Best SMU Team Since 93!

by **shadowman** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 10:04 pm

I have watched all these years, and I think I can safely say that this team surpasses any thing we put together under Dement. Better than the Sasser, Elsey, Davis teams, better than B-Hop.

Too bad it took us a bit to get going, but maybe we can make a run.

This team is relentless, fun to watch. Papa Dia is a dominant player that we will miss for years to come...He would start on any team in the country.

Let's enjoy this run and keep it going!

by **horseshoe hilltop** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 2:45 am

The 1999-00 team would kick this team's [deleted]. Should have made the tourney, but collapsed at the end of the season. I remember a certain home game towards the end of the season against Tulsa when they were a top 15 team in the country. SMU was on the verge of pulling an upset before getting stunned at the buzzer to force OT. And SMU even had I think a 5 point lead in OT before Tulsa escaped with the W. It was a heartbreaking loss and SMU never recovered after that. A win there and we probably make the tournament. This year's SMU team is not one win away from the tourney.

Stephen Woods
Jeryl Sasser
Damon Hancock
Willie Davis
Quinton Ross

Again, that team would hammer this one.

by **ponyte** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 6:20 am

This is a solid team. Not because we have talent beyond anything we have ever had, but because this team plays well together . The play with discipline and within their system. And they make free throws. FT down the stretch has protected several wins. They are solid on defense and we are starting to get some production from the bench. This allows the starters to get a breather.

Sure there are better teams in SMU's past but this team has been a wonderful surprise and it doing it by hard work and smart, solid play.

See y'all in a few hours at Moody.

Go Mustangs

by **mrydel** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 6:27 am

And I will see you in about an hour.

by **hoopmanx** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 7:57 am

horseshoe hilltop wrote:The 1999-00 team would kick this team's [deleted]. Should have made the tourney, but collapsed at the end of the season. I remember a certain home game towards the end of the season against Tulsa when they were a top 15 team in the country. SMU was on the verge of pulling an upset before getting stunned at the buzzer to force OT. And SMU even had I think a 5 point lead in OT before Tulsa escaped with the W. It was a heartbreaking loss and SMU never recovered after that. A win there and we probably make the tournament. This year's SMU team is not one win away from the tourney.

Stephen Woods
Jeryl Sasser
Damon Hancock
Willie Davis
Quinton Ross

Again, that team would hammer this one.

that team had far more talent, but they were an undisciplined,w/no structure on O or D. They jacked up contested looks all over the floor, but never manufactured a thing. Good SMU team, and could have gone to the tourney, but they were more frustrating than good.

Dia would punish that team on the blocks, and there is no way that team defends the princeton effectively. They weren't interested in D, certainly not 35 seconds of it. They never defended the arc. OTOH, the '99-00 team had big talent, so they'd get theirs. I'm thinking it's a good game, but to even have this conversation means this years team actually exceeded expectations, unlike the 99-00 team.

by **PonySnob** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 8:41 am

Wasn't that the game where Willie Davis went up for a slam dunk instead of an easy layup, missed and the game ended up in OT?

by **Crong** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 9:23 am

PonySnob wrote:Wasn't that the game where Willie Davis went up for a slam dunk instead of an easy layup, missed and the game ended up in OT?

I wish he would have run down the clock and take the foul. The lack of discipline was frustrating at times.

I never thought I'd see a what team is better debate this season...a great surprise.

by **ponyscott** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 9:36 am

PonySnob wrote:Wasn't that the game where Willie Davis went up for a slam dunk instead of an easy layup, missed and the game ended up in OT?

Exactly! You stole my thunder...I was at that game and was watching Willie Davis just really pull a real stupid move. That game was there for the win and Willie pulled out the loss. They were never the same after that.

by **ponyscott** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 9:38 am

mrydel wrote:And I will see you in about an hour.

Mrydel and Ponyte....are you guys able to meet some of us at Ozona Grill on Greenville Avenue at 12:30 before the game for adult beverages?

by **ponyte** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 9:57 am

"As long as he's buying, we're there'" said mrydel

by **LA_Mustang** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 10:06 am

horseshoe hilltop wrote:The 1999-00 team would kick this team's [deleted]. Should have made the tourney, but collapsed at the end of the season. I remember a certain home game towards the end of the season against Tulsa when they were a top 15 team in the country. SMU was on the verge of pulling an upset before getting stunned at the buzzer to force OT. And SMU even had I think a 5 point lead in OT before Tulsa escaped with the W. It was a heartbreaking loss and SMU never recovered after that. A win there and we probably make the tournament. This year's SMU team is not one win away from the tourney.

Stephen Woods
Jeryl Sasser
Damon Hancock
Willie Davis
Quinton Ross

Again, that team would hammer this one.

This was by a long shot the best team we've had since '93, IMO. Had the talent to make it to the NCAA tourney, instead one and done in the NIT. The current team is nowhere near as talented.

by **shadowman** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 10:07 am

horseshoe hilltop wrote:
Stephen Woods
Jeryl Sasser
Damon Hancock
Willie Davis
Quinton Ross

Good collection of individuals, but they could just never get it done. I probably have been to 90 plus percent of the SMU home games (and quite a few road games) since mid 80's. Now, those teams were solid, the 80s and up until 93 was a pretty fun time for SMU basketball.

Course, we all know what has happened since then. IMO, this team, as it is playing right now, has looked the best against good competition (numerous games against top 100 RPI teams in conference play) since 93.

Obviously, the book is still open on where this team will finish, which will have the most to do with it, BUT I have not seen SMU play such good team defense and get so many high percentage shots since 93, that is where my statement came from. Not about talent, its about how they play as a team.

Finish Strong!

Go Ponies!!!!!!!!!!!!

by **GiddyUp** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 10:10 am

The competition then was a lot of fun with the Shark and that kid out of prison that could shoot the 3 ball at Felony State U.

They definitely had more talent yet Sasser was selfish, Ross was unselfish, Willie was out of control.
If they had a better coach and system, that would have been interesting. I think Dement gave up with Sasser and let him do whatever he wanted.

Willie D bounced a ball off his knee and it went out of bounds with a few seconds left and we lost the game. I couldn't believe it.

by **Stallion** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 11:32 am

Look at that list of players and find me the missing ingredient-SMU got absolutely destroyed by TCU and Tulsa's All Conference JUCO Center and Power Forwards. SMU's academic policies kept that team out of the NCAA Tournament. Willie Davis' mistake was to drive fullcourt to the basket when he should have held the ball with only seconds remaining-he never got a shot off as I remember because it skipped off his knee and went out of bounds. At this point in the season the Sasser/Davis team was at No. 39 in RBI-approximately 150 teams higher than this one. But again if SMU's own academic policies hadn't prevented Dement from finding that missing piece inside that was blatently obvious-they likely would have gone to the NCAA's

by **RGV Pony** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 12:01 pm

Who was the tcu all conference guy ? Nailon was already gone wasn't he ?