Under a preliminary deal between Crean and the university, Crean would owe $3 million if he resigns in the first three years of an eight-year contract. The amount lowers to $2 million in years four and five. It would be $1 million the last three years of the deal.

The obvious upshot here is that Crean is not only emotionally tied to Bloomington for the next eight years, he’s financially tied too. That’s good news for anyone worried that he might leave if the NCAA slaps serious sanctions on the program, but that seemed unlikely anyway. When one takes a job like IU under the current circumstances, that’s a pretty obvious agreement to a long-term rebuild. Plus, Crean isn’t a program-jumper anyway. But I guess a little extra financial incentive doesn’t hurt.

For more on the specifics of Crean’s deal, check out the Basketblog, which managed to get a copy of the deal’s Memo of Understanding. (For what it’s worth, Memorandum of Understanding always makes me laugh — it sounds like some sort of new-age, progressive educational classroom theory.)

He will be officially announced at an 11 a.m. press conference Wednesday morning in the Hoosier Room.

Crean, 42, just completed his ninth season as the head coach of Marquette. In 2003, behind the play of Dwyane Wade, the Golden Eagles went to the Final Four and lost to eventual runner-up Kansas. This past season, Marquette beat Kentucky in the first round before falling to Stanford.

Before leaving for Marquette, Crean was Tom Izzo’s top assistant at Michigan State and recruited many of the players that eventually cut down the nets in Indianapolis in 2000 for the Spartans. He also spent time as an assistant at Pittsburgh and Western Kentucky. He is a 1989 graduate of Central Michigan.

While it’s not yet known if Crean will bring his current staff to IU, a likely addition would be his top assistant at Marquette, former Ball State head coach Tim Buckley. Buckley was originally on Crean’s staff at Marquette before coaching at Ball State for six seasons. Buckley then went to Iowa as an assistant to Steve Alford before returning to Marquette.

One interesting nugget on Buckley is that he started Marquette’s interest in Wade after discovering him at an AAU Tournament. Wade was the sixth man on his AAU team when Buckley first saw him play and played a big part in bringing him to Marquette.

For PostmanE’s reaction on Crean’s hiring head over to The Dagger on Yahoo! Sports…

Related coverage:

• ITH Super Happy Fun Time Coaching Search: Tom Crean
• Jamarcus Ellis and DeAndre Thomas react to hiring (Basketblog)
• Holman, Ratliff talk about the future (Basketblog)
• Matt Roth excited about Crean (The Hoosier Scoop)
  
• Marquette statement on Crean departure (Marquette Athletics)
  
• Tom Crean biography (Marquette Athletics)
• Complete coaching search coverage from ITH

Pros: The 40-year old Grant spent 10 years with Billy Donovan as an assistant before accepting the head coaching gig at VCU in April of 2006. At Florida, he was Donovan’s right hand man and was the lead recruiter for many of the players who led the Gators to back-to-back titles. In two seasons at VCU, Grant is 52-14 and in 2007, his Rams reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a win over Duke. Grant would be a long-term solution and his prowess in the recruiting world could help return top talent to Bloomington. In his time at Florida, he helped bring nine McDonald’s All-Americans and four first round NBA draft picks into the program.

Cons: Like some of the other candidates we’ve profiled, Grant’s lack of head coaching experience above the mid major level might be frowned upon by the “blue ribbon” committee. On the surface, he doesn’t seem to have any ties to the state of Indiana or to the Big Ten having played at Dayton and having coached his entire career in Florida and on the east coast. When LSU got rid of John Brady in February, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that Grant would land in Baton Rouge, but LSU may be heading in a different direction with its search opening up the possibility for IU interest.

Bottom line: If IU decides to go with an up and coming coach, they’d be hard pressed to find a better resume than Grant’s. He was an instrumental part of Florida’s back-to-back national championship and helped Donovan build the program from relative obscurity. Most speculation has him ending up in the SEC, but with South Carolina moving towards Darrin Horn and LSU interest possibly waning, Grant could get a look and some consideration from the decision makers in Bloomington.

