New DMN Story - more info

[Pony_Fan]

How good were these kids he was eyeing?
Guess what, a Blackistone article is coming!! imagine that...

These are good quotes-
"Kimball coach Royce Johnson said that SMU tried to find
a shortcut to success, and hired Tubbs because of his connections.
But he said SMU didn't invest in other parts of the program, such as facilities."

My office at Kimball almost looks better," Johnson said.


"Dallas is probably the hot spot in the U.S. in basketball talent,"
Mays said, "and you've got a college right here that can get no one."


Tubbs fired after two years at SMU
08:54 PM CDT on Thursday, April 6, 2006
By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News

SMU basketball coach Jimmy Tubbs was fired Thursday afternoon.

Tubbs had completed only two seasons of a four-year contract signed in March 2004.

Tubbs, 57, declined comment.

Retiring athletic director Jim Copeland made the decision to fire Tubbs and said in a statement, "SMU holds its coaches accountable for high standards of compliance with NCAA rules and university procedures in all areas of their programs."

Copeland refused to answer questions for comment.

SMU officials reached a contract settlement with Tubbs, paying him the remaining two years of his contract in full. Tubbs' attorney, Michael Pegues, did not return a call seeking comment.

Tubbs leaves SMU with a 27-30 record. The Mustangs were 13-16 in 2005-06.

Starting Thursday afternoon, Tubbs began to clean out his office. He took down two pictures, one of him posing with a basketball in front of an SMU sign, the other of a story in a frame. Also Thursday, he informed the players he would not return as coach next season.

Several players expressed shock when told that Tubbs will not return.

"I'm a little hurt," freshman center Bamba Fall said after the 35-minute meeting. "He took it like a man."

Fall, who set a season record for blocks this season, said he's thinking of transferring.

"I don't know yet," he said. "I have to sleep on it."

Dez Willingham, a sophomore point guard from DeSoto, said Tubbs was calm during the meeting with players.

"That was a low blow," Willingham said. "He presented himself well. He always talks to us about dealing with all facets of life. He told us to call him if we needed anything.

"I didn't see this coming. But it's out of our control and it's part of life."

Freshman power forward Brian Morris, who was given the nickname Big Baby by Tubbs, said he was too upset to talk.

Junior forward Donatas Rackauskas, who was not present at the meeting, will now play for his third coach at SMU. Rackauskas was recruited by Mike Dement, who was fired in 2004.

"It's going to be different," he said. "I would never think I would have played for three coaches in my career in college. I just have to make the best of it."

In February, SMU launched an investigation into the program when Max Williams, the grandfather of freshman player Matt Williams, said he gave Tubbs money to purchase meals for players.

Sources said Tubbs paid for meals for Fall and Morris, but out of his own pocket.

SMU officials are also investigating if Tubbs conducted practices for more than the NCAA-mandated 20 hours per week. Tubbs' phone records are also being reviewed to determine if he called prospective recruits more than the NCAA allows.

Copeland said in his statement that is not the sum of the alleged violations in the program.

When Tubbs was hired, Copeland said one of the main reasons was his ability to recruit some of the best players in the area.

Some of the top players have not come to SMU in Tubbs' two seasons.

However, this weekend, SMU was to receive campus visits from South Oak Cliff forward Ronnie Morgan and Collin County Community College forward Eugene Spates, who graduated from Hillcrest.

Tubbs was also in the running for Fort Worth Dunbar guard Chris Roberts. Courtney Wallace, a 6-8 forward from Woodlawn High School in Baton Rouge, La., was also considering SMU.

But Tubbs' tenure at SMU will come to an abrupt end with no major area talent on the roster and a mediocre record.

E-mail [email protected]

[Pony_Fan]

Reaction from DISD coaches, apparently Ronnie Morgan was seriously considering SMU

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... ca070.html

[Danny Noonan]

Reaction from DISD coaches, apparently Ronnie Morgan was seriously considering SMU

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... ca070.html

Well, too bad Tubbs had to go and screw that up.

[abezontar]

McClown, now do you understand why we need better facilities? These kids are playing in better gyms, and practice facilities in HS

[jtstang]

Thanks, Max, you jerkwad:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... ca070.html

[Danny Noonan]

Thanks, Max, you jerkwad:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... ca070.html

Thank Jimmy.

[jtstang]

F--- Max Williams. And f--- SMU for the way it's hamdled this. Right now it looks to everybody as if Tubbs got canned for hamburgers and detergent. If there was more, then it should have been spelled out by our lame duck AD.

[Danny Noonan]

F--- Max Williams. And f--- SMU for the way it's hamdled this. Right now it looks to everybody as if Tubbs got canned for hamburgers and detergent. If there was more, then it should have been spelled out by our lame duck AD.

F--- Jimmy Tubbs for cheating his [deleted] of here and probably at OU. F--- Jimmy Tubbs for getting the program in trouble. F--- Jimmy Tubbs for forcing us to can him and set the program back. F--- Jimmy Tubbs for the players that will transfer. F--- Jimmy Tubbs for the possible probabtion we'll be on.

[abezontar]

Right now, I have to agree with Jtstang, there is nothing int he news or in the rumor mill that there was more to this than the detergent and burgers, and canning him over that makes us look bad, very, very bad.

If there is something else, they need to air it now, and try to save some face with the community.

[RGV Pony]

Well, was the Kimball coach one of the coaches who signed the petition to get Jimmy hired? Were the facilities any different then? Did he think SMU was trying to find a shortcut then?

It really sounds like the Kimball coach is trying to distance himself from SMU, not from Tubbs.

Never in my wildest dreams would I expect to see someone accusing SMU of taking "shortcuts" to get good. Surely the coach knows SMU could've done a MUCH better job at 'shortcuts' had it really wanted to.

[Danny Noonan]

Right now, I have to agree with Jtstang, there is nothing int he news or in the rumor mill that there was more to this than the detergent and burgers, and canning him over that makes us look bad, very, very bad.

If there is something else, they need to air it now, and try to save some face with the community.

How about Copeland's official statement saying it was more than that. Saying Tubbs would've never been fired over burgers and detergent?

[DickerJames]

How about Copeland's official statement saying it was more than that. Saying Tubbs would've never been fired over burgers and detergent?

Yeah, how bout that statement, and why the hell won't he say why he was fired and why he is paying Tubbs the remainder of his contract after he commited major violations.

[SMU Football Blog]

1. Any violation by Tubbs is still an NCAA violation by the university. Hypothetically, you want SMU to air all its dirty laundry? The former politico in me would agree; the lawyer in me would not.

2. Before today, had anyone heard that Ronnie Morgan or Eugene Spates were interested in SMU?

[Danny Noonan]

How about Copeland's official statement saying it was more than that. Saying Tubbs would've never been fired over burgers and detergent?

Yeah, how bout that statement, and why the hell won't he say why he was fired and why he is paying Tubbs the remainder of his contract after he commited major violations.

Not sure, never read his cotract. I'm sure it was guaranteed. Never heard of a coach getting fired with years left on their contract that didn't get paid, have you? Someone, I think Stallion, said that every SMU coach has a buyout clause.

[ponyboy]

Gentlemen, you might wait for all the facts before spewing your venom. Both Tubbs and the Williams deserve at least that.