From IU great Bob Knight and five National Championships, to a 6-25 season in 2008-09, many Indiana fans were not sure what they were getting with Tom Crean. However, just five years after taking over the program and having that six-win season, Crean was coming off of two straight Sweet Sixteen appearances. Still to this day, many fans note Crean as the savior of the IU program, being able to bring it back to national prominence.
How he did that, was through his positive attitude and having an ability for people to gravitate towards, something he says is crucial right now.
"Oh I think all about having a positive attitude," Crean said on Indiana Sports Beat. "The quicker you get over thinking about yourself and how it's impacting you... everyone is going through something hard so it's how you can help them. By trying to make yourself better and provide support."
While it has been a difficult time for everyone, basketball is slowly starting to get back to its route. Despite AAU events not allowing college coaches come and watch live, summer is still an extremely crucial time to evaluate players and find the next stars of every college program. With live stream events the new norm, Crean doesn't think it may impact recruiting as much as others think.
"I don't know if they will. Obviously there are only a very few tournaments and limits there but if you're doing your job and looking, you will find people. Also I wouldn't be surprised if the signing period was moved," Crean added. "Is the glass half full or half empty, it's how you look at it.. You still have film and videos from high school... and you just need to keep looking at what you value as a coach and a team and stay true to those values within your program."
While recruiting may not be as impacted as it may seem, the current roster has had to deal with multiple new twists and turns. As for college coaches, learning the best way to coach your team and make sure everyone is still getting better is critical in continuing to do the job they have in front of them.
"I think the coaches that worry about the noise or distractions take away from what is important and that is making your team better, people better, players better and coaches better," Crean said. "Those all become distractions if you let it. If you don't look at it like how can we make this work... you just have to deal with those distractions as best as you can with how things are going to be and be prepared for that the way it happens."
It's easy to see how Tom Crean is well liked as a coach, but he's not the only coach in the extended family, however. Married to Joani Harbaugh, the daughter of coach Jack Harbaugh and sister of John and Jim Harbaugh, another member of the family is following in the footsteps.
"Riley [Crean] is doing great. He was drafted by the White Sox in one of the later rounds so he went to IMG for a year then came here [Georgia] for a year. But he lost his love for baseball when he wanted to become a basketball coach," Crean said of his son. "So he gave up baseball last year and is a coach for us here now. He's doing really well. He's got a tremendous work ethic, the bloodlines with being around it up to this point."
While Crean left Indiana at the end of the 2016-17 season, people around Bloomington and the entire state of Indiana still have love for the former IU coach. Not only do the fans have love, but so does Crean.
"The bottom line is, being at Indiana, people think that it's hard to be there. But it's not. It's all about the people and it's about being with the people. The people make the atmosphere and being around them was so easy," Crean said. "Working with and wanting to see them be successful and happy and that's what I miss a lot about Indiana.
"Everyone back in Bloomington, those nine years, it was just tremendous to be around all of the great people in that entire state."
To listen to the rest of the interview in its entirety, click on the tweet below.
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