More from ITH:

• Complete coaching search coverage

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Pros: Montgomery spent 26 years as a head coach in college before leaving Stanford in 2004 for the Golden State Warriors. He lasted two seasons before being fired in August of 2006. Montgomery’s career record in the college ranks is 547-244 and in 1998, he led the Cardinal to their first Final Four in 56 years. He is one of just six coaches to receive the John Wooden “Legends of Coaching” Lifetime Achievement Award joining Denny Crum, Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Dean Smith and Lute Olsen. While in Golden State, he had former IU standout Keith Smart on his staff and it would be interesting to see if he’d bring Smart along if he lands in Bloomington.

Cons: At 61, there are serious concerns about how long of a tenure Montgomery would be able to have at IU. His age could pose a problem in recruiting as competing schools could use it against him to cast doubt on how much longer he’ll be around. He’s also a west coast guy as he’s spent his entire head coaching career in Montana and California.

Bottom line: Montgomery would have been a good hire about 10 years ago and could be a steal for a lower tier program looking to drum up some interest. His age will clearly work against him and rightfully so: IU needs a coach to build the program and sustain it. Hiring a 61-year old would be a short term fix to a situation that clearly requires a long term solution. Steer clear of Monty.

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Pros: At first glance, Brownell might not look like much of a candidate to be the next Indiana coach. He’s never won a game in the NCAA Tournament (he’s 0-3) and his head coaching gigs to date are at UNC-Wilmington and Wright State. However, he’s won 20+ games in two consecutive seasons as the lead man in Dayton including taking the Raiders to their first NCAA bid since 1993 a season ago. The 39-year old Brownell was born in Evansville and graduated from Harrison high school where he was a teammate of Calbert Cheaney. His career record sits at 127-60.

Cons: Based on name value, Brownell probably won’t excite many IU fans and his hiring could get a head scratching reaction from the national media. His record is more than adequate, but will it translate from the mid-major level to the Big Ten? I’m not sure a NCAA Tournament win is a prerequisite to land the job, but Brownell won’t get any points from the committee in that department.

Bottom line: While he’s probably a sleeper to land in Bloomington, there’s no doubt Brownell would be interested in the opportunity and his record indicates he could succeed. The quick turnaround he’s orchestrated at Wright State is impressive and at 39, he’s young enough to build the program for the long haul. At the minimum, if the committee decides to interview multiple candidates, Brownell deserves a shot to say his piece.

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Indiana University called. Tony Bennett answered. He listened. Then he decided to stay put.

“I had an exploratory conversation with Indiana,” said Bennett Sunday afternoon, “and I am not going to pursue the Indiana job.”

Bennett said Indiana called Saturday evening to gauge his interest. He didn’t say whom he talked with, but added “they made contact last night and they went through the proper procedures by contacting (WSU athletic director) Jim Sterk and, like I said, I had an exploratory conversation with them.”

So it’s on to the next option for Indiana and it’s not clear at this time just who that might be. Two of everybody’s early favorites, Bennett and Sean Miller of Xavier, are likely out of the picture. We’ll continue to keep you posted as news is reported or if we hear anything of interest.

Related:

• Moving right along…to Sean Miller (The Hoosier Scoop)
  

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A lot of you have commented asking for my take on things, so here it goes:

First, it’s important to remember that Goodman, Katz and Parrish are all trying to break this story. After all, it’s a pretty big one. Since they’re not bound to the rules of normal print media, they’re going to write about anything they feel is legitimate information from a good source. As far as Bennett telling Katz that he hasn’t talked to Indiana, what do you expect him to say? That he’s in negotiations and will arrive in Bloomington tomorrow? That’s not how it works, folks. Katz is a very good reporter, but he’s been wrong before (see his report a few years back that Steve Alford was going to Missouri). I do believe that Indiana has made contact with either Bennett or his representatives to gauge his interest. And he’s probably interested.

I can’t think of a good reason for Bennett to stay at Washington State. No offense to what Bennett has done there or the fans of the program, but let’s be honest, it’s not a destination job. Indiana is a destination and given Bennett’s ties to the Big Ten and the prestige of the program, he’d be foolish not to give it serious consideration. On the surface, he seems to be an ideal fit for the situation.

