What I love about Larry Brown

[PonyTime]

As I reflect back on his tenure at SMU...

When he showed up, he was humble, embraced our traditions, and immediately gave credibility to the program. He helped to bring the SMU community together in a way that I thought was never possible.

Most of the setbacks to the program had nothing to do with Larry and were way out of his control. The bolt of the prominent Big East teams. Getting slighted by the NCAA selection committee when every expert had SMU in the tourney. A bogus goaltend call the next year. Every time one of these gut-wrenching things happened to the program (and yes - they were gut-wrenching for the fans as well as the team), Larry brought focus to the team and pushed all the right buttons to bring the team together and to get better.

Here is a guy who signed up for HC at a Big East school and ended up at a Conference USA school. That did not deter him or the team in performance on the court or recruiting.

After the NCAA slight - the run through the NIT and a league and tournament championship to follow in the next year.

After the robbery in Louisville at the hands of UCLA, all the team did was rip off one of the longest winning streaks in School history.

I really don't think there are other coaches that could hold a team together like he did with so many obstacles going against them. He was the right guy, at the right time.

He, and the team he assembled is a class act and I am grateful for the last 4 years.

The post Larry Era can go in vastly different directions, depending on Jank and the necessary continued financial support of SMU BBall. If small schools in Wichita, Kansas and Indianapolis, Indiana can sustain success with non-HOF head coaches, why can't a team in Dallas, TX do the same?

[ponypatrick]

As I reflect back on his tenure at SMU...

When he showed up, he was humble, embraced our traditions, and immediately gave credibility to the program. He helped to bring the SMU community together in a way that I thought was never possible.

Most of the setbacks to the program had nothing to do with Larry and were way out of his control. The bolt of the prominent Big East teams. Getting slighted by the NCAA selection committee when every expert had SMU in the tourney. A bogus goaltend call the next year. Every time one of these gut-wrenching things happened to the program (and yes - they were gut-wrenching for the fans as well as the team), Larry brought focus to the team and pushed all the right buttons to bring the team together and to get better.

Here is a guy who signed up for HC at a Big East school and ended up at a Conference USA school. That did not deter him or the team in performance on the court or recruiting.

After the NCAA slight - the run through the NIT and a league and tournament championship to follow in the next year.

After the robbery in Louisville at the hands of UCLA, all the team did was rip off one of the longest winning streaks in School history.

I really don't think there are other coaches that could hold a team together like he did with so many obstacles going against them. He was the right guy, at the right time.

He, and the team he assembled is a class act and I am grateful for the last 4 years.

The post Larry Era can go in vastly different directions, depending on Jank and the necessary continued financial support of SMU BBall. If small schools in Wichita, Kansas and Indianapolis, Indiana can sustain success with non-HOF head coaches, why can't a team in Dallas, TX do the same?

Very well spoken ! My sentiments exactly ! What a great four years it was !

[AustinPerson]

Each time that SMU got slighted:

* Big East failure
* NCAA tourney snubs
* Losing to UCLA
* Losing Mudiay
* Probation

I looked at the pad of paper on my desk and thought about paper cutting myself to death. Those were tough things to handle each year. But this time around, the Larry Brown resignation doesn't bother me. He did a great job of building the program. I look forward to Jankovich - I think he'll be great. I look forward to this season and the future seasons. All is well with the program.

[ponyboy]

I was disappointed he has moved on, but he's been enormous. Just enormous. I'll have nothing but fond memories of his time here.

Excited to see how we'll perform under Jank.

[Smulaw90]

I always thought SMU would be his last job and there might be a day we make a Final Four run. In my mind, he could've solidified his legacy here and perhaps even have the court named after him. On top of that, he could see his kids each day on campus. There would be a real family connection to SMU and the school that took a chance on him and allowed him to remain when others called for his firing after the NCAA issues. For the first time, a real meaningful connection.

But in the end, despite all the talk about his "kids" (players and family), and $3 million reasons to stay on for a couple of more years, including fulfilling the last year of his CONTRACT, he pulled a move that backfired on him. Despite his coaching genius, he didn't have the cache to pull a power move. Not on a school that is skiddish from its past, and 100 miles away from another school where "win-at-all costs" has set back a flourishing University probably 10 years.

For that reason, despite how much I love him as a coach and teacher, I feel he was incredibly short-sighted and selfish. At this point, his legacy should have been more
Important than money. Then again, $3.3 million a year (more than the President, school or US) is probably chump change and not worth waking up. I mean seriously, you can't find a home in HP for less than that!

[H-E-B Mustang]

Like the first post, I appreciate all that Larry did here. Notwithstanding the manner in which his departure is taking place. Rather than seeing him leave unceremoniously, I hope there is some way we can send him off with the gratitude of the school, players, and fans. Maybe at some halftime ceremony.

[East Coast Mustang]

Hats off to Larry, most 72 year olds with $100M in lifetime earnings would've been content to sit on a beach or play golf, and he resurrected SMU from nothing into a nationally relevant program that we can be proud of. I wish some things had been done differently and he'd left on better terms, but I hope we invite him back to Moody to retire Nic's jersey in a few years and give him a long standing O.

Frankly, this might have been the best time to make a change. Jank wasn't going to wait around forever as HCIW, and the draw of Larry Brown in recruiting was going to diminish each year as it became increasingly unlikely that he'd be around for another four years.

[sadderbudweiser]

Hats off to Larry, most 72 year olds with $100M in lifetime earnings would've been content to sit on a beach or play golf, and he resurrected SMU from nothing into a nationally relevant program that we can be proud of. I wish some things had been done differently and he'd left on better terms, but I hope we invite him back to Moody to retire Nic's jersey in a few years and give him a long standing O.

Frankly, this might have been the best time to make a change. Jank wasn't going to wait around forever as HCIW, and the draw of Larry Brown in recruiting was going to diminish each year as it became increasingly unlikely that he'd be around for another four years.

good points all....pretty much my feelings all the way around. As the team is no longer Nic and Markus' team it is also no longer LB's team. In most cases players would rush the door but we have continuity. Jank is a known factor here. We'll be fine.