state of SMU basketball

[jtstang]

HoopFan talks about a lack of support staff as a cause for the academic ills of the team, but this is the same support staff that somehow managed to have the highest -- 100% -- graduation rate for a much larger football team roster during that same general time period.

Well, either that or it shows you just how much of a step-child basketball was during the Tubbs tenure. Actaually, I do agree that if Tubbs had that much of a problem keeping kids going to class, then he should have to answer for it. That assumes there was an attendance issue, which we don't know. But if his kids went to class, and still weren't making the grades, it sounds like the students were not availing themselves of the resources given them. Not all of that falls on the coach.

And frankly, if Tubbs was canned for his players' academic shortfalls, shouldn't SMU just say that. Shouldn't SMU say why Tubbs was fired, whatever the reasons?

[2112]

For the love of Pete!!!! Why don't YOU go and ask them????

[Stallion]

it certainly would be preferable than unnecessarily antagonizing a large group of Tubbs supporters throughout the city.

[MustangIcon]

Finally, i would say that if you are a D-1 school and you dont have anybody besides the head coach assigned to monitoring class attendance, you have a real problem and a lack of commitment. where was the athletic department and the support staff? I sure hope doherty doesn't have to follow guys around to class. hopefully smu has a better system than that. Players need to take care of their own business, but there also needs to be more oversight than talks from the head coach about academics.

I agree that it was not Tubbs' job to sit in on these kids classes. A head coach has far more pressing matters than than to do all the grunt work himself. But as the head coach overseeing all aspects of the program, it was his job to oversee and check in with those that are delegated by him to moniter academics. I cannot push the blame of having 1/3 of your team in danger of academic eligibility away from the head coach.

And for jt... I too am curious of the actual reasons of Tubbs' firing, but I cannot hide my happieness that whatever the violations may have been, they netted us Coach D.

[Pony_Fan]

I was also told by an assistant coach in another sport that Tubbs would often change practice times and have erratic behavior. Not good for academics.

[Hoop Fan]

to be clear, I am NOT saying that the head coach doen't play a role in making sure the players were taking care of their classwork. He does. I am saying that the head coach is one part of an oversight system that should be operating. Apparently the players failed and the system failed, including tubbs. If Tubbs was weak administratively, as a first time head coach, then somebody, ie his boss Mr. Copeland, should have identified it earlier and taken the proper steps to provide support where it was needed. Management/OBA/Common Sense 101.

[SMU Football Blog]

The football team does better academically because the coaches are on their players' asses 24-7 because they know the LEC staff is worthless. They learned that a couple of years ago. And I was told by multiple parties that Tubbs was well aware of the situation because the football coaches warned him many times. Many times. For whatever reason, Tubbs didn't follow through on it.

[jtstang]

And for jt... I too am curious of the actual reasons of Tubbs' firing, but I cannot hide my happieness that whatever the violations may have been, they netted us Coach D.

Look, I'd be lying if I said I didn't like Doherty's credentials and look forward to seeing what he can do on the Hilltop. He's got a big job, and a big reputation, and we'll see if those two can go hand-in-hand. But that does nothing for my distaste for the PR hatchet job that SMU pulled in the firing of his predecessor. I am past the fact that Tubbs is gone and Doherty is here. And I am ready to get past the reasons that Tubbs is gone. I just can't until I know what they are.

[ponyboy]

But that does nothing for my distaste for the PR hatchet job that SMU pulled in the firing of his predecessor.

The *apparent* PR hatchet job. It is possible, basher, that there are good reasons that you've not received in a timely fashion the information to which you feel you are entitled.

[jtstang]

But that does nothing for my distaste for the PR hatchet job that SMU pulled in the firing of his predecessor.

The *apparent* PR hatchet job. It is possible, basher, that there are good reasons that you've not received in a timely fashion the information to which you feel you are entitled.

Thank you for attempting to make that correction, but you are wrong. Whatever the reasons for withholding the information, the PR damage was done. Why do you think Doherty's first order of business was to go @ss-kissing in South Dallas with his tail between his legs? Because of the PR nightmare the Tubbs firing created in the DISD ranks, and their public reaction to it.

[SMU Football Blog]

Doherty went to S. Dallas because it was the smart thing to do regardless of the circumstances. And the DISD coaches were going to be PO'd when Tubbs got fired whether it be 2006 or or 2007 or 2067.

[jtstang]

Doherty went to S. Dallas because it was the smart thing to do regardless of the circumstances.

Are you sure it wasn't particularly important to him to do it immediately because of the PR backlash to the way the firing was handled?

[GrapevineMustang]

I'm not sure, but I'm also not sure it was for that reason. I expect it had something to do with the fact that many (not all, I realize) of the best Dallas players live there, as do their coaches. So from a recruiting standpoint, it made perfect sense for him to hit those schools immediately.

And having met Coach D a couple of times, I don't get the sense that he does anything "with his tail between his legs." That just doesn't seem to be his style. He's good, and he knows it, and he's willing to let anyone and everyone see that.

[Bergermeister]

Sweet Home Chicago!

[ponyboy]

Are you sure it wasn't particularly important to him to do it immediately because of the PR backlash to the way the firing was handled?

Excepting the bashers, who continuously pull hamstrings jumping to negative conclusions, none of us here are sure. The rest of us are very reasonably giving SMU the benefit of the doubt until we get more information.