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January 21, 2009

NEWS AND TRIBUNE EXCLUSIVE: Five questions with coach Tom Crean

By MATT CRESS

Indiana University basketball coach Tom Crean made the second local appearance of his short stint as head Hoosier on Tuesday night when he appeared as the featured speaker at the Jeffersonville Rotary Club’s Service Above Self program.

As part of its coverage of this important event, The Evening News and The Tribune caught up with Crean before his speech for the following exclusive interview.

QUESTION: With the state of Kentucky so close, it seems like Indiana fans are sometimes reduced to a minority in Clark and Floyd counties. Have you noticed this during your visits?

TOM CREAN: “Judging by this crowd, this is very much an Indiana area. This is still Indiana, so it’s very important that we stay visible here.”

Q: True, but if you go to the mall, the Kentucky and Louisville merchandise seems much more visible ...

CREAN: (laughs) “Once we start winning, I don’t think they’ll have any trouble selling Indiana stuff again.”

Q: We have 12 high schools in this area. How aware are you of these schools and how are your relationships with the coaches there?

CREAN: “We really are looking everywhere and we will continue to do that. We know a lot of the coaches here. (Jeffersonville coach) Tim LaGrange and (New Albany coach) Jim Shannon are guys I like and respect.”

Q: Your team is in the middle of a long losing streak, but you remain optimistic. What are you seeing that keeps you positive?

CREAN: “We’ve been showing signs and playing well in stretches — we just don’t have that belief yet. We try to stress that we just need to get one step closer every day. We know there is a long way to go, but it’s not like it’s light years away.”

Q: What’s the timetable for the completion of the rebuilding project looking like?

CREAN: “It can never happen fast enough for the coaches. The expectations that we put on the players far exceeds the amount that the scribes or even the fans put on them.

“These are just unprecedented times at IU. You know, no one expects to take over at IU and not just have to rebuild the team, but the entire program, and that’s what we’re trying to do. But we’re fortunate to have a great tradition and great fans. We’ve got to become a juggernaut in recruiting, not just here in the state of Indiana, but all over the country. We need to keep that visibility in the world of great college basketball.”

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