Cooperstein Tonight

[Dooby]

For the first time that I can recall, I heard a local sports personality talk about SMU basketball tonight.

Somebody called in to Chuck Cooperstein and asked what he thought about Dement and SMU basketball. And believe it or not, Coop had a semi-informed opinion.

Coop talked about how he’s known Dement for 8 years and that he likes Dement. Thinks he’s a good guy. That being said, from Tuesday’s performance and the quotes in the paper, it is clear he’s lost the team. Coop said, “Dement’s got to go.”

That is the good, if you want to call it that. Now for the bad. He basically called us out.

Moody needs new lights. Moody needs a new scoreboard. Moody needs a new floor. The basketball coaches need new offices. He said he knows Dement has on his desk “schematics” for a new practice facility. And they’ve been on his desk for 4 years. No matter who is the coach of this team, they are going to struggle. The question remains is SMU committed to doing what it takes to put a winner on the court.

The really bad. “You need to only drive 30 miles to the west to see a school that is doing what it takes to put its coaches in a position to succeed.”

Too bad the guy that asked the question was an idiot, because Coop really seemed interested in discussing SMU for a minute.

Now the cynics will say that Coop used to do play by play for TCU and that this was on 103.3, the flagship for TCU football. Well, that’s true. But it is also true that he clearly knows more than anybody else on the radio about SMU basketball. And there are a lot of people on this board that have been saying this for years. And I happen to think he’s right on the money about everything.

[Diehard Pony]

Coop is one of the few sports commentators in DFW that I respect. I think he is spot on based on Dooby's distillation of Coop's comments, only I believe Copeland needs to hit the door in front of Coach Dement.

[Pony_Fan]

I'm with you Diehard. I have wanted Dement gone for a long while but I am really afraid what we'll get with Copeland making the decision.

[JasonB]

I think the football team has to start winning and making the school some money before anyone is going to think about investing in new bball facilities...

[PG]

Coop was 100% correct about all of that. He's great to listen to. Too bad 103.3 was stupid enough to take him off the air on a regular basis. He really needs his own show (without that spare Newy), instead of being a correspondent and occasional fill-in. Galloway sucks.

[Pony Fan]

IF we could get rid of Dement and get a bigger name coach that could recruit DALLAS, we could turn basketball around very quickly. At some point, this place has to decide if they want to win or not. The guy TCU hired from Kansas is not getting it done and they are starting to moan over there.

[EastStang]

I'm not sure I would change Moody at all. Practice facilities maybe. It is small enough to be loud and uncomfortable for opponants if people show up. That can be an advantage. The bleachers down low allow for the appearance and intensity of a good crowd even if the seats up above are empty. Daniel Meyers Coliseum is and was a dive.

[Dooby]

There is a difference between changing Moody and putting in new lights, a new floor and a scoreboard. I don't think people are suggesting tearing the place down or anything.

[Hoop Fan]

TCU basketball sucks right now, worse than Dements results by far. Where are the articles lambasting them?

[OldPony]

The close atmosphere of Moody doesn't have to change (other than putting butts in seats). Lighting, scoreboard, coaches offices, hometeam dressing rooms and lockers, a practice facility, new womens restrooms and widening concourses can be done withought changing the room where basketball is played. Much could be done with a wing off of the current set up and elimination of all of the offices and rooms along the current corridors. We are talking about big bucks though and none of the big donors cares enough about basketball at SMU to step forward with the necessary cash. If we are waiting for the football team to be successful before doing anything for basketball, OP may be dead before that happens. I'm already 57 and I may not have another 30 years despite living a pure and holy life of total abstinence from all things bad.

[Dooby]

Like it or not, I am strong proponent of the "3-F" policy- "Fix Football First." We've already built the stadium for football. If we can show success there, we can increase alumni involvement and hopefully steer some future contributions to Moody and a new practice facility. SMU has to show success somewhere before it can walk around with it hand out for basketball.

