Indiana basketball coach Tom Crean has seen just about it all when it comes to basketball. He's been voted a conference coach of the year in two different leagues (C-USA and the Big Ten), a national coach of the year in 2012 at Indiana, and he's led two different teams (Marquette and Indiana) to the NCAA tournament a total of eight times.
But even an accomplished basketball coach like Crean is hungry for more coaching knowledge, which is why he joined over 750 football coaches at the Notre Dame coaches clinic. That's right, Crean was the lone college basketball coach at the clinic where speakers like NFL coaches Bill O'Brien, Ron Rivera, and Rod Marinelli graced the stage in an effort to find a creative edge for his team that's being projected as a top 10 team by some publications next season.
Asked why he attended the football clinic in South Bend, Crean's answer to the Indy Star was simple; "If you're asking your players to be in a 365-day mindset, you've got to be the same way as a coach."
"It was one of the most productive days I've had in a long time, and if you're putting that front and center, that (as a coach) you're working all the time, there's no reason for anybody on your team not to go above what's expected of them."
"That's how you create internal expectations."
I think that we can all agree that coaching is coaching. Regardless of the sport there are certain lessons that all coaches can use, so credit Crean for stepping out of his comfort zone a bit to gain some knowledge from some of the best football minds in the country. The days where Nick Saban and Urban Meyer crash a basketball clinic for an edge may be closer than you think.