Blackistone actually writes a good article

[Stallion]

both of you are right. This article will be cited to many many recruits and it needed to be said. A lot of things need to be said around the Hilltop that apparently only get whispered in back rooms. As for example Blakistones comments in the article that SMU coaches still complain "the coaches say they can't recruit everyone because of academic restraints". That comment needs to be addressed too and until it is this article will have ZERO affect on SMU students, alumni and supporters. You can't begin to address problems until you get to the heart of the problem. Blakistone's article missed the heart of the problem and only identified a symptom. A successful business plan begins with a Model that will alow the business to compete with its competitors.

[Hoop Fan]

I do think SMU needs to take some steps to actually implore some more support from alums. But what Blackistone did from his pulpit, er platform, will hurt, not help. Not that he cares. I don't think I am overstating it to say Tubbs job of getting any top quality local recruits just became that much harder and it was already hard.

Blackistone could have done any number of things to soften that article up in the eyes of recruits, yet still make his point strongly.

[ponyplayer]

At least he was there at the press conference........


Coaches at other schools have been saying the same thing before the article was even thought about.......

Statement of the day when Dr.Turner told calvin we are not embraced by the city of Dallas because DMN does not cover us.........

[Hoop Fan]

reality is one thing, but perception and public relations are more important. In that regard, if anyone doesnt think articles writtten like that don't kill recruiting, they are mistaken.

[Stallion]

forget about the City of Dallas-why don't the alumni, students and supporters of SMU embrace SMU Mr. Turner.

[KnuckleStang]

You folks are overestimating this article's effect on recruiting. Do y'all think athletes who sign with SMU are expecting packed stadiums every week or something? Our pathetic lack of fan support has been common knowledge for quite some time. Any recruit who comes to a game has no illusions about the enthusiasm of our student body or anything else.

To me, he was just publicly CALLING OUT our whiny, apathetic fan base for what they are. And he concluded by stating that a new AD ain't gonna get it done by himself. And I don't really see that as a negative.

[McClown27]

Statement of the day when Dr.Turner told calvin we are not embraced by the city of Dallas because DMN does not cover us.........

Pres. Turner, my personal hero!! What was Calvin's expression?

[Hoop Fan]

forget about the City of Dallas-why don't the alumni, students and supporters of SMU embrace SMU Mr. Turner.

I agree, Turner had his words turned on him. Not wise to bait Blackistone I guess, he will make sure you don't recruit in this town for awhile.

[Hoop Fan]

You folks are overestimating this article's effect on recruiting. Do y'all think athletes who sign with SMU are expecting packed stadiums every week or something? Our pathetic lack of fan support has been common knowledge for quite some time. Any recruit who comes to a game has no illusions about the enthusiasm of our student body or anything else.

To me, he was just publicly CALLING OUT our whiny, apathetic fan base for what they are. And he concluded by stating that a new AD ain't gonna get it done by himself. And I don't really see that as a negative.

ask yourself whether Tubbs and Bennett appreciated having this article out there. Its one thing to have to fight against word of mouth and perception, its quite another when the Dallas Morning New prints it as the gospel.

[ponyplayer]

Statement of the day when Dr.Turner told calvin we are not embraced by the city of Dallas because DMN does not cover us.........

Pres. Turner, my personal hero!! What was Calvin's expression?

He did not know what to think at first but it was an interesting moment......

Agree, need to get everyone else on board before city....... will be interesting to see what lies ahead......

[Billy Joe]

Great article. SMU's biggest problem is fan support. SMU's lack of fan support is not the DMN's fault. It is not Coach Bennett's fault, nor is it Cavan's fault. It is not Tubb's fault. It is not our schedule. It is not Copeland's fault, nor Dickerson's fault for not giving money. SMU's lack of fan support is not even the students or alumni's fault. SMU's lack of fan support is the fault of the Board of Directors at SMU. They make the decisions. They have the power to change policies and procedures at SMU to make a difference with athletics. They could change admission procedures. They could change the rules on admitting other college's credits regarding juco and transfer players. They can even implement 'athlete friendly' majors that TCU, Tulsa, La. Tech, Texas, and Texas A&M have that allow them to attract a broader base of recruits to their schools. The lack of leadership at SMU regarding athletics is pathetic. When a true 'commitment' is shown, then the fans will come. When the Board of Directors implement policies to compete and win, then the fans will come. But when the decision makers at SMU do not seem to care, then why should the students and alumi? SMU has a 1 billion endowment fund which is astonishing for a school of its size. So it ain't a lack of funds to the Mustang Club that prevents success and fan turnout. SMU has done great things as a University the last decade just not in athletics. And until the Board of Directors makes a 'true commitment', SMU success in athletics will continue to elude SMU. Unfortuneately, more people will not be there with me to witness it.

[SoCal_Pony]

You are wrong BJ.

If we had the success TCU has had, while they had our failures, I feel pretty confident our attendance numbers would be exact opposites of what they are today.

The biggest problem is our flawed Model.

BStone glosses over this fact and instead focuses on lack of fan support. It is a mean-spirited article that would never be written about certain institutions/organizations/groups....Hoop Fan is dead on.

It is also wrong on many facts. BS states 'The truth is that the only reason a private school of a few thousand students was running with the big dogs in the biggest of sports, year in and year out back in the day, was because it cheated.' He fails to ignore the most successful football program over the past 20 years...a small private school called the University of Miami

[Frog2003]

You are wrong BJ.

If we had the success TCU has had, while they had our failures, I feel pretty confident our attendance numbers would be exact opposites of what they are today.

The biggest problem is our flawed Model.

BStone glosses over this fact and instead focuses on lack of fan support. It is a mean-spirited article that would never be written about certain institutions/organizations/groups....Hoop Fan is dead on.

It is also wrong on many facts. BS states 'The truth is that the only reason a private school of a few thousand students was running with the big dogs in the biggest of sports, year in and year out back in the day, was because it cheated.' He fails to ignore the most successful football program over the past 20 years...a small private school called the University of Miami

Please tell me you really aren't trying to use Miami as an example of a clean program. Miami probably cheated just as much as SMU ever did...they just never got caught.

[Pony_Fan]

Anyone writing a Letter to the Editor??

Stallion - you ever do that? - make some noise with your points...I did it during the Eric Dickerson article and was published...

[KnuckleStang]

both of you are right. This article will be cited to many many recruits and it needed to be said. A lot of things need to be said around the Hilltop that apparently only get whispered in back rooms. As for example Blakistones comments in the article that SMU coaches still complain "the coaches say they can't recruit everyone because of academic restraints". That comment needs to be addressed too and until it is this article will have ZERO affect on SMU students, alumni and supporters. You can't begin to address problems until you get to the heart of the problem. Blakistone's article missed the heart of the problem and only identified a symptom. A successful business plan begins with a Model that will alow the business to compete with its competitors.

Blackistone didn't actually miss the "heart of the problem." He acknowleged the admissions issue. He just sees complaints about "the Model" as another in a long line of excuses from a whiny fan base. Stallion and others call it the "root cause," Blackistone calls it another excuse from a bitter SMU fan.

Whatever. I don't agree with him on that. But what I do know is that "the Model" is not the be-all and end-all of the problem. San Jose St. certainly has some "relaxed" admissions standards for its athletes. Half their team is borderline [deleted]. This has not translated into W's, or any attendance records to speak of.

KB was addressing not the loyal people who post on this board, but those who are sitting home, waiting patiently for the SWC to come back. His comments about other fans supporting their team through "thick and thin" were particularly relevant, I thought. The question is, if our football or basketball teams ever get to be any good, will there be anyone left to care?