Despite his assertion earlier this year that there was “no question” he’d be leaving television broadcasting for coaching, Tom Crean will be back in studio this fall. Only, the former college basketball hothead will be taking his talents to the professional level.
Former University of Georgia head coach Tom Crean will be joining FanDuel Sports Network North as a studio analyst on Minnesota Timberwolves broadcasts, the network announced in a press release on Wednesday.
Since leaving Georgia in 2022, Crean has worked as a college basketball analyst across multiple networks, primarily for ESPN. In an interview with Kay Adams this past March, Crean signaled he was intent on a return to the sidelines.
“There’s no question. I’ll coach again. I don’t have any doubt about that. I don’t know where or when yet, but my last year at Georgia was the first year of the portal and the first year of NIL. We had $4200 in the NIL. We had seven guys go do a three-hour clinic for $600 each. We had two other guys make $1000 each from Crystal that year for a social media ad. That’s $6200. There’s very few teams in the SEC that are under $3-4 million right now in NIL. I would like to do that again,” Crean said at the time.
It’s now clear that “when” will not be this year for Crean. Per Frederick’s report, the former Bulldogs coach will split analyst duties with Minnesota Lynx assistant coach Rebekkah Brunson. FanDuel Sports Network is slated to air 65 of the Timberwolves’ 82 games this year.
Notably, Crean coached Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards during his one year in college, giving the coach a meaningful connection to one of the league’s biggest stars.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Tom Crean to the Timberwolves broadcast team,” Larry Holm, FanDuel Sports Network’s Vice President of Production said in a release. “His coaching pedigree, passion for the game, and experience behind the mic will add a fresh perspective to our coverage and offer engaging analysis for Timberwolves fans.”
The Timberwolves open the season against the Portland Trailblazers, October 22 on FanDuel Sports Network.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.