Crean decides to sell Marquette, not himself

Sporting News, The, May 5, 2003 by Mike DeCourcy

It's possible Tom Crean still may be on the move this spring, but it won't be from Marquette to another coaching job. It'll be from one house in the Milwaukee suburbs to another. Crean and his wife, Joani, were house hunting last week, about the same time Illinois commenced its search for a candidate to replace Bill Self. Crean opted not to wait for Illini A.D. Ron Guenther's call. Instead, he accepted an extension from Marquette and vexed those who believed they had this spring's major coaching changes neatly scripted.

Crean's departure for a more prestigious job in a wealthier conference appeared inevitable after he led the Golden Eagles to the Final Four in just his fourth season. It seems fair to say most coaches in Crean's position would have used that Final Four appearance to sell themselves. He's going to take it and sell the Marquette program.

This is the challenge Crean embraced by exiting the Illinois derby. As coach of the Illini, he would have had one of the richest talent bases to harvest. Shaun Livingston, a 6-5 point guard and perhaps the nation's No. 1 junior, attends high school in Peoria, Ill. There are as many as 16 in-state major-conference prospects in Livingston's class. A majority have grown up wanting to play for Illinois--or at least in the Big Ten.

At Marquette, Crean has a seven-figure salary and soon will work in a practice facility that is the equal of any. The most significant remaining obstacle is the notion of some elite prospects that Conference USA is beneath them.

To continue pursuit of an NCAA championship with the Golden Eagles, Crean can afford to lose the occasional recruit who doesn't want an urban campus or plays a position in which the team already is loaded. But he can't lose great players simply because they don't see themselves playing against Southern Mississippi and TCU.

This happened to Marquette last fall. McDonald's All-American Brian Butch, a 6-11 shooter from Appleton, Wis., declared before signing at Wisconsin that the Golden Eagles' Conference USA membership was a significant detriment. The previous year, North Carolina big man Sean May declined a chance to play under Rick Pitino at Louisville in large part because he was not enamored of its league affiliation.

For some, Pitino's name recognition and past accomplishments more than compensate for C-USA's perceived lack of glamour. The cardinals are working to build a 2004 class that would shake any league. Other league members have pockets of strength, such as Memphis' sway with its homegrown talent and Cincinnati's allure among junior college stars.

Maryland demonstrated a year ago it is possible to win a national championship without a McDonald's All-American. Syracuse proved this year it is easier with one. The Golden Eagles' most immediate step toward this level of recruiting could be the chase for power forward Shaun Pruitt, who played with Golden Eagles wing Dameon Mason at Aurora West High in suburban Chicago. Pruitt, a 6-9 lefty, has endured multiple injuries but remains the No. 2 prospect in the state.

Even without a player so widely recruited, Crean drove Marquette to the Final Four well ahead of schedule--seeing as how the schedule called for "never again."

As Crean joined other coaches on the recruiting trail in pursuit of junior prospects last week, he was able to sell that achievement and the stability that stems from declining to pursue a Big Ten job. The stability issue was another thing that had bothered Butch, who didn't figure Crean would coach him all four years. It's kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy, though. If big-time players sign at Marquette, there's no reason Marquette can't be big-time.

Send Mike DeCourcy your college basketball questions, and look for his answers in his Mailbag at http://www. sportingnews.com/voices/mike_decourcy/.

SPEED READ

* The NCAA reversed its ridiculous 2002 decision to punish underclassmen who participated in the NBA's predraft camp. Now, players can attend the Chicago camp, with expenses paid by the league, at no risk to their eligibility. NCAA official Steve Mallonee says letting players enter the draft but not letting them properly examine their prospects was "kind of illogical." This year's ruling is kind of astonishing.

INSIDE DISH

The only way PF Charlie Villanueva will declare for the NBA draft is if he's guaranteed to be a first-round pick. With as many as 10 foreign players expected to be chosen in the first round, that is highly unlikely. Villanueva has not yet abandoned his commitment to Illinois, but its failure to land Tom Crean as coach did not help.... NBA types are certain Georgia Tech PF Chris Bosh will enter the draft, which would be too bad. Bosh is a marvelous talent, but he needs to learn how to carry a successful team. Bosh had nine games in which he scored 12 or fewer points as a freshman.... PG Patrick Sparks decided his first two years at Western Kentucky proved he was better than a mid-major player and decided to transfer. His destination has yet to be determined, but don't be surprised if Kentucky becomes involved. Sparks averaged 13.3 and 5.9 assists last season as a sophomore.... In accepting a commitment from 7-3 C Shagari Alleyne, Kentucky made a regrettable reach for a big man to replace Marquis Estill. Alleyne is a long-term project who might not be a contributing player until his third season. Coach Tubby Smith's immense gifts as a teacher will be tested in getting Alleyne ready sooner.... New coach Seth Greenberg plans to incorporate the wisdom of everyone who has been successful at Virginia Tech, from previous coaches Charlie Moir, Bill Foster and Don DeVoe to football coach Frank Beamer. Greenberg hopes his fluid offensive schemes and toughness-based defenses will prove a better fit with the Hokies than at South Florida. He likes the ability of Hokies wings Bryant Matthews and Carlos Dixon, who averaged a combined 31.3 points last season.--M.D.