Effectively ending the Kelvin Sampson era for good, Indiana University has decided upon his replacement: Tom Crean, previously of Marquette. Crean agreed to an 8-year, $18.4 million contract to be the next coach of Indiana, their third since they parted ways with Bob Knight in September of 2000.

Crean, who complied a 196-90 record at Marquette while leading them to their first Final Four since 1977, is going to be asked to steady some incredibly choppy waters caused by the Kelvin Sampson mess. He inherits a fractured team that is in danger of losing the bulk of their starting players, not to mention Crean has to re-recruit players that committed to Kelvin Sampson.

On the plus side for IU fans, Crean is 2-0 against rival Kentucky while at Marquette with both victories coming in the NCAA Tournament. Speaking of IU fans, over at Peegs, the consensus about the Tom Crean hiring seems to be really high; a fact threads like “Anyone know where you can buy a Crean & Crimson T-shirt” illustrate quite well.

First up for Coach Crean: addressing the Jamarcus Ellis/Armon Bassett situation. Welcome aboard, Tom.

Tags: Indiana Hoosiers, Kelvin Sampson, March Madness, Tom Crean

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