Dear Tom Crean,

When you decided to take the head coaching job at IU in 2008, our program was in shambles. You said you took the job for one reason, and that was because “It’s Indiana,” and our school’s basketball team is, “the pinnacle of college basketball." Lastly, you also told Hoosier Nation that, “You would need our help,” because rebuilding the program, “is going to take some time."     

You will have been head coach for seven years this upcoming season. In your tenure, Hoosier Nation has witnessed some pretty amazing events. From students manically rushing the court on Dec. 10, 2011 after taking down the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats, to spending 10 weeks as the country’s number-one ranked team and becoming a number-one seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years, you’ve truly accomplished great things for our program.  

However, fast forward to current day, and Indiana basketball looks significantly different. A couple of years ago, I used to rep my Indiana basketball attire with great pride and with my head held high. After a dismal 17-15 record last season, and now after one year in which six players have been cited for failed alcohol and drug tests, I can’t say the same anymore. Honestly, I’ve again lost faith in a team with which I was once so proud to be affiliated.   

If you took the head coaching job because Indiana basketball means something to you, Mr. Crean, then it’s time to start showing it. I think that I speak for Hoosier Nation when I say that we won’t stand for players who are not eligible to put on the candy stripes and play because of off-the-court distractions. Where is the discipline and control that Bob Knight once instilled in all of his players, which was to not only represent how great Indiana basketball is on the court, but off as well?   

I sincerely hope for the best this upcoming basketball season. You told us that the return Indiana basketball to prominence is going to take some time, but my patience is starting to wear pretty thin.