Basketball Commitment

by **2112** » Wed Nov 16, 2005 8:36 am

It's not very encouraging, I must admit.

by **friarwolf** » Wed Nov 16, 2005 9:00 am

Â It just feels like we are signing anyone who is athletic that "likes our total package". God, does that sound horrible or what???????

I guess I am out of the mainstream but I just don't think signing athletes from Cameroon (I can't get that scene from Trading Places out of my mind where Eddie Murray and Dan Ackroyd are on the train pretending to be from Cameroon to steal Beak's briefcase) whose shot is "getting better". I have this uncomfortable feeling Tubbs wants a team like he had at Kimball when he won state. If that's what he is trying to do, we are in deep you know what.

We are saddled with an old relic of a gym and a faculty that wants an old relic of a program - student athletes - not athlete students. With those parameters, tell me what kind of program and what kind of player do we need to have to be successful????? Maybe smart "basketball" players who love the game who may not be able to jump out of the gym but who will do anything on both ends of the court to win? Sounds like the Princeton's, Gonzaga's, and Pepperdine's of the world. What's wrong with that? Nothing if you ask me. We have plenty of those kind of players right here.............

by **Pony_Fan** » Wed Nov 16, 2005 11:58 am

All I know is.....

HF is a huge Tubbs fan, SMU is going to have a mediocre season AGAIN, and 2007 doesn't look very good at this point. Same 'ole stuff...

by **Waz** » Wed Nov 16, 2005 12:08 pm

Excuse me. This is the same group that gave Dement a whole contract full of mediocrity and still wasn't ready to dump him? If you didn't see improvement in last years club, then you most likely don't know what you are looking for in the first place. Tubbs will get at least the same quality players that he and/or Dement got, and he will develope them a whole lot better, which translates to an improved program.

You don't make a quantum leap in recruiting without changing some of the basics that the coaches operate under, facilities, commitment (ie support from admin and fans) etc. It is totally unrealistic to expect the local top recruits to flock to SMU. It will take a season or two to move up the ladder. Give the team a chance to screw up before you predict perpetual doom and gloom and give Tubbs a chance to screw up before you roast him.

by **Pony_Fan** » Wed Nov 16, 2005 1:04 pm

You and I both couldn't stand Dement.

Calm down there....

Sure, there is a little improvement on the floor and I am not "roasting" him...just stating what is happening right now.

by **Sic_em** » Wed Nov 16, 2005 11:32 pm

The Scout story says the kid chose SMU over Loyola-Illinois & Southern Miss. Does that mean that he had actual offers from those two or just interest from them?

by **No Cal Pony** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 10:01 am

Why does anyone really think Tubbs is going to turn this around overnight? Why does eveyone think that Moody is a hinderance? It will take the administration and trustees to do soemthing. It will take an AD to do something. Winning will help start. Look at gonzaga. Folks love to mention that school. Our facilities are way better. SMU has much more to offer. It is easy to sit around and bash Tubbs, but at least we are getting looks. Get some wins, get more exposure, get the top brass off their [deleted], and the outlook will get better.
Whining will not help anything.

by **Stallion** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 10:10 am

.....it doesn't just magically happen overnite. First, you have to improve RECRUITING. My feeling is that SMU is recruiting pretty mediocre talent definitely a rung below the group DeMent/Tubbs brought in before. Its not going to happen with a magic wand in his 4th and 5th year either.

by **jtstang** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 10:46 am

Stallion wrote:.....it doesn't just magically happen overnite. First, you have to improve RECRUITING. My feeling is that SMU is recruiting pretty mediocre talent definitely a rung below the group DeMent/Tubbs brought in before. Its not going to happen with a magic wand in his 4th and 5th year either.

Okay, let's differentiate between recruiting and signing, please. Because you and I both know that we are recruiting, and getting serious looks from, players that are highly touted. We have not landed the big fish yet, but I don't think it is accurate to suggest Tubbs is not recruiting at the highest rung on the ladder.

Now I know at the end of the day the hand grenade theory doesn't help you on the floor, but I truly think Tubbs has proven his ability to get the attention of the big boys and it is a matter of time and circumstances before he signs one of them. I'm still holding out hope for Arthur. Tubbs needs to be on the phone daily with Q Ross to influence his cousin.

by **SMU Football Blog** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 11:16 am

JT, if we land Arthur, I will eat all the crow you can cook, but until then, after reading your last post, all I can say is, "Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy; Sunshine on my shoulders ..."

by **jtstang** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 11:27 am

SMU Football Blog wrote:JT, if we land Arthur, I will eat all the crow you can cook, but until then, after reading your last post, all I can say is, "Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy; Sunshine on my shoulders ..."

Again, nothing I haven't admitted before when it comes to my admiration of Jimmy Tubbs, I am his biggest apologist. "I did not come here to date SMU, I came here to marry SMU...." Corny, I know, but when I heard him say that I was pretty happy to hear it. And part of the reason was the recruiting success he brought with him.

Even still, with the exception of my hope for landing the big fish, there is nothing overly sunshiney about my post. I think its pretty fair and accurate otherwise.

by **mrydel** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:14 pm

I think a major difference here is that the BB team can improve tremendously with one super star addition. Have we got one yet, no, but as JT says, we are at least getting looks and if and when it happens it can make a big leap in the future of SMU Basketball. The FB team needs many moves in the right direction for great improvement. Size, talent, depth, speed, etc. One player will not do it. I am for at least giving Tubbs an opening tip off this season before totally crucifying him.

by **Stallion** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:11 pm

what started the growing conventional wisdom that SMU never got looks from top Dallas prospects in the past. I've followed this very close every year and its simply not true since Dement got here. Dement with Tubbs' assistance recruited DFW about as well as SMU could possibly do. Almost all our best players were from DFW and a very high percentage were much more highly recruited than over at Ford. The only problem was we weren't able to get the quality big guys and when he did(who was the big kid with the major sinus operation) they didn't pan out. This is not the first time SMU has been in contention-and turned down-by top DFW talent. Again you either get em or you don't. You don't get brownie points for cominmg in second best.

by **jtstang** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:19 pm

Stallion wrote:what started the growing conventional wisdom that SMU never got looks from top Dallas prospects in the past. I've followed this very close every year and its simply not true since Dement got here. Dement with Tubbs' assistance recruited DFW about as well as SMU could possibly do. Almost all our best players were from DFW and a very high percentage were much more highly recruited than over at Ford. The only problem was we weren't able to get the quality big guys and when he did(who was the big kid with the major sinus operation) they didn't pan out. This is not the first time SMU has been in contention-and turned down-by top DFW talent. Again you either get em or you don't. You don't get brownie points for cominmg in second best.

I guess I'll just say this. All of the top Dallas prospects we got during the Dement era were, it sounds to me, due to the efforts of Tubbs. For the year or so when he left, we did not get serious looks from top DFW talent, or at least I don't recall any. Now that he's back, we're getting those looks again.

I have conceded time and time again that "close" doesn't help you on the court. But I still think that he's got the best shot at closing teh deal on some of these guys of any viable coaching candidate for SMU. Read that: any coach who would come to SMU under the current circumstances.

by **mrydel** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:55 pm

All I am saying is that we have not seen last years class perform yet and this years signing season has not ended. Lets see how things go during the season and who we get when the next class signs. So many people seem to be ready to kick Tubbs out when the season has not even begun. Don't let the football team skew your thoughts on basketball. One good sign can make a big difference.

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