Dallas Area Players

[OldPony]

A couple of Dallas area players are catching a ton of attention in the Price Chopper showcase in KC this week. CJ Miles has really wowed everyone and Kevin Rogers has also impressed. It looks like they both are leaning toward going to KU with GT and Arizona chasing. They remarked about KU that at least they wouldn't be paying in front of an empty gym. Would that be a knock on SMU? None of the schools chasing them play in front of nobody. These are the kinds of guys who could turn SMU immediately if Tubbs could get them but I guess we have no chance. Its a shame becuase this is what we need

[Hoop Fan]

Tubbs at least gives us a chance at every player that comes out of Dallas. Couldnt say that before at all. Sooner or later it will pay off. Miles and Rogers are super blue chips and were being chased by the big boys long before Tubbs got back to SMU.

[Charleston Pony]

I wouldn't doubt it if that comment was directed at SMU. I've been saying for years that SMU's absolutely pathetic fan support is a big obstacle for our coaches to overcome in recruiting. SMU's athletes are working their tails off and it's only human nature to want to feel appreciated for those efforts...win or lose, but most SMU fans have shown they will only support a champion...and even then we won't do so with the enthusiasm that a lot of programs' fans do. Ask anyone who played for SMU even back in the Ron Meyer/Bobby Collins era. There were plenty of games where very few turned out to support those outstanding teams. Even when we were dominating the SWC, I can remember going on many a road trip and being one of what seemed only a few hundred SMU faithful.

I'd like to think a quality program could generate consistent crowds of 5-6,000 at Moody. I hope the renovation plans include luxury and club seating and I don't think it would be a bad thing to take Moody's capactity down to about 7500 in the process.

[Lefty]

It's a Catch-22: fans will help create an atmosphere that allows coaches to recruit the players necessary to win, win and the fans will come out. I was in school in the late '80s/early '90s when Tim Mason, Gerald Lewis and the boys won the SWC crown, and Moody was packed. Grab a couple stud players and Moody will be packed again. Of course, Coach Tubbs will have to get those first couple of players before the wins bring out the fans en masse.

[Uncle Morty]

I was around in those days too, and I dont remember Moody ever being packed unless we were playing Arkansas or Kansas. Those guys won the SWC title in 1993, and Arkansas brought the usual packed house that year, and the Texas, Rice, and Houston games were all about hall full or a little more. The rest were under half. If you could compare average attendance in 1993 to this season when SMU had a losing record, I doubt if you would see much difference. Does anyone have a media guide, or stats from 93? It would be interesting to compare the 2 seasons 10 years apart.

[Charleston Pony]

Morty: your memory is the same as mine. I lived in OKC at that time and drove down for a couple of games that year. I was at the Texas game (we won 96-80 to clinch the SWC title). There weren't 5,000 people at that game, although as I recall attendance was announced as about 5,500. Our home attendance that year averaged only 3,416 although the SWC games averaged 4,306 (according to the media guide). We didn't sell out anything that year, although the non-conference home loss to Arkansas drew about 7,000 as I recall.

In Shumate's final year, home attendance averaged 3,480. The strongest attendance during Shumate's tenure was 4,104 in 1998-9. In Dement's 1sr year, average attendance was only 2,158. Dement's best year was 2001-2 when we averaged 4,029

Contrast this with the Dave Bliss era when we regularly averaged 5,000. In 1984-5, Bliss' 23-10 squad averaged 6,331 (including 7,774 for SWC games). That compares favorably to my years at SMU, when Bob Prewitt's teams regularly averaged well over 5,000 and usually over 7,000 for SWC games. Our average attendance for SWC games during my 4 years was 7109, 7505, 7366 & 6054

Gotta hope Coach Tubbs can rekindle some enthusiasm in Dallas for this program. He's inheriting a program that's just about as far down (in terms of support) as we've ever been.

[PK]

That compares favorably to my years at SMU, when Bob Prewitt's teams regularly averaged well over 5,000 and usually over 7,000 for SWC games. Our average attendance for SWC games during my 4 years was 7109, 7505, 7366 & 6054

Those were the days when SMU had the best basketball to be had in Dallas much like football in the 40's and early 50's. Dallas has only (relatively) recently become an area really interested in basketball and of course we now have the Mavs to feed that interest. I know that I much prefer college ball over the pros...we just need more exposure and...of course...a winning team to help perk up interest.

[EastStang]

During Bob Prewitt's years there were no Dallas Mavericks to compete with. The ABA Chapperals didn't draw and moved to San Antonio during that time period. SWC basketball added perennial power Houston. With that addition SWC basketball became interesting. Now with the Mavs sucking $50-200 per seat for games, disposable income for a college game goes right out the door.

[OldPony]

Support isn't much different than it has always been. Just remove the SWC fans and we have slways been 3,000. Maybe a lot of people will come to see UT-Tyler.

[Big Easy Pony]

I was around in those days too, and I dont remember Moody ever being packed unless we were playing Arkansas or Kansas. Those guys won the SWC title in 1993, and Arkansas brought the usual packed house that year, and the Texas, Rice, and Houston games were all about hall full or a little more. The rest were under half. If you could compare average attendance in 1993 to this season when SMU had a losing record, I doubt if you would see much difference. Does anyone have a media guide, or stats from 93? It would be interesting to compare the 2 seasons 10 years apart.

Hmmm - I remember sitting in the very top row at Moody, up in the rafters, because that was the only seat available for a couple of games.

[Uncle Morty]

Hmmmm, which games were those? If you say Arkansas, I believe you. Otherwise, sorry. Moody's capacity is around 9,000, so even if there were 5,500 for Texas, that wouldnt drive anyone to sit in the rafters. Even the 7,000 for Arkansas wouldnt go all the way to the top row. According to CP's numbers, we averaged around 36% of Moody's capacity for the season. How packed could it have been? I've already mentioned the games I remember drawing reasonable sized crowds. If you remember differently, name the game. Charleston Pony can look up the actual attendance.

Attendance this past year when we were 12-18 was 3,296 per game. In 1993, it was 3,416. So that SWC title was worth about 120 extra fans per game. That was my original point. Thanks CP for the numbers.

[Stallion]

actually he ain't too far wrong-the BIG GAME that year was a showdown against Rice at Moody for first place that was within a few hundreds of a sellout that year. It was rockin'-a great game which SMU won in the last seconds.

[cheesepony]

MId-80's was routinely 4500 plus - sellouts or close to it for every Louisville, Tech (Bubba Jennings days), Baylor, Houston, and Arkansas game - non-conference schedules were awesome aerial displays with scores in the 110's.... Man, was it fun giving NOlan alot of crap in those polka-dot shirts. Those guys WERE GOOD!!

[EastStang]

It could be worse though. I went to the Navy game in Annapolis over the Christmas holidays. There may have been 200 people at the game.

[Uncle Morty]

[quote="Stallion"]actually he ain't too far wrong-the BIG GAME that year was a showdown against Rice at Moody for first place that was within a few hundreds of a sellout that year. It was rockin'-a great game which SMU won in the last seconds.[/quote]

Yes, I know, I was there. Thats why my first post said that Arkansas, Houston, Rice and Texas were the games that drew decent crowds that year. I dont remember Rice being that close to a sellout, but I wont quibble, the crowd was close to what Arkansas drew. But the problem is that crowd didnt come back. SMU won a thrilling one point game in OT, to take over first place in the SWC, and our next home game (Baylor, I think) drew almost nothing. Our first game as the actual conference leaders, and the gym was empty. Thats the problem, an inability to sustain the fan base, even when the team is succesful.

CP, if you have a media guide, what was the first home game after Rice that year?