IU Hires Coach (Not Miller)

[ford]

haven't heard who exactly, but know it's not Miller. trust me on the source.

[ford]

UPDATE: It's Lon Kruger. Didn't see that one coming!

[Snipe]

I had read on the IU board that he said no. Good for them to get this over. Hopefully for him he can get some of their players to return.

[xuab]

I had read the same rumors about Kruger. Does your source know when the official announcement will be?

[b11bopX]

NOT KRUGER, MILLER

TOM CREAN is set to leave

[GoMuskies]

It's Tom Crean

[XU Dozer]

ESPN NEWS has confirmed it's Crean

[xsteve1]

If it's Crean, Darrin Horn just left WKU yesterday for S. Carolina so he would have gotten the Marquette if he wouldn't have taken S. Carolina.

[GoMuskies]

Miller to Marquette!!!!

/Gary Griffin

[XUglow]

Raise your hand if you were offered the IU coaching job.

[xuab]

Wow! What a change with Crean. The IU board was all over it saying it was Kruger. Crean has a lot to take on with that mess there, but seems like a good hire for them.

Here's an ESPN article on it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3324439

[xufan22]

Who will coach Marquette?

[ford]

guess I can't even trust my source. now he's confirming it's Crean. I hate this bs. Can't believe Crean took this job!

[pizza delivery]

Raise your hand if you were offered the IU coaching job.

I wasn't, wtf? That's disappointing.

[GuyFawkes38]

Now I'm nervous again.

damn it.

Marquette is nearly identicle to X, but with more cash and the big east (Miller's favorite conf.).

[AviatorX]

Now I'm nervous again.

damn it.

Marquette is nearly identicle to X, but with more cash and the big east (Miller's favorite conf.).

No point in worrying about something you really have no control over.

[xeus]

Oh come on now - Sean Miller will NOT go to Marquette. Lateral move at best.

[xsteve1]

Definite lateral move at best with no on campus facility. Plus X and Marquette will probably be in the same conference in the next 3-5 years.

[GoMuskies]

Marquette fans are installing Miller as the favorite on their board. I think Roy Williams is their fallback candidate.

[Juice]

I am with you xeus. Marquette does not have the cash to pay the buyout and then his contract. He can recruit the same players to Xavier as Marquette and make it farther in the tournament as well.

[OX09]

Reasonably smart move by Crean though. His hot shot guard is leaving Marquette, so next year would probably have a performance fall off. Sure, it'll be rough the first couple of years. But, it could be rough in Marquette as well.

And, this is a good hire by IU. They get a guy who has been to a Final Four, already coached in a "power" conference, and has recruited some NBA quality players (Dewayne Wade)

[xsteve1]

Marquette would be smart to give John Groce a shot.

[GuyFawkes38]

Tony Bennett would make sense (being from Wisconsin).

[Juice]

Everyone was saying Mike Montgomery to IU, but I think he could be a good fit at Marquette as well.

[dc_x]

I am with you xeus. Marquette does not have the cash to pay the buyout and then his contract. He can recruit the same players to Xavier as Marquette and make it farther in the tournament as well.

IU will have a to pay a huge buyout to get Crean, so Marquette would have the money to buyout Miller.

But they would not have the money to give Miller a big raise.

I have to think that Crean struggled to recruit players from Big 10 country to play in the Big East. I guess he figures it would make his life easier to coach in the Big East.

It's very odd, though, because he has turned down job after job in the past. Something in his mind must have changed this year.

[Frank D.]

The other reason this is very odd to me is not only has he turned down seemingly better jobs in the past, but his father-in-law is the Associate Athletic Director at Marquette. One would think Marquette hired Harbaugh as a favor to Crean. So much for that.

[Cincy Muskie]

Does anybody here think the University will announce a new contract/extension for Miller soon? I think that would get most to take a step back from the ledge. . .

[Masterofreality]

There will be a nice contract extension for Sean Miller with a raise to the $1.4 million area. He will continue to be the highest paid coach in the Atlantic 10.

