Jonathan Williams III Visit

[KWhiz77]

Well stated Smulaw90! I have a VERY VERY much younger sibling currently enrolled and will be a senior this fall. His internship this summer and just the everyday classroom experience is a true testament to the excellence in education SMU continues to offer.

[GiddyUp]

Need a big in here badly, this is getting annoying now

[SMU 86]

I know if I'm a coach competing against SMU for a player I simply say this:

1. Yes, Larry Brown is there and is a Hall of Famer. But will he be there when you finish?;

2. Secondly, no one knows, at this point, what the NCAA is going to do.

Those two things will work against us until the NCAA stops wasting its time with SMU and focuses on UNC. If I'm a transfer recruit, particularly one with two years left, these two things impact my decision.

I wish for the life of me that the education itself was truly weighed by the students. Gonzaga's undergraduate programs are not in the Top 100 in the country. And most importantly, as I tell all students who give consideration to SMU, "its who you're going to be sitting next to in class that matters as well." Are you sitting next to the son/daughter/nephew of a mover and shaker, or are you sitting next to a kid just like you from a small town with no influence, connections or know how. That was me, before I attended SMU.

IMO, this is the pitch that needs to be made to the parents. Its the conversation I've had with Nate Morris' dad about Lancaster's Nate Morris. LB needs to hire me (at no cost) to assist in this regard. LOL

Morris also might be concerned over who can out him in the pros. SMU has not had any drafted in a while. Once we get some players drafted and make a good run the the NCAA Tournament that will help. Also, need to try a lessen the stereotype that SMU so hard that athletes that are not super scholars have a hard time staying passing classes and staying eligible.

[SMUstangs22]

1. No matter how much we wish, and I do, we have not "made it". Still a lot left to prove. 1 trip to the tourney as a 1 and done does not make a "made it" team. I do not care how bad you want it to be so. Those are the type of statements from the UNT board we make fun of in football.

2. There has been a drastic shift in recruiting. Did we land great players? Yes. Did our momentum turn for the worse? Yes. Deny it however you like but a year ago we would not have been talking about the current class as a great success. We were talking about Tyler Davis, E Thomas, A Gilder, and a handful of 2017 kids including Furgeson. Now? They didn't sign or they are off the board #furgeson.

Can we please stop pretending and be real??? We have made great strides but we still have a lot more to do.

Oh and can someone block tigervajj so he can do something constructive like getting a life... or a girl for a change. Just saying

[Mustangsabu]

I'm sorry that I appear to be unsupportive of the program, I am most certainly not so. I do not, however, believe that we can lay a claim to being "big time" yet. We have, in many ways, done the easy stuff. We have done the things you can buy. The intangibles are proving more elusive. We, as a fanbase, are paying for the changes in the program that have brought an incredible new facility and a high-profile coachhing staff to SMU. We scored what was percieved to be a major coup when KF signed for us, but looking back on it now I think we would all agree he has not had the effect on the program we hoped for. Worse still is the possibility that we took Keith primarily for the publicity and tht anything more was a bonus. And the fact remains that it is Keiths recruitment that has us in hot water with the NCAA. I know everyone on here seems to know exactly what the sanctions are already, so I guess its ok to ask the question, was KF worth it?

Then we got the Harrison twins to "consider us". Another publicity stunt, we all knew they wouldn't.

Then Eman, announces us on national TV. Huge News. I nearly wet myself. Then he opts to go to China. I'm sorry but I wonder if we (we being the coaches and admin) EVER really believed he would play for us. Maybe it was known that he wouldn't be eligible for any college program so having him pick us was again more publicity. He didnt really pick us over the other big schools, he named the school that his signing for would have the most impact. And his brother got taken care of. I'd say the Mudiays came out of it pretty well. SMU, I'm not so sure.

This year we have not had a huge national calibre signing. I don't know enough to know how good our class is, but I notice we are not in ESPN's top 40, and we come in at 40 on 247 Sports. I know I will be as supportive of this team as I have been of any team, but all this talk of being big time seems to be more spin than substance. I think we can get there, but I think that if anyone on this board really understood what "big time" felt like, they would know this isn't it. This is nouveau riche at best.

