reasons and allow television and social media to define our opinions of people we will never really know.
Indiana Basketball
The Tom Crean You Didn’t See
March 17, 2017 Justin Albers 7
There’s the Tom Crean you see (saw). The energetic man, glasses and a dark tan, feverishly pacing the sidelines at Assembly Hall. The guy Indiana fans loved to hate during the latter part of his nine-year tenure as the head man in Bloomington.
But there’s also a Tom Crean you didn’t see, the guy that would stop to buy food for and pray with homeless people around Bloomington. The man that pulled over at 1 o’clock in the morning to help a teenager whose car had hit an icy spot and spun into a ditch.
Those are two stories that have become public over the years, not because Crean wanted them to be, but because people happened to witness them. It’s not something you often see from someone like Crean, once the highest-paid employee in the state of Indiana.
I’m going to make a third story public now, even though I’m sure Crean wishes I wouldn’t. He doesn’t do the things he does in his private life for recognition. He does them because that’s the person he is.
There are people out there that believe Crean’s act is a facade. I can tell you that it is not. I can tell you that because Crean helped me, too. I can tell you that because Crean changed my life.
The date was September 10, 2016. I was struggling. Wayward. For months I had been trapped under a dark cloud of depression. I didn’t know what direction I wanted to take in my life. I was so indecisive, paralyzed by fear. Stuck in neutral, and unable to shift gears.
Things seemed to be getting better, though. I was close to accepting a job as the Social Media Director at the Beverly Hills Country Club and uprooting my life to sunny California. I was excited about the potential change, about having the opportunity to learn about myself in an entirely different place.
But on this day — Sept. 10, 2016 — the offer came in from Beverly Hills, and the salary offered was significantly lower than what had been pitched to me throughout the interview process. When I questioned it, they told me I didn’t have the experience necessary to demand the salary they had initially pitched.
I was irate. More lies leading to more disappointment from yet another company. I couldn’t understand it. I thought I’d done everything right, working for a daily newspaper when I was 16 years old and never stopping at any point over the next 10 years. I had worked with social media since its infancy — and I didn’t have enough experience to get the salary that would allow me to even survive in a place like Beverly Hills? If I was 40 years old, would I be considered more experienced for a social media job?
Just when I thought I’d found the next step on my path, it slipped away. I was emotional. I was depressed. It was in a vulnerable spot, and I felt a sense of hopelessness. I needed someone to talk to, someone to pick me up.
Normally, that person would be my dad. But for some reason on this day, I reached out to Tom Crean.
Crean and I had grown close over my years covering Indiana, often sharing news and thoughts on recruiting with one another. But we’d never really discussed our personal lives other than the occasional update on the families or a discussion about how my brother, Mark, was playing.
But I felt a pull to reach out to Crean on this particular night, a pull I believe came from God.
I texted Crean and told him the California job wasn’t going to work out. We’d talked about the particular job opportunity before, so he was familiar. I told him that I was tired of searching for a job, that I just wanted to do something. I offered to “break down film, wash uniforms, rebound for players, do leg work on recruiting, anything and everything — and I’d do it for free.”
“I’m going through a rough time, but I know I belong in basketball and I need somebody to take a chance on me,” I told Crean.
Crean asked me what happened with the California job. I told him the situation, that they refused to give me the money they’d offered. I told him I was frustrated that I’d gone two months, done more than 20 interviews, and hadn’t find a job.
“Just really frustrated that nobody is willing to take a chance on me,” I told Crean. “Not your problem, and I don’t mean to bother you with this, I just thought I’d reach out.”
Somehow, without seeing me in person, Crean knew I was in a bad place. He was at the bowling alley with a recruit at the time, but stepped away from the visit and helped me. For the next 40 minutes, he spent time communicating with me.
Crean told me I couldn’t lose faith in myself, that I needed to take deep breath and relax. He suggested I take a step back from all the noise in life and talk to God about what path I want to be on.
But he didn’t stop there. Crean kept speaking to me through text, telling me some of the things that had helped him in the past that he believed could help me as well.
“You need to find your identity,” Crean told me. “Right now it’s too much social media. Too much attention paid to things of no value. You want to lock into what matters and too much social media is just opinions and nonsense for people. You want to set yourself apart. Take time to build your skills.”
My dad had recently warned me about the same things regarding social media, and he doesn’t have a single social media account. But they were both right. I came to realize the person I was on social media and the person I was in real life did not match, and that discrepancy was causing many of my problems.
I developed an ego and I began to equate Twitter followers with self-worth. I got lost, and I couldn’t find my way back. And while I still have my moments on Twitter, I’ve gotten much better with it, and I really do believe it has helped me.
I thanked Crean for his advice, and I expressed how much it meant to me that he took the time to immediately offer help when I probably needed it most. It touched me in such a profound way that a man as busy as Crean would take the time to do what he did for me.