I have been told by multiple people that IU would like to have a coach in place before the Final Four, so whether or not Bennett is the man, we should know a lot more in the coming days. Until then, stay tuned…

The latest:

• Will Tony Bennett stay at Washington State?
• Seattle Post-Intelligencer blogger weighs-in
• Washington St: “We haven’t been contacted by any university”

More from ITH:

• PostmanR profiles Washington State’s Tony Bennett
• Complete coaching search coverage

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Indiana offered its men’s basketball coaching job to Tony Bennett one day after his Washington State team was knocked out of the NCAA tournament, a pair of sources told FOXSports.com.

The names that had surfaced were Bennett, Xavier’s Sean Miller, Pittsburgh’s Jamie Dixon and Vanderbilt’s Kevin Stallings. However, the Hoosiers’ administration wasted little time in making a play for Bennett — who may also draw interest from other jobs — including LSU and California.

I really don’t know what to make of this report. It would seem to me the “blue ribbon” committee would at least want to talk to some of the coaches still remaining in the tournament to gauge interest in the job. Perhaps they’ve already done that via representatives. Also, Goodman reported that IU had fired Kelvin Sampson about a month ago and that report turned out to be false.

Related:

• Bennett calls report inaccurate; IU hopes to name coach by Final Four

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Just talked to Xavier athletic director Mike Bobinski. Asked him if he was worried that he might lose his basketball coach, Sean Miller, to Indiana after Xavier’s marvelous NCAA Tournament run finally ends.

“No,” Bobinski said.

Miller and Indiana have been mentioned as a possibile marriage. But Bobinski said it’s not going to happen. Why?

“Because he (Miller) told me so,” Bobinski said.

Also, Marquette coach Tom Crean didn’t jump at the chance to comment on the IU opening, according to Bozich:

I also asked Marquette coach Tom Crean about the Indiana opening Thursday night before Western Kentucky’s game against UCLA. I’ve know Crean for 15 years, but it’s fair to say he was not a big fan of my question.

This is what Crean said: “I’ve got no idea (who the next coach at Indiana will be). It’s out of my area of jurisdiction.”

I’ve got to be honest: I was really enamored with the possibility of getting Miller to Bloomington, but things aren’t looking good here. As far as Crean is concerned, I’m really indifferent. If we had to settle for him after exhausting several options, I would embrace his hiring and live with it. But he’s definitely not in my top five.

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Pros: John Calipari is a proven, lifetime winner at the collegiate level. His all-time record is 409-135, and while that number is inflated by the easy 20-ish wins Memphis picks up in Conference USA every year, the fact that Memphis is in a position to cruise through their conference so easily is solely thanks to Calipari’s program-building. Memphis doesn’t just run through C-USA — they are a perennial national contender, because Calipari might be the best recruiter in the country.

Once Calipari assembles his talent, his Memphis Attack offense (derived from Vance Walberg’s dribble-drive motion offense) is one of the most exacting, difficult offensive styles in the country. It forces teams to isolate each player defensively and dares them to stop Chris Douglas-Roberts or Derrick Rose from getting to the hole. The notion that players like that might one day be running Cal’s DDM offense in Assembly Hall is enough to make an uptempo hoops fan’s mouth water. (Hint: My mouth is watering.)

Cons: It’d be disingenuous to say Calipari’s near-legendary recruitment process always seems above-board. At the very least, he’s an admitted and open associate of William Wesley, and while that’s not a violation — Wesley’s a “friend of the program,” surely no different from many IU boosters — Wesley also happens to have a strange, iconic relationship with young talent. The upshot of this is that a Calipari IU program would be stocked with the best talent in the country. The downside is a nuclear scenario of someday finding out the creepy ways that talent got there.

Bottom Line: Calipari might be interested in the IU job, and the Hoosiers should give him at least a cursory look, but at the end of the day IU’s squeamishness about Calipari’s recruiting undertones will probably prevent them from getting too serious.

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Pros: Barnes is a proven commodity and what he’s done at Texas — a football school — is fairly impressive. He’s been to 10 straight NCAA Tournaments (13 straight if you go back to his days at Clemson), including a run to the Final Four in 2003. This season, his Longhorns are back into the Sweet 16 despite the loss of last year’s player of the year, Kevin Durant. Besides Durant, he’s produced a nice crop of NBA players including T.J. Ford, Chris Mihm, Daniel Gibson and Lamarcus Aldridge.

