Huston-Tillotson game

[PoconoPony]

Patton, you aren't getting it. SMU isn't UT, Minny or Maryland. I'd agree w/you, if this was a state university, not a pseudo-exclusive, white-bred private, w/a horrible rep in the community, not just basketball community. No national privates recruit exclusively, or primarily, in their backyard. I keep hearing everyone talk about local recruiting, but where is the perspective based on what type of program this is. We're not in the SWC, we don't have tradition, we play in a one-bid league w/no appreciable TV deal etc.

Gonzaga has signed one player from CA in the last 6 years, 1.

Not sure of your point. Gonzaga is located just off downtown Spokane, Washington. Washington state produces precious few Div I caliber kids every year resulting in Gonzaga recruiting nationally.

[FriscoPMG]

Patton, you aren't getting it. SMU isn't UT, Minny or Maryland. I'd agree w/you, if this was a state university, not a pseudo-exclusive, white-bred private, w/a horrible rep in the community, not just basketball community. No national privates recruit exclusively, or primarily, in their backyard. I keep hearing everyone talk about local recruiting, but where is the perspective based on what type of program this is. We're not in the SWC, we don't have tradition, we play in a one-bid league w/no appreciable TV deal etc.

Obivously right now no one wants to come play at SMU because of how bad the team is, but I think Dement absolutely proved you can recruit locally in Dallas. While his teams never made the tournament, he had teams that flirted with the Top 25 with primarily local Dallas kids. He did that while being in the WAC and without near the resources (Crum, $$ in general, scheduling disadvantages) that Doh has had.
If you can find the right coach and/or assistants that can get involved pretty quickly in the Dallas AAU and HS scene (or are already involved), then there's no reason local kids wouldn't want to stay here and play at home. And not necessarily even the highest rated kids. Again, look at the majority of local kids Gillespie recruited at A&M and turned them from a joke to a highly touted program.
I don't think there's any question SMU, with the right coach, could focus primarily on Dallas, then TX, and then nationally, and put together a really good team. And once you start winning consistently, then you start to look like our women's team, where the top local talent wants to play for you.

[SMU 86]

Does anyone think that the firing of the Coach Tubbs will continue affect the recruiting in the Dallas area?

[WSGJ]

I think June survived dumping the DT from Tyler Lee. I know a lot of people were worried that it would have a negative effect. I think if you hire the right coach with the right connections it shouldn't be, but then again I have no knowledge of how the politics work.

[EastStang]

Every time I hear how we soured the pool with Tubbs and local recruiting, I do get a bit ticked off. Tubbs would still in my view have a job here, if he had landed one Dallas blue chip. His buddies in the DISD lobbyied to get him hired here, then didn't deliver. While I think he got a raw deal, and I agree that it has soiled the pool in Dallas, some folks need to reflect on their own navels a bit in the DISD. They let their friend down. And I think that we have so destroyed our relations with the DISD in basketball, that we might not get it back for some time to come, no matter who we hire. The lucky thing is that the high school coaches we now know can't deliver, the AAU coaches can. So, the focus on Dallas has to be at the AAU level. But we won't attract interest at the AAU level if we continue to lose which means in my view a coaching change could very well become a necessity if we have another losing season.

[FriscoPMG]

Does anyone think that the firing of the Coach Tubbs will continue affect the recruiting in the Dallas area?

If you have an attractive winning program to sell, then I don't think that would matter one bit. There might be some bitter coaches out there, and I know they affect the recruiting process a lot, but I'm guessing most kids out there right now know nothing about that situation.
And as EastStang pointed out, for whatever reason that pipeline Tubbs was supposed to have was cut off before he could even land any recruits.

[PonyDoh]

Patton, you aren't getting it. SMU isn't UT, Minny or Maryland. I'd agree w/you, if this was a state university, not a pseudo-exclusive, white-bred private, w/a horrible rep in the community, not just basketball community. No national privates recruit exclusively, or primarily, in their backyard. I keep hearing everyone talk about local recruiting, but where is the perspective based on what type of program this is. We're not in the SWC, we don't have tradition, we play in a one-bid league w/no appreciable TV deal etc.

