Since the NCAA Tournament loss in 2007-08 season, the Hoosiers have been inattentive to the big dance. In 08-09, the Hoosiers played the worst season in history. They were 6-25, the first time any Hoosiers team won six games in a season.
The previous low was seven games, which was achieved by Jeff Oliver, Harry C. Good, and Everett Dean. Dean was the only coach to have held his job for more than three years following the poor season.
Not to mention, there 1-17 record in Big Ten play is a franchise-worst. That left fans thinking that Tom Crean, the newly acquired coach could be on the hot seat.
He did come in and produce historic performances that you would not want on your resume.
Nonetheless, Indiana is not the program to dismiss its coach after one year. Coach Crean was given a opportunity to prove himself.
Bringing in Elite recruits was the first way to enhance the Hoosiers program. So far in the 2011 class, he received a verbal commitment from Austin Etherington, a 6-foot-6 wing prospect from Hamilton Heights High School.
In the 2012 class, things get a lot better. He already received a commitment from, the 6-foot-11 Peter Jurkin. He is long, agile and is going to create havoc in the post.
Coach Crean has already found his running mate. Ron Patterson, a 6-foot-2 guard, gave Coach Crean a verbal commitment today (August 15, 2010).
Patterson is undersized to be a two-guard, but that is not stopping his heart nor determination.
Patterson will invigorate the wing position and score in bunches. The thing that makes him unique is his style of play. Patterson is not about flash. He is either focused on making the basket or setting his teammates up.
However, his defensive intensity should pick up in his last two years of High School.
His commitment helps Coach Crean restore the Indiana program. WIth Patterson and Jurkin already committing to the Indiana program, Coach Crean will eventually have the talent he needs to succeed at Indiana.
This is not his stopping point either. There are more than 10-plus recruits that are considering the Indiana program in 2012. As long as he continues acquiring talent and potentially pull plugs to receive substantial players in the 2011 class, I expect to see the Hoosiers dancing in no time.
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