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"Coming out of high school in DFW, SMU wasn't 'cool,'" said Mustangs junior guard Nick Russell, an Arlington Grace Prep product. "SMU wasn't the cool thing to do at the time. But I mean now, with coach Brown here, who wouldn't want to come here? Why wouldn't you? His arrival gave it that cool factor."



http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/11/14 ... llege.html

Star-Telegram
SMU's Larry Brown brings his latest band of renown to TCU
Posted Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012 0 Comments Print Reprints

TCU vs. SMU

7 tonight, Daniel-Meyer Coliseum

TV: FSSW
By Drew Davison

[email protected]

UNIVERSITY PARK -- Larry Brown has coached everywhere imaginable.

From the Carolina Cougars of the ABA to prestigious college programs Kansas and UCLA to the NBA, Brown is a true journeyman coach. He's been successful at every level, too, the only coach to win an NCAA championship (Kansas, 1988) and NBA championship (Detroit, 2004).

Brown's Hall of Fame career has come full circle at SMU with what seems to be his final stop. And given his lengthy track record at both levels, it's no surprise when Brown rattles off some sort of connection to just about every Conference USA coach.

He is close friends with Kentucky coach John Calipari, and knows his replacement at Memphis, Josh Pastner, well. The same goes for UAB, where former North Carolina assistant Jerod Haase is in his first year. He considers East Carolina coach Jeff Lebo "family," and his prized player of the '88 championship team at Kansas, Danny Manning, is coaching at Tulsa.

"There's a lot of people I admire and like in this conference," Brown said.

Brown, 72, then pauses and mentions a coach in another conference he admires, who will be on the opposite bench tonight.

"I'll tell you, TCU hit a home run with Trent Johnson," Brown said.

SMU hopes the same rings true with its hiring of Brown.

Brown believes that there's no reason NCAA Division I basketball programs such as SMU and TCU shouldn't be successful. After all, the schools are in competitive conferences, are well-regarded academically and are surrounded by talented high school players throughout the Metroplex.

But for whatever reason, neither has gotten over the hump. It's been more than a decade since SMU and TCU have sniffed the NCAA Tournament. The Frogs last danced in 1998, while the Mustangs haven't been part of the madness since 1993.

That trend could end soon under the new regimes.

For SMU, national headlines came its way with the hiring of Brown. Coupled with an upcoming move to the basketball-heavy Big East, the Mustangs are in prime position to excel on the court.

"Coming out of high school in DFW, SMU wasn't 'cool,'" said Mustangs junior guard Nick Russell, an Arlington Grace Prep product. "SMU wasn't the cool thing to do at the time. But I mean now, with coach Brown here, who wouldn't want to come here? Why wouldn't you? His arrival gave it that cool factor."

It's already being seen.

SMU has three transfers from D-1 programs sitting out this season in Crandall Head (Illinois), Nic Moore (Illinois State) and Markus Kennedy (Villanova).

Brown and his staff also landed an impressive recruiting class Wednesday, led by four-star forward Yanick Moreira from South Plains Junior College.

Brown raved about the three transfers and the recruiting class, but deflected any notion that his presence had something to do with it. Instead, Brown said, the credit should go to his staff, which includes former Illinois State coach Tim Jankovich, former Illinois assistant Jerrance Howard and former Houston assistant Ulric Maligi.

"I got the best staff in America, no doubt," Brown said. "If you add the kids that are here as transfers, the kids we are hopeful of getting and some of the young kids already here we can develop, we'll be relevant real quick.

"But that's not about me. I want to focus on the conference, the program and the school. They had tradition years and years ago and we're going to get that back."

And don't count the Mustangs out this season.

Former coach Matt Doherty didn't leave the cupboard bare. Russell transferred from Kansas State after playing a role on its 2010 Elite Eight team. Shawn Williams left Texas for SMU. Sophomores Jalen Jones and Cannen Cunningham are back after seeing valuable time as freshmen.

"It's only November and there's a lot of work ahead, but for sure I feel like we can be an NCAA Tournament team," Russell said. "That's what we want to achieve. There are a few of us on this team that made it to the tournament, so we'll try and use that to our advantage."

Brown, though, wasn't interested in talking about expectations, even though he picked up a 73-58 victory over Loyola Marymount on Sunday, his first time back on the college sidelines in 25 years.

"I don't want them to worry about results," Brown said. "I just want them to worry about getting better and enjoy playing. I think people know what we're up against, but we owe it to the people that watch us to know that we're going to try as hard as we can and play the right way."

Drew Davison, 817-390-7760

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/11/14 ... rylink=cpy

June isn't cool?

Please note the past tense!!

The PonyGrad wrote:Please note the past tense!!

But that takes all the fun out of it!

As happy an thrilled as I am for having Larry, how was SMU not cool. I mean (not that I support this) but we were rated #1 in playboy for best night life or something to that effect. We build futures in getting graduates jobs (at least to my knowledge in b-school). I'm just not getting the cool part. If you are talking about sport relevance, sure. We lack a baseball team. We weren't good at basketball and we were mediocre, hopefully up and coming, football team. So I get the sports issue, but the overall campus? That's a not cool statement.