He WILL NOT go to Marquette. Worse facilities and the Big Greased is a league that beats you over the head. Not because it's so much better than the A-10, but you are back into a league where you're fighting the uneven battle with those schools that have football revenue and you don't. Also, if Pitt really is Sean's dream job, he'd never get there if he went to Marquette. He couldn't move from school to school in the Big Greased.

Cincinnati is a better market than Milwaukee and a better place to live. The boosters up there have also gotten delusional with the one Final Four that they maded with Dwayne Wade. Crean was probably starting to get some heat for their past couple of NCAA exits.

Don't sweat this at all.

[Cincy Muskie]

MOR,

I think most of us believe that will happen (the extension/raise) and hopefully soon. That will just make every body happy. And I think if that were to happen we could begin to see some 'verbals' from some of these '09 blue chippers Sean has looking at X.

Now this Marquette job could look attractive to one Brian Gregory. Not sure if they would hire another Izzo guy but after what BG had to endure from some of the 'Flyer Faithful' it wouldn't suprise me if he was interested.

[xavierj]

I have been on vacation, but are people really worried about Sean leaving? You guys need to get a clue. Sean may not stay at Xavier forever but he is not going anywhere soon. Just relax and then laugh at all the media gus throwing crap against the wall.

[X-Fan]

Wow, that's kind of suprising. Interesting the Crean would leave now after all the offers he's turned down over the years. I wonder who will take the Marquett job now. Pearl? Montgomery? Are there any Marquett assistants ready to step up to the big time?

[drudy23]

There will be a nice contract extension for Sean Miller with a raise to the $1.4 million area. He will continue to be the highest paid coach in the Atlantic 10.

He WILL NOT go to Marquette. Worse facilities and the Big Greased is a league that beats you over the head. Not because it's so much better than the A-10, but you are back into a league where you're fighting the uneven battle with those schools that have football revenue and you don't.

Cincinnati is a better market than Milwaukee and a better place to live. The boosters up there have also gotten delusional with the one Final Four that they maded with Dwayne Wade. Crean was probably starting to get some heat for their past couple of NCAA exits.

Don't sweat this at all.

Man, more power to the guy, but I really wish I could have received a 280% increase in salary over the last two years. I'd say "I'm not leaving" too.

[Cheesehead]

I'm sure UD Pride has Brian Gregory to Marquette; as we all know they can be quite delusional.

[XURunner85]

If Gregory goes there, then UD pride will be saying that Miller leaving X for the better program........HA

[Muskie]

If Miller wasn't interested in IU? Why would he be interested in Marquette?

[xeus]

Maybe Tom Crean is just ready for a new challenge. He is certainly getting one, and he'll be well compensated. He's a pretty smart guy to take this opportunity. I'm certain there are some personal aspirations at play, in addition to any financial incentives IU was able to present.

As far as who takes the Marquette job, I think it's a peach of an opening. It's a great school with a great tradition. They have solid fan support and the Big East. They were paying Crean a ton. Nice little job.

I'm probably more interested to see who gets the Marquette job than I was for the IU opening.

[Muskie]

Word is that Crean made 1.6 million last season.

[American X]

Fire Tom Crean!

Seems IU is cornering the market on uninspiring hires. Kind of sad to see the all-time great program I grew up watching flounder.

[Muskie]

I don't know American... I think that's a solid hire for IU. One the fanbase can rally around (they feel like he's a "name" coach), and he's solid ethically.

[American X]

Solid, not awesome. This is one of the five biggest programs in the history of college basketball. As rough as it is, I expected a bigger splash. Crean is good, but certainly does not excite me. I thought we might see Bruce Pearl or Rick Barnes. I wonder if they took another shot at Mark Few.

[Masterofreality]

How about Mark Few to Marquette?

[Snipe]

I don't see what the rush is to announce a raise for Sean Miller. I think Bobinski and Miller are friends. I get the impression that they are tight. It was a long season. Miller should take some time off and take a vacation before the banquet. We don't need to rush into negotiations. We love Sean Miller. The Administration loves Sean Miller. Sean Miller is fully aware of that. The guy is going to get paid.

