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And may have created his greatest rival.
Crean worked with Izzo and Heathcote during the 1989-90 season, then moved on to a job on the staff of Ralph Willard at Western Kentucky. He followed Willard to Pitt in 1994, serving as the Panthers' associate head coach, before returning to the Spartans as an assistant to Izzo in 1995. His second stint with the Spartans lasted four seasons, during which time he developed a reputation as an outstanding recruiter and one of the game's top offensive minds.
In 1999 he landed his first head coaching position, taking over for Mike Deane at Marquette. He built the Golden Eagles into a national powerhouse, thanks in no small part to the stellar play of Dwyane Wade. Wade -- along with Travis Diener and Steve Novak -- keyed Marquette's run to the 2003 Final Four. The Eagles' performance under Crean earned Marquette an invite to one of college basketball's glamor conferences -- they joined the Big East in 2005.
Starting in 2008-09, Crean will take over one of college basketball's all-time great programs, as he'll attempt to re-build an Indiana program left in a shambles after Kelvin Sampson's disastrous tenure. Now in the Big Ten, his close friend Tom Izzo will be one of his most dire competitors. His contract with the Hoosiers is reportedly worth over $23 million over 10 years.
