Rothstein on SMU: SMU will remain a player post-Larry Brown
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2016 4:11 pmhttp://www.fanragsports.com/cbb/rothste ... rossroads/
1. SMU will remain a player post-Larry Brown
The whispers were there all summer long following the unexpected resignation of a Hall-of-Fame coach who made the Mustangs’ program relevant.
Could SMU remain a national player after Brown, who led SMU to a 25-5 record a season ago, was no longer on the bench?
If Thursday night is any indication, the answer is a resounding yes.
The Ponies may not have nearly the sizzle that they possessed when Brown was on the sidelines, but his replacement — Tim Jankovich — is well respected as a tactician and has proven out of the gate that SMU is still going to share the ball and “play the right way”.
The Mustangs proved on Sunday that they could win with efficiency when they recorded 26 assists on 29 made field goals in a rout over Eastern Michigan.
Then on Thursday night against Pitt, SMU showed that it could also win in the mud as Jankovich’s squad out rebounded Pitt 40-27 in a 76-67 win in the first round of the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden.
The Ponies will face Michigan in the title game on Friday night.
This team doesn’t have household names that we’ve seen in the past with guys like Nic Moore or Markus Kennedy, but SMU still has enough star power with Shake Milton and Duke transfer Semi Ojeleye to again compete with the teams at the top of the American Conference.
1. SMU will remain a player post-Larry Brown
The whispers were there all summer long following the unexpected resignation of a Hall-of-Fame coach who made the Mustangs’ program relevant.
Could SMU remain a national player after Brown, who led SMU to a 25-5 record a season ago, was no longer on the bench?
If Thursday night is any indication, the answer is a resounding yes.
The Ponies may not have nearly the sizzle that they possessed when Brown was on the sidelines, but his replacement — Tim Jankovich — is well respected as a tactician and has proven out of the gate that SMU is still going to share the ball and “play the right way”.
The Mustangs proved on Sunday that they could win with efficiency when they recorded 26 assists on 29 made field goals in a rout over Eastern Michigan.
Then on Thursday night against Pitt, SMU showed that it could also win in the mud as Jankovich’s squad out rebounded Pitt 40-27 in a 76-67 win in the first round of the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden.
The Ponies will face Michigan in the title game on Friday night.
This team doesn’t have household names that we’ve seen in the past with guys like Nic Moore or Markus Kennedy, but SMU still has enough star power with Shake Milton and Duke transfer Semi Ojeleye to again compete with the teams at the top of the American Conference.