Last week, Silver Waves Media named Georgia coach Tom Crean as one of college basketball’s 100 most influential people.
Entering his third year as coach of the Bulldogs, Crean was joined by eight other SEC head coaches. Some of which included: John Calipari (Kentucky), Cuonzo Martin (Missouri), Ben Howland (Mississippi State), Rick Barnes (Tennessee) and Frank Martin (South Carolina).
“It’s always nice to be recognized amongst your peers and other leaders in the game,” Crean said, per DawgNation. “If it doesn’t impress my daughter Megan, though, then it’s very short lived around our house.
“I live with a tough crowd.”
One player who benefited greatly from Crean’s hiring at Georgia was former UGA big man Nic Claxton, who was able to leave UGA after one season with Crean.
“Coach Crean just brought everything out of me and my skill set,” Claxton said in the UGA release. “He brought things out of me I didn’t even know I had at the time, (and) had me doing things I didn’t even know I could do. (Crean) instilled that confidence in me and coached me really hard. “That year with Coach Crean, it was special. I really appreciate him.”
Crean has been a head coach since 1999, when he took over at Marquette.