Cons: Barnes is making over $2.1 million annually in Austin and the facilities he enjoys there are second-to-none. He’s got one of the better practice facilities anywhere and the recently upgraded Frank Erwin Center. With his current situation, he would likely command a hefty pay raise to entice him to leave the friendly confines of Austin, Texas. Despite the plethora of talent he’s had while at Texas, he’s been bounced in the first weekend of March in five of his ten seasons at the helm.

Bottom line: Barnes is likely a long shot for a couple of reasons: 1) His current situation in Austin is ideal. He’s at a football school and the pressure to win isn’t as big as it would be in Bloomington. 2) He’s already one of the highest paid coaches in the game and while his resume is solid, does it justify paying him upwards of $2.5 million? Probably not. If the first couple of priorities fall through for the “blue ribbon” search committee, perhaps Barnes could get a look.

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“People mentioning his name don’t have a bleeping idea. He’s on this list at LSU. Oh really? Is there a list? Can I see it? They say his name with teams that I know wouldn’t even cross his lips.”

My first reaction to this quote was that if Bobinski isn’t worried about Miller bolting for greener pastures, then why is he even addressing this? However, the following revelation from Rick Bozich of the Louisville Courier-Journal from earlier today might be a big part of Bobinksi’s confidence in Xavier’s ability to keep Miller:

Word I’m getting is that the last time Xavier upgraded Miller’s contract the school inserted a hefty buyout clause into the package. Like $2 million. For the next few seasons. Xavier is a private school. Private schools are not bound to release contracts upon Freedom of Information requests. But my source says Xavier is tired of coaching turnover. The school has lost Pete Gillen (Providence), Skip Prosser (Wake Forest) and Thad Matta (Ohio State) to bigger schools. Xavier is not ready to lose Miller, a young, determined coach.

If true, I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who believes IU will ante up that kind of money to free Miller from Xavier. IU is not exactly sitting on a ton of cash in the Athletic Department. I believe Michigan paid big money to buyout John Beilein from West Virginia last year, but the Wolverines have the football revenue to dish out big money. IU has no such luxury.

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Pros: In a move that could have turned into career suicide, Drew left Valparaiso in 2003 for Waco, Texas to take over a Baylor program crippled by drug use, violations and the murder of Patrick Dennehy by teammate Carlton Dotson. Five years later, Drew led Baylor to the NCAA Tournament and a fourth place finish in the Big 12. His overall record is not glamorous due to the situation he inherited, but nobody can question the fact that he turned a gloom and doom situation into one of the feel good stories in college basketball. The 37-year-old has strong Indiana ties after spending nine years at Valparaiso as an assistant to his father, Homer, and one season as a head coach before taking over at Baylor.

Cons: Drew’s recruiting tactics were called into question by Gary Parrish of CBS Sportsline back in 2006. To his credit, Drew took responsibility for a few of the allegations. However, the fact that a young coach resorted to questionable tactics against a legend like Bob Knight surely didn’t help Drew’s popularity among his peers. Drew has yet to win a NCAA Tournament game as a head coach which is probably a requirement to be a serious contender for one of the premier jobs in America.

Bottom line: Drew is in the discussion because of his ties to the state and the remarkable job he’s done bringing Baylor back to respectability. The negative recruiting stuff may not seem like a huge deal on the surface, but it’s definitely a red flag for a program trying to restore its pristine image. Realistically, he is a long shot at best and that’s probably a good thing due to his lack of experience coaching in March.

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Pros: IU wouldn’t have to pay relocation fees; Skiles has a home in Bloomington. Once fought Shaquille O’Neal in practice as a member of the Orlando Magic. Also, he played at Michigan State and was born and raised in Indiana. That should count for something. I guess.

Cons: Zero college coaching experience. Didn’t last long at either NBA coaching job. His brash, impish and downright authoritative demeanor probably won’t make him much of an effective recruiter. Not very fan friendly. Did I mention he has no college coaching experience?

Bottom line: It’s not that Skiles isn’t a good coach; I think he’s serviceable enough. It’s that’s there’s too many other good, available coaches with college experience to seriously consider Skiles. However, it’s about the only name the mainstream media has thrown out as an interviewee for the committee. So who knows. This I do know: If IU hires Scott Skiles, we might acquire the rights to firescottskiles.com and have it redirect here. Please, I beg of you committee, no Skiles to IU.

This afternoon, Big A will break down Scott Drew.

