SMU basketball HC job not as bad as some think

by **BigEasyPony** » Thu Apr 08, 2004 9:04 am

Based upon Norm Roberts interviewing at St. John's and Miami and Frank Haith scoring an interview with Miami, the indication is that SMU attracted a solid number of candidates for their HC position. Several people on this board were unimpressed with the list of candidates for the job, but in hindsight it appears that we attracted several quality candidates.

An obvious question is did we get the best guy for the job? That's tough. We may have gotten the best guy for SMU (let's hope so). If either Haith, Roberts, Wojick, or Reveno land a job this year than we may find out.

by **ponyboy** » Thu Apr 08, 2004 9:36 am

Even if one of those guys takes over for Coach K at Duke, it doesn't necessarily mean we didn't get the right guy for the job.

by **50's PONY** » Thu Apr 08, 2004 10:25 am

Amen!

by **BigEasyPony** » Thu Apr 08, 2004 2:23 pm

IF Tubbs does well at SMU.

Honestly, I can't wait until the assistants are hired and then I'll be anxious for the season to start. It will be fun reading about how Coach Tubbs is putting his stamp on the SMU basketball program.

We all hope that Coach Tubbs will be our Coach K and restore SMU to its rightful place......the NCAA tournament.

by **OldPony** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 8:43 am

EasyPony- Just because a coach interviews doesn't mean he wants the job. Norm Roberts declined the SMU job (I don't know whether he had a formal offer or not) because of "SMU's lack of commitment to basketball". He cited old tired dressing rooms, poor and cramped coaching offices and no practice facilities anong other things as why he "turned down" the job.
We probably got the best coach we could under the circumstances but he will also have a hard time recruiting with our facilities. Other places treat their players like kings.
BTW- Roberts has not made up his mind as to whether or not the St Johns job is attractive.

by **ponyboy** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 9:36 am

Really, OP? Not to seem accusatory, but what's your source on those comments from Roberts? Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention but that's the first I've heard that slant.

by **LA_Mustang** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 9:53 am

This is the first I have heard that Roberts turned down the SMU job????
I thought Bobby Gonzalez, Dave Leitao, and Matt Doherty were the the front runners for the St John's job. I havent heard anything about Roberts, much less if he thinks the job is attractive or not.

Where are you getting this info, OP?

by **OldPony** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 9:58 am

RE SMU--This is what Roberts told friends and the AD at KU. My source is impeccable.
He is interviewing at SJ but is a little "uncomfortable with their situation" whatever that means. I think Dohewrty is the front runner though IF he wants the job.

by **Hoop Fan** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 10:17 am

I liked Roberts as a candidate, but he sounds pretty full of himself. Forget the SMU job, he is clearly an also ran for the St Johns job and he is making comments about being uncomfortable with the situation? Sounds more like a guy trying to save face now.

by **ponyboy** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 10:54 am

Why do you post crap like that, OP? I don't doubt your source is impeccable, but hearsay, especially when it sheds a negative light on your school, probably shouldn't be passed along. It makes me wonder if you have some sort of compulsion to undermine SMU basketball on a daily basis.

by **OldPony** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 11:24 am

Keep your head in the sand PB. It will make you feel better. Just say to yourself hundreds of times over and over "SMU is a wonderful coaching job and everyone wants it. I'm surprised that Coach K didn't get it as hard as he begged for it."
Roberts was talking to a friend. He is a nice guy and he would not put this out in an interview. The are major issues at St John's and Doherty is not comfortable yet either.
There are many Pollyanna's on this board that don't understand that an interview is a 2 way street. I told this information only because some of you are acting like this is a plum job and that we had our pick of sevral good coaches. Take a look around you. We have outdated facilities and no commitment to do anything about it. We have no basketball tradition. We graduate close to 100% of our players. What makes you think this is a good job. Because we went to SMU and loved it? I hate to tell you guys but there are people who went to other schools who loved them just as much.
Think what you want about my source but he knows more about college basketball in general and this situation in particular than any of you.

by **Stallion** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 11:43 am

what's wrong with sheading light on the truth-be it good or bad. I'd like to see a little more support for the claim but I have little doubt that any big-time assistant considering the SMU BB or FB job would say those types of things.

by **ponyboy** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 1:23 pm

What the hell are you talking about, OP? I never said that SMU is a plum job. Truth be told, I feel mighty lucky to have gotten the level of interest we did. My only point above was that even if a candidate we interviewed ends up taking over at UConn, it doesn't necessarily follow that we hired the wrong guy.

You say that Roberts is a nice guy and wouldn't put this kind of info out there in an interview? What does that make you, a supposed fan who has no qualms whatsover posting hearsay that makes your school look bad? I suppose running out of Hopkins material left you desperate.

by **Hoop Fan** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 1:37 pm

Isnt the former Fresno AD Al Bohl now the AD at Kansas? He would have first hand knowledge of our facilities from his WAC days. Not asking you to give up your source OP, but the part about the facilities is plain as could be anyway. None of us need to know much about college hoops to recognize that. The trickier thing is the part about Roberts was offered the job and turned it down. Maybe he was, maybe he wasnt. There are all kinds of ways that conversation could have gone between Roberts and Copeland and lots of ways either part could have interpreted it and portrayed it after the fact. The bottom line for me is that Tubbs is here and I said from the start that he had the best chance of overcoming the facilities issue at least in the short run. Roberts wasnt high profile enough either to demand and get facilities promises, so reality being what it is, Tubbs was the best choice. I sincerely hope he was our first choice.

by **OldPony** » Mon Apr 12, 2004 2:35 pm

No Al Bohl got fired in the Roy Williams debacle.
I got the info re Roberts from someone very close to the KU program who has been right on with everything he has told me. I think from reading between the lines that he was surprised by Roberts' comments re the lack of facilities and commitment at SMU. Does that make him, Roberts or me for reporting that news a bad person?
BTW- My complaints re BHop were always that he wasn't living up to his hype. He played much better for the last half of the year and I shut up. If he had played well throughout, I wouldn't have said anything in the first place. Shoulds I continue to complain about things that aren't happening?
If you will check my first post, I said that I didn't know if Roberts had been offered the job officially. I said he turned it down and used quotes. If after his interviews, he didn't want to pursue it, would that be turning it down even if it wasn't offered? My only point with the news was that we were not pursued by all of the coaches who were interviewed and that interviewing goes 2 ways. We need to do a lot of things to make SMU competitve and hiring Tubbs doesn't change most of them.
And I think Tubbs is our best available choice. He is the only one who I think has any chance to recruit better than our program really is and therefore build it. I hope he can do it becuase NOTHING would make me happier than to see SMU become a good program.
Now if you guys only want to hear good news and think pretty thoughts, go ahead.

SMU basketball HC job not as bad as some think

SMU basketball HC job not as bad as some think

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