PonyFans.com

DMN today:

SMU men's team picked to finish sixth

The SMU men, who return four starters, were picked sixth in the coaches poll. Nevada was first.

The Mustangs will be without last season's WAC player of the year, Quinton Ross. SMU does have sophomore Bryan Hopkins, the conference's freshman of the year, returning. Patrick Simpson, a junior who was seventh in the WAC in rebounding last season, will lead the frontcourt.

SMU has only 12 home games, and coach Mike Dement said winning on the road is a key.

"It's a challenge," Dement said. "You go from one fire to another. Our schedule doesn't work out for us this year. It's what we have, and it's what we adopted."

Briefly ...

... SMU's Bryan Hopkins is nursing a groin injury suffered in last weekend's Canadian exhibition trip. ...

So I'm guessing we can't expect anymore out of Hopkins than we saw last year. Does anyone know what happened, and if this is related at all to his injury last year? Is it going to be a chronic injury? Should we have redshirted him last year so that he could get healthy? DOes anyone have any more info?

I wish I knew more info...not sure if it's reaggrevated or different than last year. To me, it's a bit worrisome.

Redshirt him last year? That is water over the dam. If he is hurt again and this is a chronic injury that only extended rest will cure, why not do it this year? Without him playing up to the potential of his press clippings, we don't need him this year. I'd rather save him until next year. We'll have the same guys back and should be our best chance in a long while to be really good.
I hope this is just a false alarm about his health this year though and that it is a very minor muscle sstrain.

A pre-season prediction by the coaches of any sport in any conference should be taken with a large grain of salt and a healthy dose of skepticism. Those who attach importance to coaches' opinions assume they know more than the magazines, and that is not necessarily the case.

Why should SMU alums and fans give more weight to the WAC coaches' poll than, for example, Lindy's, which picks the Ponies second in the conference behind Nevada?

The coaching fraternity, as it is generously called, is well known for its petty jealousies and good-old-boy cronyism. Since the 2003-04 Mustangs clearly have more talent than four other WAC basketball teams, the sixth-place prediction may have more to do with how well Dement gets along with his peers. Regardless of how that consensus was arrived at, it's hard to take seriously.