Remember the good times

[Pony ^]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPnQu4Xta_g

Absolutely packed in every highlight

[Rebel10]

And will be again. This board is depressing

Are you saying in the future the administration will give the old season ticket holders their seats back?

Bottom line is I'm tired of the constant drumbeat of negativity. You're like a bunch of gin-sipping Eeyores on here.

What I'm saying essentially is that the good times consisted, at their core, of some very good teams. We have involved donor support who expect to win big and will pony up to get a top coach who will convince some very good players to come here. We have absolutely first rate facilities in Moody and Crum. We've got a helluva a campus and a city that will support winners. There is no reason to expect we won't do this again and return to the form we've come to love and expect.

Now go ahead and go back to repeating ad nauseam the "10,000 reasons why we can't" if it makes you feel better.

Do you think the team will do it with Jank? That is the question. Nobody is saying that SMU doesn’t have facilities etc (SMU had that with Doh) but just that nobody wants to go in a state of demise and then take years to recover. I remember some with the foolish Pharisee mentality like yourself didn’t even want June replaced when it was clear that hanging on to him would damage the program. And the school is still recovering from that. I just believe some are genuinely concerned and don’t want that to happen in basketball.

[ponyboy]

I had my hopes at the beginning of the season, but short of a miracle, no, I do not think the team will do it with Jank. Neat guy, but not the right guy.

[Charleston Pony]

Do you think the team will do it with Jank? That is the question.

That is absolutely the question and this season's poor start both on the court and in recruiting suggests not. The next question is "Can Jank do anything at this point to save his job and regain support from his detractors?" For me, it's going to have to start with a win at Georgetown and an 8-4 finish in non-conference coupled with going 12-6 in AAC play. In post season, winning at least a 1st round game in the AAC Tourney and then winning a game or two in the NIT to finish 22 or 23-12 on the year. Even then, he'd better be able to attractt 2-3 stud GTs who can come in and take on leadership roles right away next season. Absent ALL of those things happening, I don't think Jank can sustain anything close to what Larry built here.

My REAL concern is that other than a couple of years under a Hall of Fame coach, SMU bball has had "name" coaches (Shumate/Doh) and guys who were successful before coming here (Dement) in recent years who have had very little success and certainly not enough to pack Moody like we did in the LB era. As someone recently commented, the vast majority of SMU people are only going to attend our bball and football games if it becomes the "thing to do" and the "place to be seen". While it's easy to say Jank is not the guy, I just wonder who can restore the kind of magic that Larry brought to Moody?

[One Trick Pony]

I had my hopes at the beginning of the season, but short of a miracle, no, I do not think the team will do it with Jank. Neat guy, but not the right guy.

Well you just went up two notches in my opinion meter lol

[redpony]

I just wonder who can restore the kind of magic that Larry brought to Moody?

That is going to be a tough job. Larry did a lot of things most coaches don't do like donuts and coffee to the early morning students waiting in line for tickets.

We will certainly need another 'pied piper' to restore the spirit and enthusiasm among not only the students but also the fans who have recently been rebuffed by recent events..

[mustangxc]

If that is the case there is only one candidate, Rick Pitino. Give him whatever he wants and we will have sold out crowds as well as 4 and 5 star recruits immediately.

[One Trick Pony]

If that is the case there is only one candidate, Rick Pitino. Give him whatever he wants and we will have sold out crowds as well as 4 and 5 star recruits immediately.

I toss in a dollar for Rick

[Charleston Pony]

If that is the case there is only one candidate, Rick Pitino. Give him whatever he wants and we will have sold out crowds as well as 4 and 5 star recruits immediately.

After all, the AAC has a bit of a reputation for giving coaches an opportunity to redeem themselves

[ponyboy]

I can only imagine the media heyday if we hired Pitino. We never really got the negative press I thought we would re Bliss being our former coach, but the narrative would go something like this: "Here goes SMU again, willing to sell their souls for wins. First the football death penalty and all that entailed, not only destroying the football program but getting SMU removed from the P5 equation. Then the likes of Dave Bliss. Then it was Larry Brown and his cheating ways and the inevitable probation that ensued. And now that slimy devil, Pitino."

[ponyboy]

I had my hopes at the beginning of the season, but short of a miracle, no, I do not think the team will do it with Jank. Neat guy, but not the right guy.

Well you just went up two notches in my opinion meter lol

Two notches is better than zero, ha

[PonyLaw90]

I can only imagine the media heyday if we hired Pitino. We never really got the negative press I thought we would re Bliss being our former coach, but the narrative would go something like this: "Here goes SMU again, willing to sell their souls for wins. First the football death penalty and all that entailed, not only destroying the football program but getting SMU removed from the P5 equation. Then the likes of Dave Bliss. Then it was Larry Brown and his cheating ways and the inevitable probation that ensued. And now that slimy devil, Pitino."

Maybe the time has come that we embrace who we are: Works for the U.

Hire Pitino get in the Final Four and we’ll worry about our reputation while we count the
Money.

(Tongue-in-cheek, sort of)

[mtrout]

We have a great reputation. Always win the sportsmanship awards. Unfortunately we don't win. That is what our admin wants.

[mrydel]

Pitino knows what can happen at SMU and more importantly he knows how to get it done. I would be all in with him regardless of what was said.

Curious, not that it matters, but does anyone know what kind of relationship, if any that Pitino and LB have or had?

[One Trick Pony]

Pitino knows what can happen at SMU and more importantly he knows how to get it done. I would be all in with him regardless of what was said.

Curious, not that it matters, but does anyone know what kind of relationship, if any that Pitino and LB have or had?

No but I thought this was on topic