What is Tom Crean's coaching history & record? Dick Vitale makes his opinion clear on former Indiana HC

With Bob Huggins out as head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers, Tom Crean is one of the numerous names popping up as his replacement. Veteran commentator and former head coach, Dick Vitale, is one of the many making a case for Tom Crean to get the job at West Virginia.

In the wake of this, the question on many lips is, exactly how good is Tom Crean? Where has he coached before, and what are his records? We revisit Crean’s coaching career and examine as to how he has fared in his previous jobs.

Tom Crean’s Coaching Career in a Nutshell

Tom Crean is an established name in college basketball. With over 20 seasons of experience under his belt leading three teams, he is more than qualified to be in the discussion for the Mountaineers coaching job.

Crean’s venture into coaching started at Western Kentucky, where he was a graduate assistant in 1990. After four years at Kentucky, he moved to Michigan State as an assistant coach. It was from Michigan State that he moved to Marquette for his first stint as head coach in 1999.

In Crean’s nine seasons at Marquette, he led the team to five appearances at the NCAA tournament. He took them to a final-four finish in 2003 before losing to Kansas. He left Marquette with a 190-96 record.

Crean’s next destination after Marquette was Indiana, where he faced the tough job of resuscitating a program on a decline. The team’s record the season before he arrived was 6-25. He began a steady rebuild of the team with a 10-21 record in his initial season. He led Indiana from that to a Big Ten regular-season championship and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA tournament by 2012.

The season after that, Indiana were Big Ten champions and went to the NCAA tournament as a number 1 seed. They were eliminated in the Sweet Sixteen by Syracuse. By the end of his ninth and final season at Indiana, he had garnered a 166-135 record.

Crean had a year-long sabbatical after his exit from Indiana in 2017 before he took over at Georgia in 2018. The Bulldogs ended their first season under his guidance with an 11-21 record. Performances improved in his second season as he led them to a 16-16 record. His four-season stint at Georgia ended in 2022 when he got fired. Overall, he managed a 47-75 record in his time at Georgia.

Crean’s coaching ability was never in question. He has, however, had some really disappointing outings in his coaching career, especially at Georgia. But for West Virginia’s interim job, not many candidates are at hand who can beat Crean’s credentials.