Crean contacted Iowa when Alford left....

[Canadian Dimes]

http://gazetteonline.com/blogs/docs-office/2010/03/16/confidential-basketball-search-likely-if-based-on-past

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

The guy was looking to leave as soon as the halftime horn went off in New Orleans! He was, is and will always be a self-tanning scumbag!

[ZiggysFryBoy]

I'm confused.  did I4 contact iowa when they hired lickliter or now?  or both?

[kmwtrucks]

Crean's may have only one more year to come competitive at IU.  His great freshman class looks more average than great, other than maybe Creek, and his 2010 class is one of the worst in the Big Ten right now with only 2 player's commited who would be rated nationally at around Smith and DJ Newbill.   The one thing Crean cannot have is Creek and Watford leave, they are not from the midwest and losing that much cannot be fun at this point.

[mu_hilltopper]

Iowa also had several coaches' representatives contact the school directly to heighten interest. Among those include Southern Illinois' Chris Lowery, current Wichita State Coach Gregg Marshall, current Indiana Coach Tom Crean and Northwestern (La.) State Coach Mike McConathy. Others recommended to Barta by fans or alumni include former New Mexico State and Sacramento Kings Coach Reggie Theus, current Kentucky Coach John Calipari, former UCLA Coach Steve Lavin and Clemson Coach Oliver Purnell. All of that information was provided by Iowa to The Gazette via the Freedom of Information Act.

Six days after Alford's resignation and five days before Lickliter was hired, Iowa had 35 candidates for the position. At least eight were African-American. Finalists were Lickliter and Vanderbilt's Kevin Stallings. Barta put together seven-year annual offers for Lickliter at $1.2 million and Stallings at $1.5 million. Lickliter accepted the position.

35 candidates?  Two packages offered?  That's unpossible!

[GGGG]

I'm confused.  did I4 contact iowa when they hired lickliter or now?  or both?

Yeah, the article really didn't make that very clear.  BTW, the paper publishing the names of the people who contacted them is why people use search firms and agents.  I'm sure that neither those coaches, nor the school, is terribly excited about that.

[Canadian Dimes]

The context of the article was discussing the 2007 search.  Therefore after the 3 amigos sophomore seasons...Crean contacted Iowa expressing his interest in the job. 

So he contacts Illinois, OSU, Iowa and Indiana ...think the guy wanted to go back to the Big Ten?  Enjoy it while it lasts...I think after this stint another Midwest based conference will probably be his next stop.  Most likely the MAC or Horizon.

[LON]

The context of the article was discussing the 2007 search.  Therefore after the 3 amigos sophomore seasons...Crean contacted Iowa expressing his interest in the job. 

I have no insight, not going to take a jab.

Just, wow.

How do you spin this?

[Fullodds]

Crean grew up with a Roy Marble poster on his wall.

[HoopsMalone]

He could have been driving up his own contract price and keeping his name out there for other jobs.  If I remember correctly, he really wanted that job at Kentucky around then, so it helps him to be in the conversation at many schools.

[Skatastrophy]

I have a pretty good job but I continually look for other opportunities.  I don't see what the issue is.  If I can take a step up the ladder then I certainly will.  Additionally, my company can let me go at any time so continually looking for new positions is to cover my ass.

I'm not saying that Crean leaving was the right way to leave... but I certainly can't judge the guy for keeping his options continually open when I do the same thing in my career.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

I have a pretty good job but I continually look for other opportunities.  I don't see what the issue is.  If I can take a step up the ladder then I certainly will.  Additionally, my company can let me go at any time so continually looking for new positions is to cover my ass.

I'm not saying that Crean leaving was the right way to leave... but I certainly can't judge the guy for keeping his options continually open when I do the same thing in my career.

but do you continually float you name in, say trade magazines, hoping to get a raise from your current employer?

[Lennys Tap]

I have a pretty good job but I continually look for other opportunities.  I don't see what the issue is.  If I can take a step up the ladder then I certainly will.  Additionally, my company can let me go at any time so continually looking for new positions is to cover my ass.

I'm not saying that Crean leaving was the right way to leave... but I certainly can't judge the guy for keeping his options continually open when I do the same thing in my career.

Tom Crean was the CEO of the Marquette basketball program for 9 years. He was already at the top of the ladder. Marquette's response to his pursuit of other opportunities and threats to leave (even though Illinois, Ohio State, Iowa, Kentucky and Kansas didn't want him) was to give him longer and more lucrative contracts. You may well have to "cover your ass". He didn't.

[BrewCity83]

but do you continually float you name in, say trade magazines, hoping to get a raise from your current employer?

Do you have six years left on your contract?

