LB in the house for Houston game

[lollaperuna]

You do not think that LB lying to the NCAA had anything to do with the punishment? The penalty may have been too harsh but the reason was there.

Bingo on the too harsh part. Larry made a mistake and came back in the room and corrected it. Meanwhile its crickets on North Carolina.....

[mrydel]

I think Jank is doing a very good job and he still has the same recruiters, if not better, as did LB for the most part. Winning attracts attention and that is happening. I have no reason to think we cannot continue at a high level with Jank. If Brown was 55 years old and had gone to another school and had bad feelings about SMU and was selling against us, it could be a different story. But I think the foundation is laid, the structure is solid and the future is bright.

[lollaperuna]

Last years team with the addition of Semi would have been unbelievable. The NCAA took that from us.

[hoopmanx]

There are a few in this thread , who shall go nameless, that I'm pretty sure would be just as happy if Jank failed, to prove their takes on LB. Those same folks are lost in the pedigree of the Godfather. Here's the real. Given the money we put into the program, namely the guaranteed money we offered assistants, we could have hired someone far less famous/skilled and still achieved at a high level. Commitment gets it done. Now, Brown is a teaching master w/a proven system, but he didn't recruit any of the kids on the roster. He approved them, sometimes only taking one look at them. He didn't watch or evaluate AAU in July, he held court and told stories.

Jank brought us Nic Moore, Duncs gave us Kennedy, Ulric the greatness that was Keith and Snacks gave us Ben Moore and Sterling Brown. Stout got us Yanick , KT everyone else. Hell, Doh was Manuel/Cannen/Jalen. Hell, brown wanted Josiah Turner for heavens sake. He turned down Curry and Purdue boy. Ran Sed off etc.

Brown is a top 5 living American coach. A teaching and X & O genius. He's the freaking Godfather, but he was doing as much harm as good. It's nearly impossible to get busted by the NCAA as fast as he was. It's beyond dumb that he lied and then had to recant. His stance in renegotiations was hubris personified and we didn't play games w/his contract, he did. The sheer amount of money he bled boosters for charters to see kids we'd never get, on hours notice , was irresponsible. The fact he signed both Bruno and Kapita after being warned time and again by admin that we need more Ben Moore/Shake and Sterlings was a childish power play. The fact he balked at APR stipulations in contract mnegotiations is beyond laughable. We had to petition like 5 kids to get APR points back. The amount the guy cheated made Calipari blush.

Love him, but some of you need to grow up. I don't know if Jank is the answer, but IF we maintain maximum commitment, we're fine no matter what. Program is about sustainability and Brown was rapidly becoming a dumpster fire. He kept Hobbie on the bench for years, w/o ever signing one kid, just so he had a NY/NJ guy to walk the Katy trail with.

[deucetz]

SMU was foolish to get cute with Larry's contract. Coach Jankovich can obviously coach, but the question remains can he take us to the next level because his head coaching resume offers zero proof that he can.

This is a very crucial year for SMU basketball and Jank. We absolutely must make the NCAA tournament and we can't lose the first game. The good news is we have a team that can accomplish that. The bad news is we only have 6 guys that can bring it.

What recruits did LB produce that Jank can't?

[Charleston Pony]

Gotta give Doh credit for laying the foundation and Larry for putting SMU on the map, but Jank brought Nic who was the catalyst these past 3 seasons and how can you not like the direction SMU basketball is headed now?

[lollaperuna]

SMU was foolish to get cute with Larry's contract. Coach Jankovich can obviously coach, but the question remains can he take us to the next level because his head coaching resume offers zero proof that he can.

This is a very crucial year for SMU basketball and Jank. We absolutely must make the NCAA tournament and we can't lose the first game. The good news is we have a team that can accomplish that. The bad news is we only have 6 guys that can bring it.

What recruits did LB produce that Jank can't?

Until we see Janks recruits we won't know.

[One Trick Pony]

I threw my GF shirt in the green can

[SMUstangs22]

SMU was foolish to get cute with Larry's contract. Coach Jankovich can obviously coach, but the question remains can he take us to the next level because his head coaching resume offers zero proof that he can.

This is a very crucial year for SMU basketball and Jank. We absolutely must make the NCAA tournament and we can't lose the first game. The good news is we have a team that can accomplish that. The bad news is we only have 6 guys that can bring it.

What recruits did LB produce that Jank can't?

Only one I wonder about is a transfer of the quality like Semi

Until we see Janks recruits we won't know.

[sadderbudweiser]

We only have six guys primarily due to LB, and we would have most likely lost Jank had we given LB what he wanted. I think it has all worked out pretty well and I have always said and continue to say I will be first to donate to an LB statue if ever promoted.

That's pretty much the way I feel as well.
I thank LB for making us relevant whenever I see him but I have no desire to see him associated with SMU in any way. I love seeing him at our games and would love to see him remembered in some way.

The way he left wasn't cool at all and I completely agree that Jank would have bolted after Nic graduated if LB had RE-upped.

When Ben and Sterling go it is essentially the end of the LB era. Everything next season falls on Jank. He'll need and deserve a little patience because it will be a young squad. But it's that way because of LB and the scholarship restrictions.

I am really pleased with where we are today. Considering the circumstances how could you possibly expect more?

And I think we'll be just fine under Jank with a full squad down the road.

[Pony_Law]

The question is in the early days could our legit recruiting staff had landed people to smu without the promise of playing for LB? Unknowable. Now they can sell come play on the best team in the American conference.

[Prideful Pony]

It was great to see LB at the game. He definitely deserves some kind of honors. Maybe give it a couple years though so time fades the memories of the nonsense with his contract negotiations and NCAA violations. Playing fast and loose with the rules was a great shot in the arm; it started our program. But using that kind of "steroids" is never going to be sustainable. Jank has been great so far.

[sadderbudweiser]

The question is in the early days could our legit recruiting staff had landed people to smu without the promise of playing for LB? Unknowable. Now they can sell come play on the best team in the American conference.

There is simply no way we blast into relevance as quickly as we did with any other head coach. And it wasn't as much about the recruiting as it was the coaching, the "play the right way" and the winning tradition he instilled.

[SMUstangs22]

Have always wondered if LB planned it that way. He would bare the sacrifice of the scrutiny and left it better than it was.

[hoopmanx]

We wouldn't have had been as good as quickly, but we would have been good eventually. Can't beat our experience w the Godfather, but not too many kids came here bc of LB. They came here cause we played fast and loose, offered perks, and had two of the premier snipers in college hoops.

Also, there is no 'until we see Janks recruits' lol. This isn't high school fball. These kids have already been vetted at the highest level.