PonyFans.com

Just as refreshing as it was listening to him with Rich after the game. So glad to have him on the Hilltop.

Good stuff. Thanks for posting

I just love this guy! So thankful he is at SMU!

He's a pretty humble, self deprecating guy.

DanFreibergerForHeisman wrote:I just love this guy! So thankful he is at SMU!

it's truly amazing we have him here

i like this guy, a lot.

Thank you David Miller for bring coach Brown and his staff to SMU!

Nice to be the second story mentioned on ESPN's college bball site....

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/

LA_Mustang wrote:Nice to be the second story mentioned on ESPN's college bball site....

I was just looking at the same thing!

Thx for posting. Loved watching/listening.

Now maybe we can get the Dallas Morning News to notice. I cannot find a single mention of the win on their website.

ponyboy wrote:Now maybe we can get the Dallas Morning News to notice. I cannot find a single mention of the win on their website.

Oh C'mon...really?...SMU was on the front page of the DMN today with pictures on the follow page and its still 10:00 Pm on Sunday night. They do have a Cowboy win that is much bigger news than any SMU basketball game. Bill Nichols will have a story in the AM.



Here it is:


http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/colleg ... ogress.ece

Nichols: Larry Brown's SMU debut not flawless, but Ponies already showing progress

[email protected]

Published: 11 November 2012 10:22 PM


UNIVERSITY PARK — Larry Brown’s return to college coaching was not flawless. At one point Sunday night, caught up in yelling instructions to his SMU team, the only man to win NCAA and NBA titles had to be reminded that he was out of the coaching box.

The ref pointed at the line. Brown looked down at the line and then shrugged. They both laughed.

But bottom line, the Brown era started with a win. The Mustangs defeated Loyola Marymount, 73-58, before a vocal crowd of 3,578 at Moody Coliseum.

“I told the ref if I was (John) Calipari or (Mike) Krzyzewski, he would have let me do it,” Brown said. “Fortunately, the referees were pretty sympathetic and realized that I hadn’t done this in 25 years. In the NBA, they’re pretty lenient about it, even though they actually do have a box but you haven’t seen anybody use it.”

Brown, 71, has been away from coaching for about two years. The Hall of Famer’s last college team was the 1988 NCAA champion Kansas Jayhawks.

So he and his staff had some rough spots to overcome.

“There were so many things we weren’t prepared for,” Brown said. “We had a limited press offense, we didn’t know how to take the ball out of bounds, three-quarter court or spot throw-in. We didn’t know how to take it out half court.”

Fortunately for Brown, his players came to rescue. The Mustangs, who went 13-19 last season, looked solid, as if they’ve been well-coached.

SMU’s balanced offense finished with five players in double figures. Guards led the charge.

Nick Russell, who sat out last season after transferring from Kansas State, led all scorers with 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Jalen Jones posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Ryan Manuel has 14 points, four assists and three rebounds, and Shawn Williams added 12 points and seven boards.

The players noticed a change in Brown as the opener neared.

“At the beginning of the year he was real laid back,” Russell said. “As the game approached, practices got real intense. It shocked me at first. It was like a light switch had been turned on. He was really on us.”

Even though he has coached for 40 years, Brown said he got nervous as the week wore on. He felt better once the game started. And he said he felt best when the outcome had been decided. As the final minute ticked off, the crowd chanted, “Larry Brown, Larry Brown, Larry Brown.”

“I don’t like games,” he said. “Games are tough. Being in that environment and watching how hard the kids tried and how supportive the people were, that was a terrific deal, a great experience. I don’t know how many people were there but they were loud. They helped our kids.”

Players said this group is a lot different from last year.

“This team is a lot tighter, and we’ve got a Hall of Fame coach,” Williams said. “It’s a lot better.”

Even former coach Matt Doherty was impressed. Soon after the game ended, he tweeted: “Happy for Larry Brown and players to get the win vs LMU.”

Follow Bill Nichols on Twitter at @BillNicholsDMN

BUMP ABOVE HAS DMN ARTICLE...

You're right. Thanks ponyscott.