Look, I'll be there hollering louder than most, but I'm not going to jump on the Big Time Bandwagon just yet.

[Mustangsabu]

total buzzkill on every topic! Starting to wonder where or if any loyalty...
WE ARE BIG! Please, don't question it.

Two things:
1) Buzzkilling is what this board is here for
2) You have not been here long enough to judge loyalty, and your brand of "loyalty" might be blinder than mine.

[RGV Pony]

Abu has some good points on this thread.

Since it's a slow news day (but maybe UAB will announce they are bringing back football) I'll throw this out there too:

imagine where this thing would be if a) Jank hadnt brought Nic and b) Jay Wright hadnt gifted Markus to LB

[KWhiz77]

I am newer on HERE but the fact that you constantly point out negatives has zero to do with that, but I was wrong, that's your perogative.
I have openly admitted my loyalty potentially being blind at times that is prob what keeps me fundraising, attending pretty much every event, writing checks AND on campus mult times a month volunteering my time to help our school continue grow. Yeah, It would do fine w/out me- I just enjoy it and looking on the positive side.
However, I am not a blind idiot! I am well aware of what is happening & and SMU basketball is not perfect and has growing to do. Actually too informed on some things that I don't share. (you don't have to be vocal on a chat forum for x amt of yrs to hear everything)

[Stallion]

Bottom Line: Still one of the better classes in SMU Basketball History if you include Semi.

Perspective-whose expectations are out of line?

[Blunt Pony]

I'm sorry that I appear to be unsupportive of the program, I am most certainly not so. I do not, however, believe that we can lay a claim to being "big time" yet. We have, in many ways, done the easy stuff. We have done the things you can buy. The intangibles are proving more elusive. We, as a fanbase, are paying for the changes in the program that have brought an incredible new facility and a high-profile coachhing staff to SMU. We scored what was percieved to be a major coup when KF signed for us, but looking back on it now I think we would all agree he has not had the effect on the program we hoped for. Worse still is the possibility that we took Keith primarily for the publicity and tht anything more was a bonus. And the fact remains that it is Keiths recruitment that has us in hot water with the NCAA. I know everyone on here seems to know exactly what the sanctions are already, so I guess its ok to ask the question, was KF worth it?

Then we got the Harrison twins to "consider us". Another publicity stunt, we all knew they wouldn't.

Then Eman, announces us on national TV. Huge News. I nearly wet myself. Then he opts to go to China. I'm sorry but I wonder if we (we being the coaches and admin) EVER really believed he would play for us. Maybe it was known that he wouldn't be eligible for any college program so having him pick us was again more publicity. He didnt really pick us over the other big schools, he named the school that his signing for would have the most impact. And his brother got taken care of. I'd say the Mudiays came out of it pretty well. SMU, I'm not so sure.

This year we have not had a huge national calibre signing. I don't know enough to know how good our class is, but I notice we are not in ESPN's top 40, and we come in at 40 on 247 Sports. I know I will be as supportive of this team as I have been of any team, but all this talk of being big time seems to be more spin than substance. I think we can get there, but I think that if anyone on this board really understood what "big time" felt like, they would know this isn't it. This is nouveau riche at best.

Look, I'll be there hollering louder than most, but I'm not going to jump on the Big Time Bandwagon just yet.

Lot of good points here. I will say that I would be pretty satisfied if we were to hover around the top 40 in terms of recruiting. I think that we would be a really solid program if that is the type of kids we could get in here. Meaning guys that will be with us for 3-4 years rather than one and dones. I may get shot down here with that kind of thinking, but I really feel that we would be in the hunt nationally if we recruit in that range consistently.

