Current ESPN analyst and former Indiana and Marquette head coach Tom Crean has landed back in the college basketball ranks with the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia moved quickly on the hire after firing Mark Fox just six days ago.
Tom Crean is finalizing an agreement to become the next coach at Georgia, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 15, 2018
Earlier this week, former Ohio State coach Thad Matta was offered the Georgia head coaching job but turned it down as Crean was rumored to have interviewed at Pittsburgh. Crean led Marquette to a Final Four in 2003 with Dwayne Wade and made five NCAA tournaments. Crean spent nine seasons at Indiana before being fired, finishing with an 18-16 season in 2016-17. As Hoosier head coach, Crean went to four NCAA tournaments, reaching the Sweet 16 on three occasions.
Crean is big-time hire for Georgia in a resurgent SEC basketball scene that now has some the best coaches in the country. Georgia now has a proven coach that can land high-level recruits, which can push the Bulldogs into the upper echelon in the SEC. The Bulldogs haven’t had major success since a 1983 Final Four bid under the legendary Hugh Durham.
