JJT: SMU should call Gillispie to rescue dormant program

[FriscoPMG]

maybe Billy can actually recruit within the DFW area

You look at his A&M teams and that's exactly what he did. He didn't get the huge All-Americans out of the DFW area. Instead he loaded up on really solid players from this area, just like SMU used to do under Dement. It certainly seemed to work for him down there. Sure would be nice to see a little more of that up here again!

[Billy Joe]

Any athletic program worth anything would have fired Doherty by now. SMU is still playing in the minor leagues when it comes to athletics. How in the world can a coach win 10 games and then follow it up with a 9 win season and keep his job? Keep in mind that Doherty specifically scheulded so-called easy non-conference games to pad his record and he still could not win games. This basketball program is going nowhere fast under Doherty. You would think more local recruits would have interest in SMU with the new basketball center but not under Doherty's watch. Doherty has two scholarships and he cannot give them away right now.....pretty sad. BTW: where is Orsini? He has not backed up his big "top 25" talk up with anything but losing seasons.

[PonyKai]

Any athletic program worth anything would have fired Doherty by now. SMU is still playing in the minor leagues when it comes to athletics. How in the world can a coach win 10 games and then follow it up with a 9 win season and keep his job? Keep in mind that Doherty specifically scheulded so-called easy non-conference games to pad his record and he still could not win games. This basketball program is going nowhere fast under Doherty. You would think more local recruits would have interest in SMU with the new basketball center but not under Doherty's watch. Doherty has two scholarships and he cannot give them away right now.....pretty sad. BTW: where is Orsini? He has not backed up his big "top 25" talk up with anything but losing seasons.

Wow, clearly you know everything about everything. I humbly bow to your incredibly superior level of intellect and understanding of all things that are SMU Athletics. With years of education I hope to one day be as wise as you.

[Billy Joe]

Thank you. I am glad to offer truth and reality to the sunshiners on this board.

[angryfan04]

Billy G. been called yet?

[Z1]

I think BG is a very good coach, yet , given that he was handed the reigns at arguably the best program in the country, with the biggest winning tradition, great booster support, national program recognition... .etc... he failed to bring the change at KU that several of our posters here thinks he can bring to SMU. If you can't succeed with that kind of firepower and clout behind you, then where? Where as a coach does that leave him?
Has he lost his magic touch? Again - he's a good coach. But he brings more negatives than positives given the situation he was just in.

[Stallion]

well genius-he's already turned two Texas programs around-I guess that's where it leaves us. Kentucky hasn't proven anything by firing a Coach in two years. Watch HBO's special on Duke/Carolina-two of the greatest Coaches the game has ever seen struggled early in their tenures. Dean Smith was Hung in Effigy and Coach K after losing to Virginia by 50+ and a Division 2 team was almost run out of town. Fans expecting a Coach to turn it around in 2 years are really pretty stupid. That's not how building a program works

[EastStang]

How about 3 years?

[Jumpshooter]

...given that he was handed the reigns at arguably the best program in the country, with the biggest winning tradition, great booster support, national program recognition... .etc... he failed to bring the change at KU that several of our posters here thinks he can bring to SMU. If you can't succeed with that kind of firepower and clout behind you, then where? Where as a coach does that leave him?

This sounds incredibly familiar -- perhaps Doherty at UNC?

Only difference is Gillespie has proven -- at UTEP, then Texas A&M -- he can rebuild a program and lead them to the NCAAs. Doh has been to the NCAAs once in his career, when he was handed the keys to a team coming off a Final Four appearance, then promptly ran the program into the ground two seasons later. He was average at best at Notre Dame and FAU, and was terrible at UNC.

[smupony94]

I have the Tide and Cheese Fries ready!

Maybe some kind of Shamwow controversy

[Z1]

I agree to a point with you both Shooter and Stallion. One the most underlying questions that occurs explicitly and implicitly here has been the " What have you done for me lately " scenario. The answer that I came up with to my own question (Where does he go from here? ) was that BG is going to sit and let people forget his current history. He IS in the same position that MD was in after 3 yrs at UNC, but with a history as a proven coach, recruiter, team builder, etc... his failure and subsequent fall from grace along with the proverbial "door to the butt", is both a further fall and of greater magnitude. He may be sidelined longer than he and others might think.
But the questions remains. What'd ya do for me today? It's a good question and with MD its valid. The W-L record is what it is,and MD definitely made mistakes at UNC and even at SMU. It's valid for BG too- what he's done today is to fail and get booted.

Shooter -This is just info that may have already been posted but I'll throw it out there anyway -
He was better at FAU ( its best-ever conference record (14-6)and at ND(22–15 record) than the previous coaches there before him.

Year 4will determine if he has a coaching future.

Z

[SmooBoy]

Was just speaking with a co-worker whose son at SGPrairie was lighting it up at a tournament a couple years back and was named to the all-tournament team. Coach Do was in attendance and was standing right next to the family after the game. They waited thinking he would speak with them after chatting with some other coaches. They turned around and he was gone. The son (with his 3.85 GPA and SAT/ACT high scores) ended up at another college with lots of playing time ahead.

Methinks Do attends these local games for appearance sake and not for true recruiting purposes. There aren't Dallas HS recruits that would fit our model? I've more than seen enough of these antics, and pray our 9-win coach will see greener pastures somewhere else, so we can finally climb out of laughingstock status.

<*Time machine set for 1987 and do-over on Larry Johnson while we're at it*>

[PonyDoh]

Gillespie is morally and ethically impaired, not to mention a drunk. Good choice fellas & JJT

If you want a sunday school teacher, then he is not your first choice.

If you want a head basketball coach, he fits well and can win.

Coaching is not a morally rich profession. It is ALL about w's.

I couldn't agree more, at any school other then SMU. Winning hasn't been the most important thing in 20 years. The right fit, believe it or not, is important. Gillespie would be heel on wheels in Dallas. I have no doubt we'd win on the court & recruit the area. I just think this particular position requires some integrity

[PonyDoh]

well genius-he's already turned two Texas programs around-I guess that's where it leaves us. Kentucky hasn't proven anything by firing a Coach in two years. Watch HBO's special on Duke/Carolina-two of the greatest Coaches the game has ever seen struggled early in their tenures. Dean Smith was Hung in Effigy and Coach K after losing to Virginia by 50+ and a Division 2 team was almost run out of town. Fans expecting a Coach to turn it around in 2 years are really pretty stupid. That's not how building a program works

I agree w/this in theory and I'm not even that discouraged by our 9 wins. What does discourage me is that his teams play undisciplined and w/o an identity. I'm also discouraged that we've only batted 500 w/regards to evaluations in the last two classes. 4 can play some, the rest don't look to make an impact. Also, as of April 09, we have an 09 class that doesn't bring much to the table. I hope we aren't relying on individual player improvement.