Georgia has fired basketball coach Tom Cream, the university announced Thursday. Crean concluded his fourth season with a 6-26 record following a loss to Vanderbilt in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday and posted 45-75 overall mark during his time at UGA after nine-year runs at Indiana and Marquette.
"I would like to sincerely thank Coach Crean and his family for their commitment to Georgia Basketball," Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks said in a statement. "Tom Crean demonstrated unquestionable effort and enthusiasm in what he has attempted to accomplish at Georgia. That said, our expectation is to compete for post-season success in all 21 sports. We believe a leadership change in men's basketball is needed to achieve our goals."
Crean's best season with Georgia came in the 2020-21 season when the Bulldogs finished 14-12 (7-11 SEC), but the program bottomed out this season amid a mass exodus from last season's roster. Among those who transferred out were K.D. Johnson (Auburn), Sahvir Wheeler (Kentucky), Toumani Camara (Dayton), Tye Fagan (Ole Miss), Justin Kier (Arizona), Andrew Garcia (Kent State).
The Bulldogs started 2-4 with each of their first four losses coming against respectable power conference foes this season. Then, however, came home losses against Wofford, East Tennessee State and Gardner-Webb before SEC play began. Those defeats accurately foreshadowed how poorly things would go in the league slate.
Georgia had its high moments this season, such as an 82-79 win over Memphis on Dec. 1 and an 82-76 win over Alabama on Jan. 25. The Bulldogs also challenged then-No. 1 Auburn on Feb. 5 before falling 74-72. But losses, often blowouts, were all too common for UGA this season.
The next Bulldogs' coach will have their work cut out for them. Though Crean was able to use UGA's proximity to the recruiting hotbed of Atlanta to land No. 1 overall prospect Anthony Edwards from the Class of 2019, he was unable to parlay Edwards' lone season in the program into any notable on-court triumphs.
Georgia has made just one NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 11 seasons, and it last won an NCAA Tournament game in the 2002 season under Jim Harrick. The program has gone through three coaches -- Crean, Mark Fox and Dennis Felton -- in the 19 seasons since Harrick's resignation and reached just three NCAA Tournaments in that time.
