Indiana University basketball head coach Tom Crean, AP Big Ten Coach of the Year, will appear at Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts May 7 at 6 and 8:30 p.m. Crean has been the Hoosier’s head coach since 2008, and had served as Marquette University’s head coach for nine season prior to his move to Indiana, according to a press release from the Wagon Wheel. As Indiana’s coach, Crean is credited with the successful rebuilding of the program from several years of Big Ten and NCAA tournament drought. His coaching style has tended to emphasize fast-paced play, including transition offense and defensive press. The media and fellow coaches unanimously voted Crean Big Ten Coach of the Year after the Hoosiers defied early-season expectations with an outright conference title. The team would go on to lose early in the conference tournament to Michigan University, but in the NCAA tournament fought past Chattanooga and Kentucky to the Sweet Sixteen, where their tournament run came to an end versus No. 1-seeded North Carolina, the release states. Crean is well known not only for his successful coaching career, but also for his speaking ability. In August, Crean delivered a passionate speech at a Fort Wayne event benefitting Youth for Christ of Northern Indiana. During that address, Crean touched on topics from basketball to faith, but his main theme was encouraging religious Americans to help others, especially young people, develop their faith. Tickets to the event will be available starting Friday and will be purchasable online at www.wagonwheelcenter.org, via phone at 574-267-8041, and in person at the box office. Front row tickets are $40, and all others are $30.
