Former college basketball coach and ESPN analyst Tom Crean wasn’t a fan of some teams refusing invitations to this year’s NIT, including St. John’s.
Crean appeared on ESPN’s “NIT Selection Special” and began slamming the idea that teams don’t want to play in college basketball’s other major postseason tournament.
Immediately after the Red Storm learned they did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, they announced that they informed the NIT selection committee that they did not want an extended invitation.
St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino said in a statement regarding the decision: “After a thorough review of all matters related to postseason participation, at this time we are unable to prepare for next season. “We believe this is in the best interest of our team and basketball program.”
The transfer portal, which opened on Monday, is believed to have influenced the team’s decision process.
But Crean wasn’t going to buy that excuse from schools opting out of the NIT.
“There’s no question about it. I want to be a coach and I want to grow the team,” Crean said. “We have more staff than ever before. We have plenty of time on the portal. We have plenty of time to talk to new hires. We have plenty of time to negotiate deals with NIL.”
That’s when Crean’s comments, who coached at Marquette, Indiana and Georgia, started to get more harsh.
“There’s not a lot of playing time. There’s not enough time to get guys on the floor and give them a chance to develop,” he said. “There’s not enough time for players who may never play again to continue playing, and to me that’s just ridiculous. It’s each coach’s choice, I understand that, but if you take away the opportunity to play games, will be forced into a disadvantageous position.
“Let them opt out. There’s always that in bowl season. Don’t worry about it. Give the players and coaches the opportunity to continue coaching and playing and don’t come up short.”
Other notable teams that chose not to participate in the NIT include Syracuse, Pitt, Memphis, and Ole Miss.
The first round of NIT begins on March 19th.