Obivously right now no one wants to come play at SMU because of how bad the team is, but I think Dement absolutely proved you can recruit locally in Dallas. While his teams never made the tournament, he had teams that flirted with the Top 25 with primarily local Dallas kids. He did that while being in the WAC and without near the resources (Crum, $$ in general, scheduling disadvantages) that Doh has had.
If you can find the right coach and/or assistants that can get involved pretty quickly in the Dallas AAU and HS scene (or are already involved), then there's no reason local kids wouldn't want to stay here and play at home. And not necessarily even the highest rated kids. Again, look at the majority of local kids Gillespie recruited at A&M and turned them from a joke to a highly touted program.
I don't think there's any question SMU, with the right coach, could focus primarily on Dallas, then TX, and then nationally, and put together a really good team. And once you start winning consistently, then you start to look like our women's team, where the top local talent wants to play for you.

Here's the thing, what you say is rational and no doubt you believe it. Unfortunately, recruiting isn't rational, just sit down w/a few local AAU coaches. SMU isn't cleaning up Dallas anytime soon, unless they're prepared to grease palms, bring back the $100 handshake, and/or admit kids that read at a 2nd grade level(see KC Ross Miller, Tony Mitchell etc). Dement , in order to bring in local talent, gave them the green light, and neutered himself as a coach. Either the fist is too forceful like Doh, or you recruit Dallas, and give up your ability to coach. In the last 20 years, it's been either/or.

I'd love to recruit Dallas, but I also know what the kids say about us, and its the same now as it was under Shu, Dement & Tubbs. When someone actually comes up w/a real plan to sooth all the hate, let me know. Until then, you make it seem like we're on an even playing field. Lastly, all 3 of the '10 kids would or should be in the Top 15 in Texas, if they were from here. Do people still prefer Hinton over Vilde b/c he's local..lol

[papawasamustang]

Doh,

Slow down on some of the local comparisons. You have always been extremely positive about ALL the recruits Doh has landed initially. Yes, the kids for 10 sound great. Just like all the others Doh has landed & you have applauded.
I have a HUGE confidence problem in Doh's ability to do anything with these 2010 recruits.
Doh gets an F in player development.

We have gone back & forth on locals vs. nationals vs. euro's etc.
Bottom line is it doesn't matter with this coach. It ain't gonna work regardless to where they come from. Yes, SOME local players would be nice. Having a good coach & a winning team would be better. We have neither.

[George S. Patton]

Doh,

Slow down on some of the local comparisons. You have always been extremely positive about ALL the recruits Doh has landed initially. Yes, the kids for 10 sound great. Just like all the others Doh has landed & you have applauded.
I have a HUGE confidence problem in Doh's ability to do anything with these 2010 recruits.
Doh gets an F in player development.

We have gone back & forth on locals vs. nationals vs. euro's etc.
Bottom line is it doesn't matter with this coach. It ain't gonna work regardless to where they come from. Yes, SOME local players would be nice. Having a good coach & a winning team would be better. We have neither.

Exactly my point. Earlier in some other thread I talked about how exciting it is to have Leslee Smith coming here but I also questioned whether we were going to see him take off because of Doherty.

With Doherty and talent, you're getting oil and water mixed together.

I think part of Dia's problems here has been because he is not strong mentally and when Doherty undoubtedly ripped him, Dia went into a hole and hasn't climbed out. It's not all on Doherty. Dia has himself to blame too.

But a coach's job is to maximize his player's talent and put each in a position to succeed. Are we getting that from Doherty? Nope.

[Charleston Pony]

saddest part of last night's game was that even the 1500 appear to be losing interest. Only a fraction of them showed up to watch.

[Cardinal Puff]

I was also one of the frustrated few at the game. I am not ready to send Doh off to his ultimate professional destiny of joining a RiverDance touring company. Yet. The second half play of the Mustangs was just indifferent. Going 0 for it all in 3 point shooting was bad, the free throw shooting was worse. The worst was the failure of any player to take it on his shoulders and change the game. There are teams we play where that cannot happen; Huston-Tillotson is a game that one commited player could change. I want one player to decide to make a difference and see who follows. If we cannot get that kind of team leadership to come together in the near future, then let's begin the wholesale changes. It either gets moving and Doh gets an extension or SMU needs to eat the last year on the contract so we won't lose another recruiting year as we did last time.