LOOK: Father of Georgia basketball player Christian Wright sounds off on Tom Crean
The season that every Georgia Bulldogs fan wants to forget about is over after an 86-51 loss to Vanderbilt in the opening round of the SEC Tournament Wednesday night. According to Christian Wright‘s father, head coach Tom Crean has sent his son several not-so-flattering texts throughout the season, and this was one of them:
The texts read: “You are going to get back to running our offense and delivering the ball where it’s supposed to go and then take clean drives or getting into the paint and kick it out or I can’t play you in these games. You are making it hard on yourself because you are centered on scoring when you get it and that is OVER. When you make it hard on you it is hard on everyone else. That ball is going to be passed.
“I’m the Coach and the decision maker. Don’t get tricked by thinking anything different because no one is in charge of playing time but me.”
It’s safe to say after the season Georgia had, Crean’s seat is hotter than ever and the Bulldogs look to move on from the awful season that plagued the program throughout the past few months.
Report: Georgia likely to fire Tom Crean after four seasons
Georgia is likely to fire head coach Tom Crean after four seasons at the helm of the Bulldogs’ basketball program, according to a report from Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
According to Towers, the university has not finalized its decision.
“After overseeing the losingest season in the history of Georgia basketball, all indications are that Crean and the Bulldogs will part ways after the season concludes, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation,” Towers wrote. “However, an official decision has not been made.”
Towers noted that Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks declined to comment on Crean’s future with the Bulldogs. Crean signed a six-year, $19.8 million deal in March of 2018, and his buyout clause after year four reduces from $7.2 million to $3.2 million. Crean’s agent, Jordan Bazant, reportedly sought out a contract extension after the conclusion of last season, but that request was denied, per the AJC report.
Formerly the head coach at Indiana and Marquette, Crean had by far and away the worst win percentage of his career while in Athens. He went 47-74 in four years at Georgia, amassing a .388 win percentage, along with a 15-57 record in SEC play. Georgia finished no better than 10th in the SEC in Crean’s four-year tenure, and the Bulldogs never made it to the NCAA Tournament. Georgia finished the 2021-22 record with a 6-25 record (1-17 in conference play), placing the Bulldogs 14th in the SEC.