[smupony94]

Wonder why it's so hard for Josh to coach

[LA_Mustang]

I'm sorry that I appear to be unsupportive of the program, I am most certainly not so. I do not, however, believe that we can lay a claim to being "big time" yet. We have, in many ways, done the easy stuff. We have done the things you can buy. The intangibles are proving more elusive. We, as a fanbase, are paying for the changes in the program that have brought an incredible new facility and a high-profile coachhing staff to SMU. We scored what was percieved to be a major coup when KF signed for us, but looking back on it now I think we would all agree he has not had the effect on the program we hoped for. Worse still is the possibility that we took Keith primarily for the publicity and tht anything more was a bonus. And the fact remains that it is Keiths recruitment that has us in hot water with the NCAA. I know everyone on here seems to know exactly what the sanctions are already, so I guess its ok to ask the question, was KF worth it?

Then we got the Harrison twins to "consider us". Another publicity stunt, we all knew they wouldn't.

Then Eman, announces us on national TV. Huge News. I nearly wet myself. Then he opts to go to China. I'm sorry but I wonder if we (we being the coaches and admin) EVER really believed he would play for us. Maybe it was known that he wouldn't be eligible for any college program so having him pick us was again more publicity. He didnt really pick us over the other big schools, he named the school that his signing for would have the most impact. And his brother got taken care of. I'd say the Mudiays came out of it pretty well. SMU, I'm not so sure.

This year we have not had a huge national calibre signing. I don't know enough to know how good our class is, but I notice we are not in ESPN's top 40, and we come in at 40 on 247 Sports. I know I will be as supportive of this team as I have been of any team, but all this talk of being big time seems to be more spin than substance. I think we can get there, but I think that if anyone on this board really understood what "big time" felt like, they would know this isn't it. This is nouveau riche at best.

Look, I'll be there hollering louder than most, but I'm not going to jump on the Big Time Bandwagon just yet.

What fans/posters are referring to our program as "big time?" You keep mentioning this but what does "big time" even mean?

You also mention that no one in this class is "big time." I'll disagree with that. Shake is the 66th ranked player in the class according to Rivals and he picked us over OU, A&M, Indiana and Baylor. That's not a national caliber signing??

I've met you and I know you come to games and care about SMU but in the last three years of this program's rise I've never once seen you post anything positive about the bball program. I don't remember you posting the basketball board at all. Suddenly, you start posting comments speculating the worst on several things that are TBD. It just seems a little fishy. I know you were a hard core JJ supporter until the end and took a lot a grief for that, rightfully so. Maybe this negativity is related to that? I have no clue, just trying to figure out your motive.

[hoopmanx]

Bottom Line: Still one of the better classes in SMU Basketball History if you include Semi.

Perspective-whose expectations are out of line?

I think this is right. Its pretty short-sighted to only point out the misses and drama around the program. Swinging and missing is part of stepping up, testing your boundaries etc. This staff has done a great job of finding quality, rankings be damned. Guys like Sterling, Ben Moore, Nic Moore are examples. I'm sure Sed/Jarrey/Carter are others.

[KWhiz77]

LAMustang: I said we are Big after I got fed up of reading the negativity, but only to answer his "question". And I was quickly shutdown, bc of my "age/time" on the forum. Other than that, I def dont use "Big Time"


("We are big time now. These players will start to come to us.
Or maybe we're not?
Mustangs Abu!")

[Mustangsabu]

LA, fair point. I backed JJ for a long time. And perhaps, though I haven't gone back over all my old posts, I tend to be negative in the way I see the program. I love SMU basketball, and always have. I love the new Moody, it's a beautiful and intimate facility. It has moments of greatness. But back to JJ. If that has taught us anything it's that success brought immediately can be bought but long term establishment of a great program is far more difficult. I'm enjoying the basketball now, despite the gut punch, Louisville was an amazing experience. I just want to see a program built on strong foundations. It's what happens after Brown that concerns me. It's what worried me about JJ in the first place too.

I love LB and it is an honor watching him coach our kids. I just don't think we have that much to brag about yet and I'd like to see us show the sort of circumspection that we seem to want from other schools. If I wasn't an SMU fan I'd think we were ahead of ourselves.

And I certainly don't think, and here comes the bitterness, that I should have to move out of my seat because we broke the top 25.