CBS SPORTS (KFSM) – Former Indiana coach Tom Crean has agreed to a six-year contract worth $3.2 million annually to become the next men’s basketball coach at Georgia, a source confirmed to CBS Sports on Thursday night.
A formal announcement is expected soon.
Crean, 51, has spent the past year working for ESPN. He was fired last March at Indiana following his ninth season with the Hoosiers. The 2016 Big Ten Coach of the Year guided Indiana to two outright Big Ten regular-season titles and a No. 1 seed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament in those nine seasons. Before that, he coached Marquette for nine seasons and advanced to the Final Four in 2003.
A source told CBS Sports early Thursday that Crean would likely accept an offer from Georgia barring any unexpected issues.
Crean is replacing Mark Fox, who was fired after going 163-133 and never advancing past the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament in two appearances over nine seasons. Crean went 166-135 at Indiana — including 138-69 over his final six seasons.
Sources told CBS Sports that a search firm working on behalf of Georgia initially inquired about Xavier’s Chris Mack and Texas’ Shaka Smart, both of whom respectfully declined. Georgia then offered its job to former Ohio State coach Thad Matta earlier this week. He declined the offer Wednesday.
