Originally posted by Big Blue 1977:
Anyone who doubts Crean is the clown. Most casual fans simply fail to see that to get to where Coach Tom Crean wants the program, you can overtake the mountain only by starting from sea level. You have to hit absolute rock bottom.
Was the CBI rejection rock bottom? To some, but not to Crean. The CBI invitation was so infuriating to Crean because it indicated a much faster rise than he had planned, and this is why he rejected it. You must first miss the CBI, then play in the CBI, then win the CBI, then lose in the first round of the NIT, and so on. This way, by 2028, you're primed to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
And all the while . . . you're running out of places to wear rings. You can't even walk because of all the NIT ice you've got on your toes. Tom Crean's a true player and this a long, long game.
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