[DiamondM]

Look, our "uncommitted" administration gives the athletic department flat out over 11 million dollars a year both in scholarships and operating budget. There is probably not a single "committed" administration from a BCS school that budgets that much general university funds for the athletic department. Why? Because they have butts in seats, people donating plenty more than about 1.5 million a year (which is what we have), not to mention conference revenue from bowl games and tourney money. If Moody and Ford were full, if alums actually ponied up, we wouldn't have budget issues and could buy out Dement and hire the savior, rennovate Moody, etc. Yes, its a vicious cycle, and no, money won't solve everything, but the constant harping on how "uncommitted" the administration, Turner, Copeland, Board of Trustees are is just uninformed reactionary babble.

It's not our administration, but our alumni base that is uncommitted to SMU athletics, except to [deleted] about it. Few put their money where their mouth is -- except the administration.

So what will demonstrate the administration's "commitment" that you all think is so lacking? Firing Dement immediately? Okay then what. Who do you bring in and how do you pay for them plus Dement's last year? Rennovating Moody? Okay, somebody win the lottery that's willing to give to the cause? Waiving transfer requirements for juco players that handle the ball, throw the ball, block, etc.? Aside from the FACT that there are no current rules in place that prevent any coach from recruiting qualified juco players now, the university is not a dictatorship driven solely by atheltics (and for those of you for whom this is the only definition of "commitment," I'd like to remind you what happened last time we had a "committed" administration driven solely by athletic, i.e. football success), if you think Turner and Copeland have not worked behind the scenes to give all of the coaches the broadest possible recruiting base while preserving the academic integrity of this university, then you really don't do your homework. Getting "athlete friendly" classes and majors? Okay, assuming Communications and Business are not athelte friendly, not to mention Sociology, I agree that a sports administration major would not only be athlete friendly, but also a valuable addition to the curriculum. But I guess you think Turner and Copeland either don't know that, don't agree with that, or have sat on their butts not working with the appropriate Deans and faculty on developing such.

Do I think it's time for Dement to go? Even though I like the guy and don't think he is a bad coach overall and somewhere else, yes. Do I think that the fact that he wasn't fired immediately after the Rice game or at some prior point demonstrates lack of "commitment" (or Copeland's incompetence for that matter)? No.

[Stallion]

so now its the fans who are to blame for SMU not being competitive!!!! I'd expect that kinda crap out of an administration cheerleader like you. The fact is that by comparing the Athletic Model's of SMU's natural and traditional rivals it can be easily proven that SMU is not "committed" and that the proposed remedies are not excessive or unusual IF the school's goal is to have a competitive Division 1A program. What Diamond M is proposing is nothing less than the continued deemphasis on athletics that has lead to the longest period of ineptitude in FB and BB in the history of the school. This problem is 100% the fault of the administration at SMU which simply decided not compete at the Division 1A level. The fans are FULLY justified in finding something better to do on a Saturday afternoon. If SMU doesn't care to make the sacrifices necessary to compete why should they-everything you posted is just the price of admission to Division 1A-if SMU doesn't want to pay the price its time to go play Ivy League Football.

<small>[ 01-23-2004, 06:53 AM: Message edited by: Stallion ]</small>

[DiamondM]

And I'd expect a response like that from a constant whiner like you. I have asked a million times for you to state EXACTLY what "sacrifices" would demonstrate the administration's commitment, and what we always get is a rehash of the past, not actual concrete solutions for the future (with the possible exception of adding juco transfers, which I will say again, there is nothing preventing our coaches from recruiting jucos who actually take classes like college level English, math, and science instead of basket weaving and recreational studies. I know plenty of students at SMU who have transferred from junior colleges, but then they actually treated junior college like college instead of training camp until San Jose State came calling with a scholarship.)

[Hoop Fan]

Diamond, the fact that you consider Business a jock major says it all. I've known a few Engineering majors with quite an opinion of their academic prowess who have walked into an entry level accounting class and gotten their egos quickly put in check. It ain't rocket science, but SMU's business school is not gonna keep the vast majority of true D-1 football players eligible. Do yourself a favor, go to the official TCU website and click on study programs. They have a slew of programs in recreational studies etc. That IS the price of D-1. Sorry, thats reality. Therefore you cannot argue that SMU has done all it can do or even what it takes to compete. I hope we never take it as far as TCU has, but some kind of sports management degree is needed.

<small>[ 01-23-2004, 07:37 AM: Message edited by: Hoop Fan ]</small>