And I wouldn't mind announcing it in an off period a month or so down the road because it gives us a chance to get back in the headlines for what a historic season that we had.

You notice Mark Few's name never came up? Miller's name has come up for a variety of openings since he has been here. In the last two years he has declined interest in some major programs (Michigan, Indiana). The people at South Carolina thought they had a shot at him. His name has surfaced at LSU. His name seems to come up all the time and many talking heads act like it is just a matter of time.

But Indiana may be our watershed moment. Next year when they rifle through the names are they really going to suggest Miller again? If he didn't take the Indiana job, why is he going to take your program? He is quickly becoming Few-like in that respect in my unhumble opinion.

That is not to say Few's stock has dropped. I believe if Few would have gotten the IU AD on the line and said I am ready for a change he would have been the #1 option. When and if Sean Miller decides to leave this program he will get the pick of the litter. And we keep uping the ante on that paycheck. If Miller does leave someday it will probably for some jaw dropping megabucks.

[principal]

Was Miller ever offered the IU job?

[Muskie]

They apparently spoke briefly. IU will claim they never "offered". But apparently Sean's interest was gauaged, and then moved on.

[Snipe]

Was Miller ever offered the IU job?

IU fans can actually claim that Bennett wasn't offered the job and they have. They can say Miller wasn't offered the job and he wasn't.

I don't think Michigan ever offered him a job, nor did Minnesota, South Carolina or LSU (or any other school for that matter). I can't prove that Sean Miller has ever had an official offer from any school.

I think it is some of that old "Notre Dame Pride" philosophy. Teams don't want to make an offer that you can refuse. If you are not going to take the job, they are not going to give you an official offer. It is semantics more than anything else. Mark Few doesn't get offers because Mark Few isn't going anywhere. Same with Pitino and Calipari. If people thought they could pay these guys and move them they would.

It amazes me that on the Marquette board they mention Miller, Few & Calipari. Makes me giggle. I would try to get Kruger if I was Marquette, and that would make me a happy man.

[MHettel]

I would prefer 2 things

1. That if there was some interest by IU in Miller that it was a little more public. Nothing like gaining some program credibility by (semi) publicly saying, "no thanks, not looking right now".

2. Follow this up within 2 weeks with a very public extension and some calculated comments from Sean referring to his long term commitment to XU

THEN

Go get a verbal from Ari Stewart and a couple other top 50 guys.

[Ahoya XU]

Crean will definitely be missed, as he has been responsible for transforming a good but not great program into a perennial tournament participant. Without him there is no Final Four run in 03, no state of the art on-campus practice facility and they may or may not be in the Big East.

With that said, the program will be fine in the long run provided they make the right hire. Things could be difficult in the short term, however, especially if the new boss can't convince Jerel McNeal and Dominic James to stick around for their senior years.

[Frank D.]

You know, I've seen it stated in a few places now that McNeal and James are not expected to stick around. Where are they going to go? James tested the waters last year and decided to stay when he wasn't projected to be drafted. What did he do this year that would change that? Seems to me that he had a fairly sub-par year. And while McNeal caught fire down the stretch, are teams in the NBA in the market for an undersized shooting guard, who is an inconsistent outside shooter?

[Muskie]

Local Indianapolis media is reporting 2.3 million for ten years.

[Ahoya XU]

Seems to me that he had a fairly sub-par year. And while McNeal caught fire down the stretch, are teams in the NBA in the market for an undersized shooting guard, who is an inconsistent outside shooter?


That's a fair assessment. Kids don't always see the reality of their draft stock, of course.

[RealDeal]

Poor stepping-stone Marquette.

[ford]

Local Indianapolis media is reporting 2.3 million for ten years.

I heard 8 years at $2.24 per...so pretty close

[Snipe]

Local Indianapolis media is reporting 2.3 million for ten years.


I heard 8 years at $2.24 per...so pretty close

Either way that is a lot of coin. I don't think Indiana in the current condition could have signed anyone for a short 4-5 year term. You have to appreciate Miller staying given the moneyt that is flying around.