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Pros: Bruce Pearl wins, profusely and almost as a habit. In his first nine seasons at Southern Indiana, Pearl never had a season in which he won fewer than 22 games; in 16 years as a head coach, Pearl has won fewer than 20 games only once, in his first season at UW-Milwaukee. He’s won high — at Tennessee — and he’s won low — at Southern Indiana — and he’s blazed a trail of his recognizability and personality at each stop. Pearl can also recruit, largely because he fosters an atmosphere of fun and freedom and runs a fast break system that appeals to young players. In this way, one could argue he’s basketball’s Pete Carroll — both are uniquely predisposed to understanding modern players and willing to bend to fit those needs. He’s become a star in Rocky Top despite it a). being deep SEC football country and b). playing on a court named after the monolithic women’s head coach. He’s a winner. His nickname is “Brucers.” Also: Illinois fans hate him, and as a rule, I like everything Illinois fans hate.

Cons: First, let’s clear up what is and is not a con: Headbands are not a con. If you’re concerned that Pearl would destroy everything you love about IU basketball because he lets his players wear their personal style on the court, we’ve got worse issues in Indiana than not having a basketball coach.

That aside, there are concerns, most of which revolve around Pearl’s salary. Pearl currently averages $1.3 million a year in base salary plus compensation, a figure one would hope IU could top but which isn’t a given in any athletic department, especially one without Tennessee’s football money to throw around. Other cons include Pearl’s style; where one might see a funny guy full of personality, others might see an overbearing, spotlight-chasing boor. We’ve also heard the impression that some see Pearl as “sleazy,” perhaps because he’s been photographed with young girls, or perhaps because he was regarded for so many years as a snitch.

Bottom line: Pearl is the big splash. If IU wants to make a screamer headline of a hire and simultaneously re-install a positive cult of personality at the university, Pearl is the go-to guy. He’s not all style, either; his record is that of a proven winner, and after his exile from bigtime college coaching to Evansville for nine years he’s rocketed back to the top of his profession. That’s not a coincidence. If hired, there’s no doubt Pearl would bring plenty of wins — and plenty of entertainment — back to the state of Indiana.

Tomorrow morning, PostmanR will break down Scott Skiles.

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Pros: After serving three years as the top assistant to Thad Matta, Miller took control of the reigns at Xavier after Matta bolted for Ohio State and has compiled a 92-38 record in four seasons. The 39-year-old reached the Sweet 16 for the first time as a head coach with Saturday’s 85-78 win over Purdue. In his playing days, Miller was a point guard at Pittsburgh. He preaches defense and his club is allowing just 62.7 ppg this season. He seems to be the popular pick for those in the fanbase (alongside Tony Bennett of Washington State) who crave an “up and coming” coach. After all, Bob Knight was just that when he arrived in Bloomington at the age of 31 in 1971.

Cons: With Miller’s current deal at Xavier running through 2015-2016, would the university be willing to make the financial commitment to not only buy him out of his deal, but also reward him with a lucrative long term deal? That remains to be seen. You can be sure that the farther Xavier advances through March, the higher the price tag becomes for Miller. And other schools besides IU could come calling for his services. There is also a “buzz” that Miller would be more interested in coaching in the Big East given his playing background at Pittsburgh. He’s been described to me on several occasions by various people in the media as a “Big East guy.”

Bottom line: If Indiana wants to go young, Miller is right there with Bennett at the top of the list. Bennett might be slightly more attractive because he’d likely come at a lesser price, but if Miller makes it clear to the “blue ribbon” committee that he’s interested in IU, he’ll be given serious consideration. Most Indiana fans would be thrilled to have Miller at the helm and rightfully so: he can flat out coach.

This afternoon, PostmanE will break down Bruce Pearl of Tennessee.

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Pros: After his father Dick retired two seasons ago, the younger Bennett took over and in his first season led Washington State to its most wins in school history (tied it at 26), won AP Coach of the Year and Naismith College Coach of the Year. This all after WSU finished dead last in the Pac-10 a year before. This year, his team has the second-highest rated defense in the country at 56.1 points allowed per game and have advanced (so far) to the Sweet Sixteen — beating Winthrop and Notre Dame by a combined margin of 49 points. He’s young (38), he’s up and coming, he’s what IU could really use to jump start the program. He’s helped recruit the likes Devin Harris, Kirk Penney, Alando Tucker and Brian Butch while at Wisconsin. His father’s ties to Bob Knight might help reconnect a certain segment of the Indiana family too.

