Tom Crean hopes to bring the Hoosiers to better days

The Indiana Hoosiers’ hunt for a new head coach is over. When rumors started to circulate that former Chicago Bulls head coach was next in line for the job, a deal did not seem far off. However, the IU athletic department was hesitant to make an abrupt, desperate decision.

Tom Crean will take over as the new head coach for the Indiana Hoosiers, and according to him, accepting the job was a “hearty” decision.

"This was a heart decision," Crean said, his voice cracking. "This was not a business decision or a legacy decision. I'd had other opportunities to walk away [from Marquette], and none of them felt like this. I'm going to miss those people a lot, but I'm excited to be here."

Crean grew up a passionate Hoosiers fan, and now he will now get the opportunity to lead the team he followed as a child. For Crean, it only seems like days ago when he attended his first coaching clinic with future Hall of Famer Bobby Knight. It is obvious that he is looking forward to the job, but he unquestionably has some work ahead of him in cleaning up the mess that former coach Kelvin Sampson left behind.

In addition to earning his lifelong dream job, Crean will also be bringing home a happy paycheck. Indiana has agreed to an eight-year deal worth over $18 million with Crean, making it clear that the Hoosier organization was willing to pay whatever price necessary to bring in someone to take the organization out of the hole that Kelvin Sampson put it in.

"I'm going to look for people who understand why we wear the candy-striped pants and why we wear Indiana on our jerseys," he said. "It's going to take time."

The unfortunate part is that Crean is literally getting everything thrown his way that still remains regarding the whole Sampson scandal. Two players, Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis, who were dismissed from the Hoosier team, are expected to meet with Crean sometime soon to discuss their future with the organization. Crean will also have to be present for the scheduled hearing that the Hoosiers have coming up this June with the NCAA infractions committee.

The players are also ecstatic to hear that they will now have a long-term coach. Crean has been their third in the past two months, and it was evident in the Hoosiers play at the end of the season that they were struggling under the circumstances.

"It didn't seem quick enough, it's been horrible for us," Crawford said of the search. "It was a very long season, a lot of stuff happened, so it's good to start it over and have a better season."