Why Tom Crean blasted teams like Ole Miss basketball that chose to skip NIT
OXFORD — Ole Miss basketball was among a handful of notable programs that declined to partake in the NIT, which announced its field Sunday.
As part of the broadcast team on ESPN2 during the NIT's bracket reveal, former Marquette, Indiana and Georgia coach Tom Crean called the choice made by those programs "absolutely ridiculous."
"There's no question about it," Crean said. "I would wanna coach. I would wanna develop my team. You've got bigger staffs than you've ever had. There's plenty of time for the (transfer) portal. There's plenty of time to talk to recruits. There's plenty of time to negotiate NIL deals. There's not plenty of time to play. There's not plenty of time to get your players on the floor and give them a chance to get better. There's not plenty of time for guys to continue to play that may never get to play again."
Memphis, Pitt, St. John's, Indiana and Oklahoma were among the other programs that told the NIT they weren't interested in being part of the field.
In the case of the Rebels (20-12), coach Chris Beard said the choice came down to timing. On Friday, Beard said there were Ole Miss players dealing with personal issues at home that also impacted the choice.
"Firstly, I have a lot of experience and respect for the NIT," Beard said. "When I was with Coach (Bob) Knight, I learned the history of the NIT and everything it's done for college basketball and the history of the game all the way up until the current model. Simply, I think timing is everything and the timing's just not right for us to continue the season in any of these tournaments."
Ole Miss last partook in the NIT in 2021, where it lost at home to Louisiana Tech in the opening round.
The 2024 Rebels looked like a near-lock for the NCAA Tournament two months ago. After losing nine of their last 11 games, though, there was no need for Ole Miss fans to even follow Sunday's selection show.
Though Beard did not list it among his reasons, the transfer portal likely played a factor in the choice to skip the NIT. The portal opened to all college basketball players on Monday.
"It's each coach's choice, I get it," Crean said. "But if you take away a chance to play the games, to put your team on the floor ‒ let them opt out. The bowl season has it all the time. Let it happen. Who cares? Give your players and coaches a chance to keep coaching and playing.
"If a guy doesn't wanna play, go sit down. If a coach doesn't wanna coach, go recruit. But there's gotta be enough people to put 5-6-7 people on the floor and go play."
LOOKING AHEAD: Another offseason of change is coming to Ole Miss basketball. Here's what Chris Beard can do
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Tom Crean blasts Ole Miss basketball, others for skipping NIT
