I think IU was dead enough for the current generation of players to ignore it fairly easily. Crean tore the program down and rebuilt it, bringing in some stud talent. He will need deeper runs in the tournament before long, but I think he has done well so far.
They never lost fan support. They pack that shithole to the rafters every night out. They have tremendous local talent and amazing tradition with great resources/facilities.
Tore the program down? What the eff does that even mean? Are you suggesting he had to be terrible for three years? If Thad Matta can walk into Ohio State on rough ridin' probation and turn it into a national power in less than three seasons then Crean sure as crap should have been able to do it at IU. Matta won the rough ridin' conference year two and made the NC year three. Crean was 10-21 and 12-20 in years 2 and 3. There was no excuse for being that rough ridin' bad.
This season will be his high water mark and he choked his dick off in the tournament. Only 13 teams in NCAA history have had two top five picks on the court together and his team achieved the least amongst that group. Two rough ridin' sweet sixteens. Not to mention Zeller first and foremost committed to IU. He wanted to bring it back. He's an Indiana hick born and bred. Oladipo was as DITRy as it gets. Point being that caliber of player isn't likely to pop up again for Tan Tom. He won't be selling anymore local McD's AA on redeeming the program, that has happened, and you don't find three star 'Dipos more than once or twice a career. Word is the instate talent (and those that control access to it) is starting to sour on him. He'll continue to recruit well, but he needs a sizable talent advantage to win big.
I hope they keep him for ten more years, because IU will never be what it should be with him there. They should easily be right there with Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and UNC. Luckily their administration has proven over and over again to be that rough ridin' stupid.