They say character is how you treat people who can’t do anything for you in return. That’s precisely what this was. I was no longer on the Indiana beat. I didn’t have this website yet. I didn’t have any recruiting tidbits to offer. There was nothing I could do for Crean, and he selflessly helped me anyway.
“It’s worth it for you,” he told me.
Five days later, a Social Media Manager job opened with the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers. It seemed like a dream job for me, especially considering I had interest in seeing what it would be like to live in California. Crean offered to let me list him as my lead reference on my resume for the job.
Two days after that, on a Saturday, I received a package in the mail from Crean. It was a devotional journal called “Experiencing God Day by Day“. The book features a bible verse and analysis of that verse for each day of the year, and it leaves space on each page for you to write your personal feelings and thoughts as you read the corresponding passage.
Crean told me he reads a full week of passages at the beginning of each week, and then reads it daily as well. He’s been doing that for the last four years, and I can tell you having read the book — it’s very meaningful.
“I really hope it helps you,” Crean told me. “I know it helps me. You need to learn to let go and believe that God will direct you, Justin. We walk the steps, but God directs the steps.”
Crean shared with me a list of statements that say a lot in only a few words to read daily. I now have each of those statements printed on brightly-colored paper and posted around my Bloomington condo. I also started sharing them with my dad.
My Favorites: (I hope you don’t mind me sharing these, coach Crean.)
“Focus on being the best at where you are, and don’t waste your time blaming others for where you aren’t.”
“Time spent complaining about what others aren’t doing causes us to lose focus on what we should be doing.”
“Don’t get so consumed on what you can’t do that you lose focus on what God created you to do — bring Him glory.”
Crean would text and check in with me every once in awhile after that. He sends me bible verses he finds particularly good some days, and just asks how I’m doing on others. But what he did for me during my time of need absolutely changed my life and approach to living. I moved out of neutral and into drive, and I’ve never looked back.
Crean treated me like one of his players, one of his children. He saw a person in need, and he helped in every way he could. For as long as I live, I will never forget that.
There are many parts to a college basketball coach’s job. Crean didn’t always win enough games to keep Indiana fans happy, and he lost his job on Thursday for that reason.
But Crean always served as a father to his players, taught them important life lessons, cared for them deeply, and helped them grow as men and as basketball players. In that way, Crean absolutely succeeded.
You see Tom Crean as a good not great coach that couldn’t take Indiana to the promised land.
I see Tom Crean as a special human being that has changed the lives of many young men — including mine.
Thank you Tom Crean. Thank you for your nine years of dedicated service to Indiana University. Thank you for doing things the right way when so many others cheated their way to success. Thank you for your focus on academics and for graduating players. Thank you for taking on the seemingly impossible challenge you did in 2008, and conquering it. Thank you for your motivational speeches, inspirational messages, and relentless energy.
But most of all, thank you for just being there — for me, and for so many others. We will miss you, and we will be forever indebted to you for everything you’ve done.
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My Indiana Coaching Wish List
THE JUSTIN ALBERS PODCAST[/paste:font]
About Us
The Tom Crean You Didn’t See
Indiana Basketball
The Tom Crean You Didn’t See
March 17, 2017 Justin Albers 7
There’s the Tom Crean you see (saw). The energetic man, glasses and a dark tan, feverishly pacing the sidelines at Assembly Hall. The guy Indiana fans loved to hate during the latter part of his nine-year tenure as the head man in Bloomington.
But there’s also a Tom Crean you didn’t see, the guy that would stop to buy food for and pray with homeless people around Bloomington. The man that pulled over at 1 o’clock in the morning to help a teenager whose car had hit an icy spot and spun into a ditch.
Those are two stories that have become public over the years, not because Crean wanted them to be, but because people happened to witness them. It’s not something you often see from someone like Crean, once the highest-paid employee in the state of Indiana.
I’m going to make a third story public now, even though I’m sure Crean wishes I wouldn’t. He doesn’t do the things he does in his private life for recognition. He does them because that’s the person he is.
There are people out there that believe Crean’s act is a facade. I can tell you that it is not. I can tell you that because Crean helped me, too. I can tell you that because Crean changed my life.
The date was September 10, 2016. I was struggling. Wayward. For months I had been trapped under a dark cloud of depression. I didn’t know what direction I wanted to take in my life. I was so indecisive, paralyzed by fear. Stuck in neutral, and unable to shift gears.
Things seemed to be getting better, though. I was close to accepting a job as the Social Media Director at the Beverly Hills Country Club and uprooting my life to sunny California. I was excited about the potential change, about having the opportunity to learn about myself in an entirely different place.
But on this day — Sept. 10, 2016 — the offer came in from Beverly Hills, and the salary offered was significantly lower than what had been pitched to me throughout the interview process. When I questioned it, they told me I didn’t have the experience necessary to demand the salary they had initially pitched.