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Tom Crean was the CEO of the Marquette basketball program for 9 years. He was already at the top of the ladder. Marquette's response to his pursuit of other opportunities and threats to leave (even though Illinois, Ohio State, Iowa, Kentucky and Kansas didn't want him) was to give him longer and more lucrative contracts. You may well have to "cover your ass". He didn't.

If I thought I could parlay another company recruiting me into a raise, I would do it in a second.

I can't defend what Crean did, but I'd be a hypocrite if I blasted him for it.

[GOO]

Are you under contract making 1.5 million a year?  And telling your employer that you are in it for the long haul and won't be leaving.... and then leave a voice mail message that you have accepted another position, and let your subordinates hear about it on the news (or in your case at the water cooler)?

[LON]

If I thought I could parlay another company recruiting me into a raise, I would do it in a second.

I can't defend what Crean did, but I'd be a hypocrite if I blasted him for it.

Did you recruit yourself to the company that would be recruiting you?

[Ready2Fly]

Crean grew up with a Roy Marble poster on his wall.

Well played.

[MuMark]

My understanding is Iowa contacted him....and he turned down the job.

Think about it. Iowa hired Lickliter for 1.2 mil a year. Crean made quite a bit more then that at MU and you guys think he pursued a job to take a substantial pay cut?


You don't have to like Crean to see this doesn't pass the smell test.

[The Lens]

Did your company build a state of the art work space for you and your staff?  
Did they continue to outfit you with the latest in office technology, pay for every trade service and lead book?
Did they fly you only in 1st class and put you up in W hotels?
Did they let you eat at Ruth's Chris on every trip and never glance at the bar tab?
Did they alter their long developed HR practces so you could hire that great IT guy without a college degree or that awesome sales guys with a few DUIs?
Did they let you change their rewards program so you could honor more people affiliates with your department?

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Did you recruit yourself to the company that would be recruiting you?

I would if I thought I could get a raise out of it.

I like where I work, and I'm a loyal guy, but this is professional. There are other people in my company/industry always looking to get ahead. I need to look out for my own interests.

If I could "leak" my name and get a raise, I would. My boss doesn't exactly come to me each year offering a raise, so I would use leverage to get one.

With all of this said, I'm not a coach/teacher, which does make it a little different for coach crean.

Again, I can't "defend" what he was doing, but I can't really blast him either. He's looking out for himself and his family just like the rest of us do.

[texaswarrior74]

The article clearly states that Iowa was contacted bu either Crean or a his representative.

[CrazyEcho]

Tom Crean broke my heart when he left, so I'm just as bitter as everyone else. 

I'm relatively young, but I've learned fairly early on that there's not really such a thing as professional loyalty.  If Crean would have started losing games, Marquette would have stood behind him for a bit, but eventually fired him.  This wasn't a marriage--for better or worse, until death do us part. 

I think he should have had some loyalty to Marquette, but not the undying devotion that a lot of you guys seem to think he should have had. 

Also, I think he realized that he kind of peaked.  He took MU to the Final Four and got us into the Big East.  Perhaps he was looking for a new challenge. 

[Lennys Tap]

I would if I thought I could get a raise out of it.

I like where I work, and I'm a loyal guy, but this is professional. There are other people in my company/industry always looking to get ahead. I need to look out for my own interests.

If I could "leak" my name and get a raise, I would. My boss doesn't exactly come to me each year offering a raise, so I would use leverage to get one.

With all of this said, I'm not a coach/teacher, which does make it a little different for coach crean.

Again, I can't "defend" what he was doing, but I can't really blast him either. He's looking out for himself and his family just like the rest of us do.

You're also not the CEO of the company. You're not making 5 to 7 times more than the next highest employee. You probably don't have a long term contract. Comparing your situation to Crean's is absurd.

[ChicosBailBonds]

My understanding is Iowa contacted him....and he turned down the job.

Think about it. Iowa hired Lickliter for 1.2 mil a year. Crean made quite a bit more then that at MU and you guys think he pursued a job to take a substantial pay cut?


You don't have to like Crean to see this doesn't pass the smell test.

Ding ding


I have no doubt his agent inquired, because that's what agents do.  We deal with them on a daily basis and they're sharks at the highest order.  That is their job, to push, inquire, feign interest, etc, because it means more money for their client and more money for the agent.

As I mentioned a few years ago here, you guys would have been blown away at the names of coaches that inquired about the 1999 MU job when Deane was let go.  But a closer inspection of those names showed that most of those coaches did so for only one purpose.... to prop up their own current deals. 

It's the game that is played.  Maybe Buzz won't play that game....wonderful for us.