Two ESPN college basketball analysts are on-board with Georgia’s decision to hire former Indiana head coach Tom Crean. One analyst went so far as to say Georgia knocked the hire out of the park.
“(Crean) is going to add life to the Georgia program. I think this is a home run-hire for the Bulldogs,” analyst Sean Farnham said. “Mark Fox was a great coach, but towards the end they needed a little bit of a spark. And if you are looking for a spark of a hire, Tom Crean is really intense on the sideline. He is really intense in his daily operations.”
Georgia fired Fox after the Bulldogs were ousted in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. In nine seasons at Georgia, he led the Bulldogs to two NCAA Tournaments, but none in the last three years.
Crean was Georgia's second-choice after former Ohio State head coach Thad Matta decided not to accept an offer on Wednesday. Crean agreed to six-year contract worth $3.2 million annually Thursday evening. He has a Final Four trip and three Sweet Sixteen appearances to his name with Marquette and Indiana. He spent this past season as a college basketball analyst for ESPN.
“He always told me he wanted to get back into coaching. He always kept telling me it had to be the right situation,” analyst Dalen Cuff said. “This is the right opportunity, the right league, it’s on the upswing. It’s got a great recruiting base right there. He will dive back into coaching head first.”
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