On the Radar
Marquette begins search for Crean’s replacement
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Also by Associated Press:
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by Associated Press
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Tom Crean’s departure came as a kick in the stomach to Marquette. Sure,
the school should have been ready to face a day like Wednesday, when
Crean was introduced as the new coach at Indiana. For all his coaching
and recruiting ability, Crean seemed just as skilled a job hunter over
the years as he flirted with several high-profile openings. But
just as it once seemed another Wisconsin sports icon, Brett Favre,
never meant it when he grumbled about retirement every year, it had
begun to feel like Crean would never really leave Marquette. Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, a former Marquette player and current school trustee, was sorry to see his close friend go. “It’s
a tough loss for us, I’ll say that,” Rivers said. “A great gain for
Indiana. They’re getting a hell of a coach, and they’re getting a great
guy. That program, it looks like they need somebody who’s going to work
their butt off and there will be no one in college basketball that will
work harder than Tom Crean.” Marquette remains an attractive job
with a top-notch practice facility, enthusiastic fan support, a good
recruiting base and considerable financial resources. Crean’s annual
salary was believed to be about $1.5 million. At his IU introduction Wednesday morning, Crean said he felt some “incredible sadness” over leaving Marquette. “I walked away from one incredible job to take another one,” he said. And
it’s not like Crean’s legacy will be impossible to follow. He made the
Final Four with Dwyane Wade in 2003, but the Golden Eagles hadn’t won
another NCAA tournament game until they beat Kentucky in the first
round of this year’s tournament. So now what? Count out
Rivers, who joked that he “would make more than the extra calls” to
recruits as a college coach — a reference to the circumstances that led
to Kelvin Sampson’s departure from Indiana. The first name that came
out of Rivers’ mouth was former Marquette coach Rick Majerus, who
coached three seasons at his alma mater in the 1980s. Chicago
Bulls interim coach Jim Boylan, the point guard for Marquette’s 1977
national championship team, said he wasn’t shocked by Crean’s
departure. So will Boylan, who is not likely to be retained by the
Bulls, throw his hat in the ring? “We’re having a press conference tomorrow morning at nine, so we’ll let you know,” Boylan joked Tuesday night. That didn’t happen, of course. Marquette
athletic director Steve Cottingham, who has only been on the job
full-time since February, was in Colorado with the Marquette women’s
basketball team when news of Crean’s departure came Tuesday. Cottingham
has returned to campus where he and Marquette players are scheduled to
address the media at 3 p.m. Wednesday. The list of potential replacements for Crean could include several of the same names that surfaced during Indiana’s search. Marquette’s
home-run hire would be Washington State coach Tony Bennett, who has
strong ties to the state because of his father, former Wisconsin coach
Dick Bennett. But the younger Bennett didn’t jump when Indiana
expressed interest, and it is unclear whether he would listen to
Marquette. Other names of interest could include UNLV’s Lon
Kruger, Vanderbilt’s Kevin Stallings, Xavier’s Sean Miller, Butler’s
Brad Stevens and Wright State’s Brad Brownell. Majerus is
coaching at another Jesuit school, St. Louis University. But the
Billikens had a so-so first season under him, and the gregarious coach
made waves with controversial comments off the court — two strikes
against him. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter
could be considered despite his ties to rival Wisconsin and his mentor,
Bo Ryan. Then there’s Milwaukee Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak, who had
success at Montana before jumping to the NBA and could be out of a job
when the Bucks hire a new general manager. It also wouldn’t hurt
to put out feelers to Illinois coach Bruce Weber, a Milwaukee native
who might not be feeling appreciated by Illini fans who have pressured
him to recruit more big-name players.
