Should SMU keep playing basketball?

[PonySnob]

Has the time come for SMU to abandon mens and womens basketball? Judging by the lack of student and alumni interest, it would not really be missed. The money that is spent to fund these two mediocre programs could certainly be used elsewhere at SMU. At some point, the administration must decide if it is truly going to compete in Division 1 athletics.

[MustangSally]

Go away, troll. While I would like to SMU winning the WAC and going to the NCAA every year, our average programs are at least bearable, and at times exciting. Wanna complain about support? How many people did you bring with you to the game tonight? Or were you just sitting at home waiting for the game to be over so you could post your crap?

[Mustangs35SMU]

God PonySnob...I dont see how you can call yourself a Mustang fan cause all you have EVER! done in the forums here is trash SMU. Screw you PonySnob and get off the d@mn forums!

[Sam I Am]

Come on pony snob, no one ever questions the continuation of Div. 1-A BB since any school can get into the NCCA playoffs. Losing and playing bad in BB can be fixed easily with a coaching change and the recruitment of just one franchise player. :w00t:

[Stallion]

OK I'll bite-show me a team with just one franchise player and no other highly recruited players that has turned around their program. One of the most often cited and thoroughly incorrect mantras ever. It maybe easier in BB but the quality teams are the the ones who recruit the quality players and lots of them. That attitude has prevailed around here since Doug Single pronounced that SMU really didn't need to recruit more than a couple of franchise FB players each year to be competitive. I'm still waiting on the "franchise player" and the competitive team. "Franchise players" don't want to go where they can't excell and that rquires a talented supporting cast.

<small>[ 01-18-2004, 12:25 PM: Message edited by: Stallion ]</small>

[Cheesesteak]

Originall posted by Stallion:

"show me a team with just one franchise player and no other highly recruited players that has turned around their program...I'm still waiting on the "franchise player" and the competitive team."

Easy...

Saint Joseph's University (#1 in the January 12th RPI College Basketball Ratings and currently undefeated).

SJU has one franchise player, Jameer Nelson, and no other highly recruited players.

SJU overall season records:

1997-98 11-17
1998-99 12-18
1999-00 13-16
2000-01 26-7 (Nelson's freshman year)
2001-02 19-12
2002-03 23-7
2003-04 Probable #1 seed in the NCAA's

[WreckEm16]

Tech made a coaching change (Bob Knight), who has a franchise player (Andre Emmett), who has turned our team from a cellar dwellar to an NCAA contender.

Pretty straight-forward example of Sam's point if you ask me.

[Stallion]

that's a bunch of crap-Tech didn't even have room for 3 star recruits last year like the kid Milton from Plano who decided to walkon at Tech rather than accept a scholarship from SMU. I'm thoroughly aware of the quality of Bobby Knight's recruiting and it is an uninformed post that suggests that he hasn't recruited well. BTW about 7 of them are JUCOs so it is totally irrelevant to what we are talking about.

[Stallion]

look I'll admit that I know ZERO about St Joseph's personnel but it took me about 5 minutes to find out that have at least two non-qualifiers on the team. They have the former Washington DC Player of the Year in Delonte West. They also have a kid who was the 5A Player of the year-I guess in Penn-the article wasn't clear. They also have a couple of international kids at least-one from Russia. I bet some of those kids have a little bit of talent. All I got to know is that they take non-qualifiers and I know how that program was built. Totally irrelevant to SMU.

[Cheesesteak]

Stallion -

Please read your above post (3:21 PM) again.

You are now adding variables after the fact to try and revive your position.

The SJU answer meets and exceeds your criteria.

In addition, if I remember correctly, Jameer Nelson's only other offer was from Temple.

None of the SJU players were highly recruited.

Coaching and team chemistry plus Nelson's continued development made SJU a success.

[Stallion]

the post started all SMU had to do is get a new Coach and one Franchise Player to turn things around. That's ridiculous. Russians, Lithiuanians and non-qualifiers are by definition not highly recruited. Most major conferences don't even allow non-qualifiers or limit them severely. Where there are non-qualifiers there are partial qualifiers so this is a totally inaccurate assesment of all SMU needs to do to turn this around. AND I cited you two kids who were outstanding recruits and I spent all of 5 minutes to find it. Some of you are so gullible about how strong programs are built.

[Cheesesteak]

This is getting boring but...

Posted by Stallion:

"I cited you two kids who were outstanding recruits and I spent all of 5 minutes to find it."

The players were not highly recruited but the team has turned around their program.

There are some kids with athletic credentials that are not highly recruited for plenty of obvious and non-obvious reasons.

http://www.sjuhawks.com/roster.cfm?sport_id=30

[Stallion]

yeah and when you learn to read between the lines about why the Washington D.C. Player of the Year and the Florida 5A Player of the Year weren't highly recruited you come back and talk-until then I'm wasting my breath.

[EastStang]

Now how does the Washington DC player of the year who was a non-qualifier pay his tuition, room and board at St. Joseph's a private school? He went to a public school in a lower rent area of Prince George's County, Maryland.