SMU_Alumni11 wrote:As happy an thrilled as I am for having Larry, how was SMU not cool. I mean (not that I support this) but we were rated #1 in playboy for best night life or something to that effect. We build futures in getting graduates jobs (at least to my knowledge in b-school). I'm just not getting the cool part. If you are talking about sport relevance, sure. We lack a baseball team. We weren't good at basketball and we were mediocre, hopefully up and coming, football team. So I get the sports issue, but the overall campus? That's a not cool statement.

He is speaking from the perspective of 17-18 year old high school athletes who has a lot of options, not sure the things you mention have a ton of relevance for that demographic.

Grant Carter wrote:

SMU_Alumni11 wrote:As happy an thrilled as I am for having Larry, how was SMU not cool. I mean (not that I support this) but we were rated #1 in playboy for best night life or something to that effect. We build futures in getting graduates jobs (at least to my knowledge in b-school). I'm just not getting the cool part. If you are talking about sport relevance, sure. We lack a baseball team. We weren't good at basketball and we were mediocre, hopefully up and coming, football team. So I get the sports issue, but the overall campus? That's a not cool statement.

He is speaking from the perspective of 17-18 year old high school athletes who has a lot of options, not sure the things you mention have a ton of relevance for that demographic.

Maybe, maybe not, but I remember back in HS kids were wanting to go to a party school where they still could get a job afterwards.. In terms of sports it was the big programs that had all the sports available and perks that came with it

SMU_Alumni11 wrote:

Grant Carter wrote:

SMU_Alumni11 wrote:As happy an thrilled as I am for having Larry, how was SMU not cool. I mean (not that I support this) but we were rated #1 in playboy for best night life or something to that effect. We build futures in getting graduates jobs (at least to my knowledge in b-school). I'm just not getting the cool part. If you are talking about sport relevance, sure. We lack a baseball team. We weren't good at basketball and we were mediocre, hopefully up and coming, football team. So I get the sports issue, but the overall campus? That's a not cool statement.

He is speaking from the perspective of 17-18 year old high school athletes who has a lot of options, not sure the things you mention have a ton of relevance for that demographic.

Maybe, maybe not, but I remember back in HS kids were wanting to go to a party school where they still could get a job afterwards.. In terms of sports it was the big programs that had all the sports available and perks that came with it

Yes but your friends in high school were probably not inner city black kids.

whitwiki wrote:

SMU_Alumni11 wrote:

Grant Carter wrote:He is speaking from the perspective of 17-18 year old high school athletes who has a lot of options, not sure the things you mention have a ton of relevance for that demographic.

Maybe, maybe not, but I remember back in HS kids were wanting to go to a party school where they still could get a job afterwards.. In terms of sports it was the big programs that had all the sports available and perks that came with it

Yes but your friends in high school were probably not inner city black kids.

Lol true true, but I don't see color, maybe economic status but a kid is a kid. What kid does t like a party. I mean I get TCU has the drugs but we have better parties lol

SMU_Alumni11 wrote:
Lol true true, but I don't see color

I'd see a physician about that.

SMU2007 wrote:

SMU_Alumni11 wrote:
Lol true true, but I don't see color

I'd see a physician about that.

A+

you racist bastards

Seriously though, we're at a disadvantage with black athletes because it's perceived as an affluent, all-white school that they can't relate too. I don't know if that comes across as offensive, but I'm just calling what I see. When I went to SMU, the athletes were kind of off in their own clique and there was never a ton of interaction with the rest of the student body. And they're weren't worshipped like they are at places even like Baylor or Tech, because a large portion of the SMU student body doesn't care about our athletic program. Even in Waco, it's "cool" for students to go to games and support the team. At SMU, people would rather go to Barley House or Mi Cocina after the Boulevard as opposed to sitting in the stands for 3 hours.

How do you fix that? I don't know. But regardless, we need to sell DALLAS to these recruits, not just SMU. James Franklin at Vandy has done a great job of selling NASHVILLE as being a great place to spend four years of college as opposed to Starkville or Auburn, and it's working. He's beating out big SEC schools for prized recruits. We need to follow that blueprint.

I'm telling you that if we got student orgs and athletes to join together to do community service in downtown Dallas and the surrounding areas that would help. Building with local churches helps. There are a lot things we could do, but people here are lazy and rather donate a check. With homework and tests, at time i can understand, but there are points in the semester and weekends where it could work. We need to end this stupid color divide. It shouldn't matter if a university is 99% white and 1% black or the other way around. It should just naturally blend. I know in reality it doesn't which is a tragedy but there needs to be this community development within the school. Rather than these stupid diversity talk and speeches, why not actually put it into a practical form and a beneficial one for society.

The division on campus isn't race it is class. Poor and lower middle class white students are in the margins just like the black athletes or blacks in general.

I'm not sure anything can be done about that at an expensive private school.