Great move by Indiana

Not everybody in the coaching fraternity loves Tom Crean.

I believe it was Bob Huggins, then at Cincinnati, who nicknamed him "Tommy Naismith" several years ago because he thought Crean's intense, eager-beaver persona made him come off like he invented basketball.

While Crean does seem like the bright kid who studies diligently so he can raise his hand in class and answer the teacher's every question, there's also no question he's a fine coach.

Which is why Indiana's decision-makers, who couldn't have done worse when they hired Kelvin Sampson two years ago, should pat themselves on the back for convincing Crean on Tuesday to take over their shattered program.

Crean, who turned 42 last Monday, won 190 games in nine years at Marquette and attracted big crowds to the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

He inherited a middling program from Mike Deane in 1999 and led it to five NCAA Tournaments, including the Golden Eagles' unexpected run to the 2003 Final Four.

But Crean has won just one NCAA game since -- Marquette's first-round win over Kentucky on March 20 -- which suggests he might need Indiana as much as the Hoosiers need him.

By that, I mean Crean might sense he bumped into a glass ceiling at Marquette that doesn't exist at Indiana. It ain't easy for non-football schools to win big in the Big East.

So while the Hoosiers will paddle uphill for a year or two in the wake of pending NCAA sanctions, the tireless Crean figures to succeed on the recruiting trail and revive IU.

Years ago, when Crean was reputed to be atop Illinois' short list to replace Bill Self, I asked one of his former players, Brian Wardle, to assess Crean's worthiness.

"I'm biased because he coached me," Wardle said. "But if you were looking for somebody to coach your team, I'd pick him. And that's over everybody. Everybody."

lwillhite@dailyherald.com