Cons: Too inexperienced? This is only Bennett’s second year at the helm of Washington State. Sure, he’s done a stellar job in his first two seasons, but do we need a larger sample size before we know he’s the real deal? Would it be a mistake to pull a trigger on a guy who’s still largely untested?

The bottom line: Out of the young up and coming crop, Bennett might stick out as IU’s No. 1 target. But does he want to flee WSU for a school where his sister resigned a few short years ago as head coach of the women’s team? His current salary is at least $800,000 a year and his contract runs till at least the 2013-2014 season. Perhaps a bit easier on the pocketbooks for IU than others.

Tomorrow morning, Big A will break down Sean Miller of Xavier.

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Pros: Crean’s Big Ten ties run deep as he was the associate head coach at Michigan State prior to his first head coaching job at Marquette. He helped Tom Izzo recruit many of the players that cut down the nets in 2000 in Indianapolis. In 2003, Crean’s Marquette team crashed the Final Four riding the hot hand of Dwyane Wade. He also developed current NBA players Steve Novak and Travis Diener. A popular knock on Crean was that he couldn’t win in March without Wade, but he advanced to the second round this year with a win over Kentucky. After two NIT seasons in the post-Wade era, Marquette has been to three straight NCAA Tournaments. His coaching tree is growing as four former assistants have moved on to head coaching jobs including Darrin Horn of Western Kentucky. At just 42 years of age (today is his 42nd birthday), he’s young enough to be a long-term solution.

Cons: As I mentioned above, he’s never won big in the NCAA Tournament without Wade. He’s 1-4 in March minus the Miami Heat star. His contract could become an obstacle — it runs through 2016-2017 — and he’s paid well over $1.7 million annually making him one of the highest paid coaches in the land. Crean is a Michigan native and his dream job is probably in East Lansing, but unless Izzo bolts, that job is unlikely to open anytime soon.

The bottom line: Crean’s price tag will likely be too high for Indiana to make him a serious candidate. For the kind of money he’ll command, IU could likely snag a bigger name that would generate more buzz for the program. Still, he’s a dark horse candidate worth mentioning because he’s a proven winner that recruits the state of Indiana hard.

This afternoon, PostmanR will break down Tony Bennett of Washington State.

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The word out of the East Region in Birmingham, Alabama is that Indiana has asked Tennessee for permission to speak to coach Bruce Pearl. Reportedly, a Tennessee coach said Pearl hasn’t said a word to his staff.

With that said, Pearl was on Real Sports on HBO with Bryant Gumbel recently and off camera, he said that he knew Indiana would come calling and that he had no interest in the job.

So I’m not really sure to make of this. One would think if IU did make the call, Pearl would surely listen to their pitch after the season. Worst case scenario, he’ll get a raise from good ol’ Rocky Top. I’m sure this will make PostmanE happy, but am I the only one who thinks photos like these are a cause for concern when discussing Pearl’s candidacy? It’s one thing to get a photo with your favorite coach, but these just strike me as a bit over the top. Also, the headbands would have to go.

Sean Miller will lead the Xavier Musketeers against IU’s biggest rival Purdue in the East Region. Meanwhile, in the West Region, Tony Bennett’s Washington State Cougars will meet Notre Dame.

Xavier and Purdue should be a grind-it-out style game, eerily similar to what Hoosier fans are used to seeing in the Big Ten. As many of you witnessed earlier this season, Miller’s team prides itself on playing defense and doing the little things it takes to win. “I don’t think you can advance in tournament play unless you have a strong identity on defense,” he said.

Bennett’s Washington State team will get the challenge of slowing down Mike Brey’s Fighting Irish and Big East Player of the Year Luke Harangody. Notre Dame is averaging over 80 ppg on the season and Washington State is limiting opponents to 41 percent shooting, so something will have to give.

We’ll dig deeper into the coaching search over the next week, but my question for you ITH’ers is this: Where are Miller and Bennett on your wish list? Would you be happy if IU could land one of them or is there someone else out there you feel is a better fit? As always, thoughts are welcome in the comments.

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