Hoosiers Now

Former Indiana Assistant Steve McClain Rejoins Tom Crean at Georgia

Steve McClain left Indiana in 2015 to become the head coach at UIC, but was fired in March after five seasons. He is joining Tom Crean's staff at Georgia.
Tom Brew|
Former Indiana Assistant Steve McClain Rejoins Tom Crean at Georgia
Former Indiana Assistant Steve McClain Rejoins Tom Crean at Georgia

Several media outlets are reporting Tuesday that former Indiana assistant coach Steve McClain is joining Tom Crean's staff at Georgia. McClain had been the head coach at Illinois-Chicago the past five year, but UIC fired him in March.

McClain went 76-93 at UIC, including a 42-48 record in the Horizon League. He never won a conference title or advanced to the NCAA Tournament. UIC went 18-17 this past season and reached the finals of the Horizon League Tournament before losing to Northern Kentucky 71-62.

“He’s excellent. Tremendous coach and leader,” Crean told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution via text message on Tuesday. “High, high intensity and energy.”

The 57-year-old McClain spent five seasons at Indiana on Crean's staff from 2010-to-2015 before taking over the head coaching job at UIC, replacing the popular Howard Moore. Prior to that, he had been the head coach at Wyoming from 1998 to 2007, and then was an assistant at Colorado for four years before coming to Bloomington.

Crean has been at Georgia for two seasons after getting fired by Indiana in 2017. The Bulldogs were 16-16 this year, and were just 11-21 in his first season.

McClain replaces Joe Scott on Crean's staff. Scott recently was named the head coach at the Air Force Academy.

McClain is known for his energetic and demonstrative coaching style, which is reminiscent of the always pacing-and-moving Crean.

“He makes me look like I’m ready for a nap,” Crean told ajc.com in describing McClain's coaching style and demeanor.

Crean and McClain have always been close, and McClain enjoyed his time with him at Indiana. They also had a lot of success together at Indiana.

  • 2010-11: 12-20 record
  • 2011-12: 27-9 record, NCAA Sweet Sixteen
  • 2012-13: 29-17 record, Big Ten champions, NCAA Sweet Sixteen
  • 2013-14: 17-15 record
  • 2014-15: 20-14 record, NCAA Tournament bid
  • TOTAL RECORD: 105-75

"I was working for a guy that was my boss, but also was one of my best friends. And my family loved it,'' McClain told Sports Illustrated when he was hired at UIC in 2015. "And Coach Crean’s family and my family are very close.''

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Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew has been the publisher of “Indiana Hoosiers on SI’’ since 2019. He has worked at some of America's finest newspapers as an award-winning reporter and editor for more than four decades, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, Indianapolis Star and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He operates seven sites on the “On SI’’ network. Follow Tom on Twitter @tombrewsports.

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