I was irate. More lies leading to more disappointment from yet another company. I couldn’t understand it. I thought I’d done everything right, working for a daily newspaper when I was 16 years old and never stopping at any point over the next 10 years. I had worked with social media since its infancy — and I didn’t have enough experience to get the salary that would allow me to even survive in a place like Beverly Hills? If I was 40 years old, would I be considered more experienced for a social media job?
Just when I thought I’d found the next step on my path, it slipped away. I was emotional. I was depressed. It was in a vulnerable spot, and I felt a sense of hopelessness. I needed someone to talk to, someone to pick me up.
Normally, that person would be my dad. But for some reason on this day, I reached out to Tom Crean.
Crean and I had grown close over my years covering Indiana, often sharing news and thoughts on recruiting with one another. But we’d never really discussed our personal lives other than the occasional update on the families or a discussion about how my brother, Mark, was playing.
But I felt a pull to reach out to Crean on this particular night, a pull I believe came from God.
I texted Crean and told him the California job wasn’t going to work out. We’d talked about the particular job opportunity before, so he was familiar. I told him that I was tired of searching for a job, that I just wanted to do something. I offered to “break down film, wash uniforms, rebound for players, do leg work on recruiting, anything and everything — and I’d do it for free.”
“I’m going through a rough time, but I know I belong in basketball and I need somebody to take a chance on me,” I told Crean.
Crean asked me what happened with the California job. I told him the situation, that they refused to give me the money they’d offered. I told him I was frustrated that I’d gone two months, done more than 20 interviews, and hadn’t find a job.
“Just really frustrated that nobody is willing to take a chance on me,” I told Crean. “Not your problem, and I don’t mean to bother you with this, I just thought I’d reach out.”
Somehow, without seeing me in person, Crean knew I was in a bad place. He was at the bowling alley with a recruit at the time, but stepped away from the visit and helped me. For the next 40 minutes, he spent time communicating with me.
Crean told me I couldn’t lose faith in myself, that I needed to take deep breath and relax. He suggested I take a step back from all the noise in life and talk to God about what path I want to be on.
But he didn’t stop there. Crean kept speaking to me through text, telling me some of the things that had helped him in the past that he believed could help me as well.
“You need to find your identity,” Crean told me. “Right now it’s too much social media. Too much attention paid to things of no value. You want to lock into what matters and too much social media is just opinions and nonsense for people. You want to set yourself apart. Take time to build your skills.”
My dad had recently warned me about the same things regarding social media, and he doesn’t have a single social media account. But they were both right. I came to realize the person I was on social media and the person I was in real life did not match, and that discrepancy was causing many of my problems.
I developed an ego and I began to equate Twitter followers with self-worth. I got lost, and I couldn’t find my way back. And while I still have my moments on Twitter, I’ve gotten much better with it, and I really do believe it has helped me.
I thanked Crean for his advice, and I expressed how much it meant to me that he took the time to immediately offer help when I probably needed it most. It touched me in such a profound way that a man as busy as Crean would take the time to do what he did for me.
They say character is how you treat people who can’t do anything for you in return. That’s precisely what this was. I was no longer on the Indiana beat. I didn’t have this website yet. I didn’t have any recruiting tidbits to offer. There was nothing I could do for Crean, and he selflessly helped me anyway.
“It’s worth it for you,” he told me.
Five days later, a Social Media Manager job opened with the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers. It seemed like a dream job for me, especially considering I had interest in seeing what it would be like to live in California. Crean offered to let me list him as my lead reference on my resume for the job.
Two days after that, on a Saturday, I received a package in the mail from Crean. It was a devotional journal called “Experiencing God Day by Day“. The book features a bible verse and analysis of that verse for each day of the year, and it leaves space on each page for you to write your personal feelings and thoughts as you read the corresponding passage.
Crean told me he reads a full week of passages at the beginning of each week, and then reads it daily as well. He’s been doing that for the last four years, and I can tell you having read the book — it’s very meaningful.
“I really hope it helps you,” Crean told me. “I know it helps me. You need to learn to let go and believe that God will direct you, Justin. We walk the steps, but God directs the steps.”
Crean shared with me a list of statements that say a lot in only a few words to read daily. I now have each of those statements printed on brightly-colored paper and posted around my Bloomington condo. I also started sharing them with my dad.
My Favorites: (I hope you don’t mind me sharing these, coach Crean.)
“Focus on being the best at where you are, and don’t waste your time blaming others for where you aren’t.”
“Time spent complaining about what others aren’t doing causes us to lose focus on what we should be doing.”
“Don’t get so consumed on what you can’t do that you lose focus on what God created you to do — bring Him glory.”
