Proof that Tom Crean’s human: Audible frustration

  • 02/12/2009 7:00 am in

Since the day Tom Crean arrived on campus in Bloomington last April, he’s said all of the right things. After inheriting a situation that quickly turned far more sour than anyone could have ever imagined, Crean still managed to give off a positive vibe in the process of cleaning house. That, my friends, is not easy to do.

As fans, even though we knew we wouldn’t be rewarded in the win column this season, we finally had direction for the program we hold near and dear to our hearts.

But after skimming through the quotes following Tuesday’s loss to Minnesota, I got my first sense that all of the losing is finally starting to bother Crean:

“I don’t know, I guess I’m just tired of being close (to winning). Maybe it would be easier for me if we were getting blown out. I think we can win and I want the players to think they can win. We weren’t nearly as physical as I wanted us to be. Keeping it in perspective, I’m having a hard time with that. I don’t want to keep it in perspective. I expect more out of them and we just have to take care of the ball better, have to block out better, there’s no question.”

I call this to your attention not as a knock on Crean, but more as a credit to how positive he’s been during a season that’s been incredibly frustrating from a coaching perspective. It’s all well and good to talk about how hard IU is competing and how they’re improving, but ultimately what drives a great coach in any sport is winning. And after only tasting victory once in the last 63 days, Crean’s thirst for winning is finally starting to shine through in his words.

Filed to: