BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- After Indiana University athletic director Fred Glass fired men’s basketball coach Tom Crean, he gave a list of qualities he wants the next IU coach to have:
- Somebody who can win Big Ten Championships
- Somebody who can win National Championships
- Somebody who is a proven winner
- Somebody who is a proven recruiter
- Somebody who can and will recruit in the Midwest and in Indiana
- Somebody who is a tactician in games
- Somebody who can develop talent
- Somebody who is a leader of men
As RTV6 sports director Dave Furst noted, that person sounds a lot like Tom Crean. Crean won Big Ten Championships, and could win National Championships. He recruited in Indiana and developed players like Victor Oladipo.
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So who fits the bill, and do they meet those criteria?
Three of the possible candidates are:
Billy Donovan, head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder:
Donovan has no links to Indiana, either the state or the university. He did spend 19 years as head coach of the University of Florida, winning back-to-back National Championships in 2006 and 2007. He won nearly 72 percent of games coached at Florida. When asked if he would have interest in the IU job, Donovan said, “I love it here. I love the guys I work with every day. I love our staff, the organization. As far as I’m concerned, my commitment is totally here and doing the best job I can while I’m here.”
Steve Alford, head coach of the UCLA Bruins:
Alford is a dream candidate for many IU diehards. He was a standout player for Chrysler High School in New Castle, Indiana before playing for Indiana under coach Bob Knight. During his college career, he became the university’s all-time leading scorer, which has since been eclipsed. Alford coached the Iowa Hawkeyes from 1999-2007, which is also in the Big Ten. He has coached the UCLA Bruins for four years, collecting a 94-44 record. When asked of his interest, Alford said, “I love UCLA. I love Los Angeles. You're talking about arguably the greatest brand anywhere on the planet.”
Archie Miller, head coach of the Dayton Flyers:
Miller has been the head coach of the Flyers for six seasons, amassing a 140-62 record over that timeframe. Dayton is his first stop as a head coach. Before that, he spent his past five spots as assistants at Western Kentucky, NC State, Arizona State, Ohio State and Arizona.
