OFFICIAL at UCF thread 2/17/18 - wake up early

[mrydel]

So glad to read this post. After a rough game a few years back I posted some critical things about Jon Killen. Shortly thereafter he scored something like 30 points in a game and spent the balance of the season as one of our more productive players, and if I am not mistaken, out of necessity, he was not playing his best position. I vowed then to never again directly criticize a player personally. My apologies to him and much appreciation for you post and your SMU career.

[The Falcon]

Mr.Killen - thanks for posting.

Just wanted to say that I once had an argument with a professor at SMU who said you
were not college basketball material. I told him that you would become a very productive
player for SMU and possibly all conference. Thanks for proving me right.

You really developed from your sophomore or junior year to become a great shooting
guard. Can you tell us how that development happened and who was responsible for that?

Do you have any elgibility left? We need you.

[SoCal_Pony]

Jon,

I was one of maybe only 10,000 people to ever see you play at Moody, the crowds back then were so sparse. Thanks for posting, I was a big fan of yours then and now. And yes, something happened during Coach Doh’s tenure that saw your game blossom. Good for you.

I have to disagree with you about this handbook though, which I readily admit I’ve never seen.

There is nothing amateur about Men’s college BB. It’s a big business, a multi-billion $$$ a year industry. As such it has become mercenary and cutthroat.

Just curious, this handbook some of you hold in high esteem, is there a chapter about schools committing academic fraud over 2 decades with hundreds of their ‘scholar athletes’???

If we were to allow these last 2 classes to stay at SMU for the duration of their careers, we will field teams IMO less competitive than Jon’s Sr. class team. Anybody really want to willfully return to the days of 1,200 Moody games? All because we are abiding by the hypocritical NCAA. Not me.

Just my $.02.

Once again, I always enjoy ex-players posts. Jon Killen is a Great ambassador for our school.

[Killen]

Coaches make mistakes, like any other profession.

If one of your recruits doesn't pan out as hoped - you've got options:

1) Let the kid know that its not working out and that he's unlikely to see much playing time going forward. For the majority of players, they would appreciate the up front honesty. Then, allow them to transfer without restriction. Kids mostly aren't picking a school based on the academic/social setup...if there is another place that values them more than their current school - they would probably be happy to go. Not to disparage SMU, but its not the place most of the football and basketball team would want to attend - if not for sports.

2) Hope that the kid gives you an excuse to cut ties. This ins't very hard. Most students skip a few classes during the semester, and that alone is enough to pull the scholarship. Even the very best team captains are late to a workout, team meeting, rehab session. Guys that aren't getting playing time will occasionally demonstrate their frustrations in ways that lend themselves to the "violation of team rules".

Coach Tubbs, try as he did, couldn't find a way to run me off. I went to class, never missed a day of class or practice, and never muttered a word under my breath. But, I also knew that transferring to Houston Baptist or UTA for basketball reasons would be short sighted. If i'm not good enough to play beyond college...why would I jeopardize a good education. Eventually he asked me to be Team Captain, so go figure.

There's no reason to pretend that D1 Football and Basketball have the best interest of the student athletes at the core of their missions. But, there should be some reasonable protections for the cogs that make the whole system go.

[MiracleOnMockingbird]

At this point, Douglas is a miss.

I agree that is quickly becoming the majority opinion on him.

I don't know ... maybe with some maturity and experience he turns into the next Blackman or the next Dwyane.

Or to put it another way, Ro vs. Wade.

[JasonB]

Coaches make mistakes, like any other profession.

If one of your recruits doesn't pan out as hoped - you've got options:

1) Let the kid know that its not working out and that he's unlikely to see much playing time going forward. For the majority of players, they would appreciate the up front honesty. Then, allow them to transfer without restriction. Kids mostly aren't picking a school based on the academic/social setup...if there is another place that values them more than their current school - they would probably be happy to go. Not to disparage SMU, but its not the place most of the football and basketball team would want to attend - if not for sports.

2) Hope that the kid gives you an excuse to cut ties. This ins't very hard. Most students skip a few classes during the semester, and that alone is enough to pull the scholarship. Even the very best team captains are late to a workout, team meeting, rehab session. Guys that aren't getting playing time will occasionally demonstrate their frustrations in ways that lend themselves to the "violation of team rules".

Coach Tubbs, try as he did, couldn't find a way to run me off. I went to class, never missed a day of class or practice, and never muttered a word under my breath. But, I also knew that transferring to Houston Baptist or UTA for basketball reasons would be short sighted. If i'm not good enough to play beyond college...why would I jeopardize a good education. Eventually he asked me to be Team Captain, so go figure.

There's no reason to pretend that D1 Football and Basketball have the best interest of the student athletes at the core of their missions. But, there should be some reasonable protections for the cogs that make the whole system go.

Coach K left Semi on the bench, and he transferred to SMU. Was that a great decision?

You hit on some recruits and miss on some recruits. It happens. You get transfers to cover the gaps. And that is why you normally have 12 players. The players at the end of your bench are supposed to be the guys you missed on or the young players who aren't ready. They aren't supposed to all be white walkons.

When you have recruiting restrictions, your hit/miss ratio jumps through the roof. That is reality. That said, just because a kid isn't ready to play as a true frosh, it doesn't mean they won't get better. Killen is a perfect example of someone who improved significantly over time. Ryan Manuel is another. That is what 3 star players are - they aren't usually expected to come in and be studs right off the bat. They are expected to be good players their last two years of college. That is true for basketball as well as football. Our coaches all feel like the 4 frosh are going to be good players. Give them some time, it isn't their fault they were forced to play too early.

[Junior]

I miss Manuel.