IU coach Tom Crean Q&A Part 1: Frustrations, expectations detailed
Indiana basketball coach Tom Crean spent 30 minutes with IndyStar IU beat reporter Zach Osterman Thursday evening discussing the recently completed college season.
In the first of two installments, Crean details some of his frustrations from 2013-14 and what he expects for next year:
Question: When you look back at this season, what were the frustrations for you? What were some things you felt were underappreciated?
Answer: "We got better, but we never got consistent, and I think that's maybe an answer to both those questions. There's no question guys got better. We can go right on down the line, whether you're looking at the individual aspects, whether it was Noah (Vonleh)'s shooting, or the way Troy (Williams) got better near the end of the season with his scoring.
"Any time the season ends, you want to build on the strengths. There's no question about that. But you certainly want to improve those weaknesses. To me, we improved. We were never consistent, and we did not finish close games at the level that we needed to. Those are the things you can really attack, some of the reasons the consistency wasn't there. I never thought we shot the ball very well as a whole, and we were still third in 3-point shooting in the league (in Big Ten play).
"One area where the numbers bear it out and the visuals bear it out — we got better defensively. Now, we didn't get enough key stops to win some of the games that we needed to win.
"But to improve in some things the way we did, to be able to win some low-scoring games – the Michigan game, the Illinois game, where they might have been grinders but we were able to get those — those are positive signs for us to build on.
"But the elephant in the room was always our turnovers. It was there and we worked very hard to correct it. We had different procedures in practice to finish situations, to hold accountable guys that turned it over. But at the end of the day, we were not a good enough decision-making team, we were not a good enough passing team.
"Our team a year ago, we were as good as there was in the league passing the basketball. It's not necessarily the sharing of the ball. It's not taking it a dribble too quick or a dribble too far. It's the throw-ahead. It's those things. Michigan and Wisconsin were the best passing teams this year. We weren't close. And we've got to become that team."
Q: When you talk about how to finish games, how to reduce turnovers, is that what you attack most this offseason? And how do you attack it?
A: "Oh yeah, we already have. We have in our conditioning. ... The ending (of games) is where you've got to have incredible grit. You have to have tremendous determination. You have to have just that absolute connectedness, offensively and defensively. It's that grit and toughness of getting that big stop or getting to the foul line, making that next pass, whatever it is.
"There were games where we made the wrong decision, and it was right there to make the right decision. It was too obvious to make it, and we missed it. Some of that speaks to inexperience, some of that speaks to youth, some of that speaks to just making poor decisions.
"Everything you do in your program is to build on your strengths. (Business professor and consultant) Peter Drucker always said, in business, hide your weaknesses. Mask them, ignore them, whatever you do, one of the greatest business gurus of all time. I don't think that's how you win in sports. You not only have to manage your weaknesses, you have to be obsessed with fixing them. That's how guys get better.
"It's not about trying to fix and concentrate on an infinite number of things. Your team has got to have certain things it can look back on and say, 'If we can get these corrected, and if we can bring these new guys an understanding that we had to correct these and they have to be a part of it when they get here,' then you make great progress.
"We've done that here. I was looking back at my notes from 2011, after our third season here. There were about 18 points that had to be fixed, and it's pretty amazing, we got about 15 or 16 of them over the next couple years.
Q: I know inexperience was a theme this year. As you get the team back in individual workouts, have you seen recognition especially in your younger players of how to go about making those kinds of corrections?
A: "There's a hunger. There's no doubt about that. But there's a hunger in a lot of these guys. We had guys even leaving that spent a lot of time in the gym.
"Our time in the gym has been very, very strong. But our ability to retain what we absorb is the next step. That's where the inconsistency comes. How much are you applying it on a daily basis? That's what you've got to continue to work toward.
"Do I think they are? Absolutely.
"Our season ended on a Sunday night. They all went on spring break, and by that next Monday, we were right back at it in the weight room, and the next day in individuals. That's why I'm here right now, and not in Dallas (for the Final Four). The offseason program is in full swing, and it will be again tomorrow morning at 6:30."
Q: You mentioned on Twitter recently that you saw some of the same leadership qualities in Yogi Ferrell that you see in UConn guard Shabazz Napier. How does Ferrell get to that point, for you? And how important is it for him that leadership won't be new next season?
A: "We learned this firsthand from Shabazz Napier. Think about it — he led his team in rebounding, all year long. That's a guy that is absolutely gonna do what it takes to win.
"I was sad for Michigan State — there's only two times a year when I don't want to see Tom Izzo win, and that's the times he plays us. Other than that, I want to see him win them all. That's our friendship.
"But I called Yogi right away, when that game ended, and we just went right down the line of how important that is, and there's no question you can be that same way next year. I think it will be even easier, because we're going to shoot it better. We've got two of the absolute best guards in the country coming into the program, and we have as good of a 6-7 wing shooter as I saw, who also has the ability to pass it, and sees the game.
"And we feel good about the people we're recruiting right now. The biggest thing we can do in recruiting right now is stay committed to getting people that we want. And that doesn't mean that everybody will look at it and say, 'Wow, he really makes sense.' But I think everyone around Indiana that ever questioned when we signed Victor (Oladipo) and Will (Sheehey) will understand that it didn't take very long for those guys to look like Indiana players.
"But Yogi is key. The growth and education of Yogi as a leader is a big key to this team, because it was this year. And he did a phenomenal job.
"When we watch films of the last two years versus last year, so much defense was centered around stopping Yogi. ... Five guys are guarding Yogi. Those days are going to be over."
Q: When you talk about the turnover issues and their importance over the course of the season, do you see some of that easing off because with that shooting ability you're bringing in, you'll just be able to unclog the lane more?
A: "This is what makes Michigan Michigan and Wisconsin Wisconsin right now: The first sign of help, they're giving the ball up. We used (Michigan guard) Nik Stauskas as an example a lot last year, because of how he played as a freshman. The example we use a lot right now is (Michigan guard) Caris LeVert.
"I say that with complete respect. The improvement he made from freshman to sophomore, those are the kinds of things I want our guys looking at right now, especially our freshmen, because our sophomores didn't always get better. Yogi got tremendously better. Peter (Jurkin)'s health held him back from getting better, and the other two (Jeremy Hollowell and Hanner Mosquera-Perea) didn't make the progress that they needed to make. One still gets to, the other one's leaving.
"The freshmen, to go to sophomore, we can't have just one or two of them get better. ... Everybody's got individual things that they need to improve on, and you've got to be able to tailor it to that.
"I look at a guy like Caris LeVert, that's exactly what he did at Michigan. And I've never seen him practice, don't know him. All I've done is shake his hand. But what he did, improving his ball handling, his decision making, his quick passing — that helped make Nik Stauskas what he is. And the ability for (Michigan forward) Jordan Morgan to screen, defend, rebound, that had as much to do with Nik Stauskas being Nik Stauskas.
"So now what have you got? You've got a bunch of guys playing their role at a high level, and you've got a really good team. And we were within seconds of beating them twice. So we're not that far. We're really not. That's why there's no long faces. Everybody's moving at a good pace. We knew what was holding us back during the year. Some of it was off the court, no question about it. But more of it was just ... giving yourself to the team every moment, and having that grit to get finishes and get things done."