Crean would text and check in with me every once in awhile after that. He sends me bible verses he finds particularly good some days, and just asks how I’m doing on others. But what he did for me during my time of need absolutely changed my life and approach to living. I moved out of neutral and into drive, and I’ve never looked back.
Crean treated me like one of his players, one of his children. He saw a person in need, and he helped in every way he could. For as long as I live, I will never forget that.
There are many parts to a college basketball coach’s job. Crean didn’t always win enough games to keep Indiana fans happy, and he lost his job on Thursday for that reason.
But Crean always served as a father to his players, taught them important life lessons, cared for them deeply, and helped them grow as men and as basketball players. In that way, Crean absolutely succeeded.
You see Tom Crean as a good not great coach that couldn’t take Indiana to the promised land.
I see Tom Crean as a special human being that has changed the lives of many young men — including mine.
Thank you Tom Crean. Thank you for your nine years of dedicated service to Indiana University. Thank you for doing things the right way when so many others cheated their way to success. Thank you for your focus on academics and for graduating players. Thank you for taking on the seemingly impossible challenge you did in 2008, and conquering it. Thank you for your motivational speeches, inspirational messages, and relentless energy.
But most of all, thank you for just being there — for me, and for so many others. We will miss you, and we will be forever indebted to you for everything you’ve done.
Post navigation
Previous Post:My Indiana Coaching Wish List
7 COMMENTS
- Dwight Sanders says:
March 17, 2017 at 3:50 pm
Thanks for sharing your story. A great insight to what a great person Tom is. I would love to send him a personal thank you.
Reply - Kim Ollo says:
March 17, 2017 at 4:28 pm
Thank you for sharing your story. Without knowing him personally, I was able to tell he was that kind of guy by the way he treated others both on and off the court. When his seniors hug him at senior night and they’re fighting back tears, that speaks volumes to me. IU may have not won a championship during his time but he was a breath of fresh air that I was proud of. I wish he and his family well and hope wherever they land, they will find peace.
Reply - Tod says:
March 17, 2017 at 4:34 pm
I have never doubted the man Tom Crean is. I met him briefly at a basketball game where he was recruiting a future Hoosier. For some reason Tom thought we had already met before. I may have one of those familiar faces. Anyway, he was very nice to me and a friend of mine who is actually a Purdue grad. I would also like to thank Coach Crean for all the positivity he brought to Bloomington and all the great kids he recruited to play basketball at IU. Some of his players are truly some of my all time favorites. I will definitely be a fan of whatever school he coaches at next. I think he could be a successful NBA coach if that is something he would be interested in? I honestly think that kind of man he is that he would much rather impact kids lives while still in college where he can be more of a teacher and mentor. Cheers..
Reply - Mark D Smith says:
March 17, 2017 at 5:40 pm
Thank You Justin for that awesome testimony! I have never met Coach Crean, but I had heard of his many kind acts and deep consideration for those in need. I was heartbroken by the news of his firing. I will be a fan of him wherever he lands. Please tell him
how so many, many of us did not want him gone!
Reply - Kelly Dather says:
March 17, 2017 at 8:51 pm
I could share with you a few things Coach Crean did for managers of the basketball team that were beyond and above as well. Without detail, he did things and made them (included them) as part of the team. Made their contribution known to the players, staff and himself. Little things that would be deemed “really cool” by a yong college kid. Enough said. And even after graduation helping them with their job search and still to this day (years later) stays in touch with them regarding goals and aspirations. You’re right! Tom Crean went above and beyond in people’s lives and it did/does make a real difference Way after the buzzer.
Reply- Justin Albers says:
March 17, 2017 at 9:56 pm
Thanks for the comment, Mr. Dather. I’ll always refer to him as that because I knew him when I was a kid, he coached one of my basketball teams, and I believe in always showing that same amount of respect for your elders, even when you grow up.
For context, Mr. Dather’s son (one of them) is Tim, who was a manager for Crean at Indiana and now has a job with the Pacers. So his words carry a lot of weight here. Appreciate the comment, again, Mr. Dather. Hope all is well in your world.
Reply
- Carrie steadman says:
March 17, 2017 at 11:38 pm
What an amazing blessing he is to indiana, it saddens me he was let go.
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My Indiana Coaching Wish List THE JUSTIN ALBERS PODCAST[/paste:font]- The Justin Albers Podcast: Gregg Doyel on Tom Crean, NIT March 14, 2017
In this episode of The Justin Albers Podcast, Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel joins the show to discuss Tom Crean's future at Indiana, Fred Glass' decision not to host an NIT game, Bob Knight's comments last week, and more. - The Justin Albers Podcast: Rick Bozich on Indiana, College Hoops January 22, 2017
Rick Bozich of WDRB.com in Louisville joins the show to talk about Indiana's up-and-down basketball season as well as who he thinks is the best team in college basketball right now.
About UsThe Tom Crean You Didn’t See
