It’s time to end the Tom Crean experiment

The Tom Crean experiment needs to be over in Athens

Just last week, Georgia basketball coach Tom Crean lost point-guard Sahvir Wheeler to the transfer portal after leading the SEC in several key stat categories.

The rising junior was expected to lead a more experienced Georgia team onto the floor next season with fans hoping to see Crean develop his roster into an NCAA Tournament caliber ball club.

However, the Dawgs have lost practically their entire starting roster to the transfer portal, with KD Johnson and Jaxon Etter being the lone role players returning.

Couple that with the fact Crean was recruiting 13th out of 14 teams in the SEC and you already had a massive problem on hand in Athens.

Then comes Sahvir Wheeler’s ‘Top 10’ announcement on Monday. Wheeler was rumored to be looking into playing closer to home, but it is now clear the point guard just wanted a new environment.

Wheeler’s comments here add even more concern for fans of the Bulldogs, who were already pulling hair out from Crean’s efforts leading the program.

The general consensus amongst much of the Bulldog faithful is that Crean will get one more year due to his massive buyout at $7.2 this season. If Georgia elects to fire Crean without cause next year, that figure drops down to $3.1 million.

However, it is well past time to let Crean go.

The program is in complete disarray, worse than where it was when Crean found it just three years ago.

Georgia has nothing left to lose by firing Crean, as the current recruiting class is still in the basement of the conference and expectations for 2021-2022 are at an all-time low.

It’s understandable that Georgia is a football-first school in terms of financial spending, given the sheer size of the fanbase and the revenue football brings in.

However, if Sanford Stadium can receive 436 upgrades over a few years and 257 other football-related buildings can be built, then Crean can be let go and Foley Field improved for students on campus.

Make the decision, Georgia. Either get rid of Crean and go hire Jonas Hayes or simply state you are too cheap to fire Crean and waiving the white flag on your men’s basketball program.

And remember, I’m not saying the Dawgs have to compete with the likes of Duke, Kentucky, UNC, UCLA and Kansas here.

I’m simply stating that Georgia can do better in basketball without Tom Crean.

Go get Hayes, hire a few former players like JJ Frazier as assistant coaches and make a run at the NIT’s and NCAA’s.

Firing Mark Fox was supposed to be a move towards relevancy in men’s basketball. Instead, it has turned this program completely on its side.

The only excuse one can make for Crean at this point is his $7.2 million buyout. Auburn football paid Gus Malzahn over $21 million to go away. Malzahn was still finishing above .500 every year with two SEC West Division titles and a trio of wins over Alabama.

What has Crean done for Georgia basketball other than landing the homegrown Anthony Edwards, who was already projected No. 1 in the NBA Draft before playing for Crean.

If you can’t shore up the money to get Crean out of Athens, then maybe there shouldn’t be a men’s basketball program on campus.

Right now, this program is the equivalent of Vanderbilt football or Missouri baseball to the conference. Being a Top 5 academic school in the SEC, with the recruiting hotbed of the Atlanta metro and the financial strength UGA has, there is no excuse to be this bad year-to-year in men’s basketball.

Get rid of Tom Crean or go give the basketball funding to Scott Stricklin and the baseball program to make consistent runs at SEC Championships and Omaha.

Heck, Joni Taylor and the women’s basketball team could use that funding too.

Make the move, Georgia. We’re bound to read a tweet from Crean on building DWade or Victor Oladipo here shortly. Maybe some of his former Georgia players can eventually make that wall of his instead of receiving a cardboard cut-out…

Geesh.