These are trying times for everybody in Bloomington, Indiana. Especially so for Tom Crean, Indiana basketball coach (but Crean isn’t going anywhere due to the tremendous size of his buyout and Brad Stevens is not coming any time soon either so discard those rumors). You can understand why Crean isn’t interested in talking to the media right now as IU is a program in crisis.
However, Tom Crean is not interested in speaking to the media even in times good. If actions speak louder than words than Crean truly hates/disrespects/misunderstands the media on a level unparalleled.
Here are some of the Tom Crean greatest misses when it comes to media relations.
-2014 Big Ten Media Day: he wastes so much of his allotted eight minutes rambling about God knows what that by the time he’s done there’s only space left for two whole questions
-March 18th, 2014 Tom Crean tweets: “Over the next few days and weeks we will tweet out our thoughts on the season and our off season. No need to reply. I don’t read it.” Ok, so I guess social media isn’t his thing.
-a local Chicago college basketball reporter informed me that Crean has blocked him on Twitter…even though that reporter has never once Tweeted at Crean nor followed him. (For writing this post, I’m sure I’ll get the same treatment)
-2013 Big Ten Media Day: shows up so late that he has to be bumped to the end, throwing off the entire schedule
-February 19th 2013: chews out the moderator of the Big Ten conference call because he felt that his player deserved a weekly individual award.
-2013 Senior Night: following a loss to Ohio State, Tom Crean had his players cut down the nets in Assembly Hall to celebrate winning a share of the Big Ten title. This, at least partially, explains what he was doing which kept the media waiting until 1:37 a.m. For a game that tipped off at 9pm, Crean didn’t meet the media postgame until 1:37.
-Super Bowl Sunday 2010: IU visits Northwestern for a Sunday afternoon contest and Crean kept the traveling Indianapolis media needlessly waiting for hours…on the same day the Indianapolis Colts were playing IN THE SUPER BOWL.
Then there’s what happens when Tom Crean does actually talk to the media.
ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Yawn.
Trying to find an interesting quote from Tom Crean, or any member of the Indiana basketball program for a B1G season preview is a horrifying experience that one should not wish upon their own worst enemy. It’s not just Crean, it’s the whole program. Read this, if you dare, is to basketball cliches, sports PRspeak what The Great Gatsby was to American novels
But Tom Crean isn’t the first Hoosiers coach to possess the public relations skills of Dick Cheney.
Bob Knight anyone?
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and very often writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2