloween night.
Davis was admitted to the hospital with a severe head wound. It is a horribly scary situation. And let me make one thing clear before we move on: Davis’ situation comes first.
This is life-and-death stuff. A 19-year-old human being almost died Saturday, not a basketball player. Let’s stay away from placing blame on Davis and Holt for now.
Then Monday evening, ?ESPN’s Jeff Goodman reported that Troy Williams and Stanford Robinson have been suspended for drug use. Crean announced the suspensions, and one for Holt, at his radio show.
Oh. Well. OK then.
Mosquera-Perea. Ferrell. Robinson. Holt. Williams. Robinson, again.
One or two occurrences are anomalies. Bad apples.
But four separate occurrences involving six players, including a repeat offender?
If that’s not a trend, I don’t know what is.
Crean wanted them to play for IU. And they messed up. Again. And again. And again.
Enough is enough already.
Holt has been suspended for four games. What happened with him and Davis is an accident.
Williams and Robinson on the other hand, though, was no accident. They were selfish. They hurt not only themselves, but they embarrassed their program.
They need a big ?suspension.
But no, it was a four-game suspensions for each of them. Oh, and two will be exhibition games. So they are being suspended for only two regular season games.
These are kids. They make mistakes. But you have to take responsibility for your actions. They shouldn’t be allowed to play basketball for a long, long time.
Crean wanted these guys to play for IU.
But now he needs to reprimand them properly. How are they supposed to learn if they’re slapped on the wrist for two games?
So let’s go back to my original question: Should Tom Crean lose his job?
I say no.
I’m not comfortable saying a man, a human being with a family, should lose his job. That’s not my place.
But Crean needs to get control of his players. There are things more important than winning and losing. ?Instill some integrity back into this program.
This is a very confusing situation. You may ask, “What has to happen for him to lose his job?”
And here’s the thing: I don’t know. This can only be dealt with based on the current facts.
I can’t deal in hypotheticals right now.
I just know right now, as I sit here at 10 p.m. typing on my laptop, Crean doesn’t deserve to be fired.
I know another thing, too.
A general is only as good as his soldiers.
And right now the entire Hoosier Army is ?embarrassed and tarnished.
ehoopfer@indiana.edu
