BLOOMINGTON -
There is some good news. The first year is over.
Not that Tom Crean expected it to be a cake walk, but all the trials and tribulations that might have been envisioned for a Hoosier team that returned just 1.4 points per game from the year before came to pass.
"It certainly wasn't the best year, and it was the worst year. Record-wise and things like that," said Crean of last season. "I didn't want it to end for the fact that these guys were getting so much better."
"We had our moments. We had games where the roof almost caved in on us and we might not have come back through it, but that never happened."
In the end, only one Big Ten win, with just under a half-dozen non conference wins sprinkled with a couple of scares to big opponents (think Michigan State at Assembly Hall in early March.)
Read: During Off Season, Tom Crean Finds Love For Twitter
But with a second season under his belt, along with the majority of his players, things are looking up a bit for the Hoosiers, who are in year two of rebuilding following the mass defection of players following the resignation of Kelvin Sampson.
"There is no doubt that we are getting better along with the newcomers getting better," said Crean of this season's team at a press conference on Thursday. "We already talked about the veterans that are coming back. Even though they are one-year veterans, no question the talent level is better."
Read: Tom Crean Talks About First Season at IU
Eight players from last year's team return for 2009-2010 including tri-most valuable players Devan Dumes, Verdell Jones III and Tom Pritchard. Six freshman join the team while Jeremiah Rivers will see his first action in a Hoosier uniform after redshirting the 2008-2009 season.
"We've had a good fall. Since August 31, we've seen a competitive mindset," said Crean of team, which will host its first practice on October 16th at Assembly Hall. "It doesn't mean anything yet in the sense of it carrying over to where it will be in competition against other teams, but we are optimistic that that is going to happen because they are competitive with one another"
Not that Tom Crean expected it to be a cake walk, but all the trials and tribulations that might have been envisioned for a Hoosier team that returned just 1.4 points per game from the year before came to pass.
"It certainly wasn't the best year, and it was the worst year. Record-wise and things like that," said Crean of last season. "I didn't want it to end for the fact that these guys were getting so much better."
"We had our moments. We had games where the roof almost caved in on us and we might not have come back through it, but that never happened."
In the end, only one Big Ten win, with just under a half-dozen non conference wins sprinkled with a couple of scares to big opponents (think Michigan State at Assembly Hall in early March.)
Read: During Off Season, Tom Crean Finds Love For Twitter
But with a second season under his belt, along with the majority of his players, things are looking up a bit for the Hoosiers, who are in year two of rebuilding following the mass defection of players following the resignation of Kelvin Sampson.
"There is no doubt that we are getting better along with the newcomers getting better," said Crean of this season's team at a press conference on Thursday. "We already talked about the veterans that are coming back. Even though they are one-year veterans, no question the talent level is better."
Read: Tom Crean Talks About First Season at IU
Eight players from last year's team return for 2009-2010 including tri-most valuable players Devan Dumes, Verdell Jones III and Tom Pritchard. Six freshman join the team while Jeremiah Rivers will see his first action in a Hoosier uniform after redshirting the 2008-2009 season.
"We've had a good fall. Since August 31, we've seen a competitive mindset," said Crean of team, which will host its first practice on October 16th at Assembly Hall. "It doesn't mean anything yet in the sense of it carrying over to where it will be in competition against other teams, but we are optimistic that that is going to happen because they are competitive with one another"
