SMU Beaten By Academic Risks....

[Stallion]

....again by La Tech JC. Just the Facts. AT LEAST 69 out of 75 points were scored by academics risks tthat couldn't be admitted to SMU and AT LEAST 30 out of 35 rebounds. Millsap-22 points 13 rebounds- National Top 50 according to at least 5 recruiting sources- was a non-qualifier 2 weeks before signing date according to his HS coach as reported by the Insiders- could otherwise have gone to any school in the country-was sought by a Who's Who of national programs. Dean 23 points 2 rebounds-non-qualifier-"sat out his freshman season to concentrate on academics" according to La Tech press guide. Allick 14 points 6 rebounds-recruited out of JC- Thompson 3 points and 1 rebound-non-qualifier out of High School according to the Insiders and recruited out of a JC. Young 7 points and 6 rebounds-recruited out of JC. If nothing else at least it should open your eyes about whether these guys belong in the CUSA-Changing coaches once again wont change this competitive imbalance.

<small>[ 01-24-2004, 01:36 PM: Message edited by: Stallion ]</small>

[Pony_Fan]

you get so much pleasure out of these stupid posts...fact of the matter is we should be able to beat them at home...I ask you again...did you actually go the game??..I guess you think we should be last in the WAC based on your recruiting stats and talent?

<small>[ 01-24-2004, 05:14 PM: Message edited by: Pony_Fan ]</small>

[CoxSMU]

You're way off base. Show me where Millsap was top 50 by 5 major recruiting sources. I checked two, Rivals and Insiders. Rivals had him as three stars. I thought, "maybe Rivals didn't know this guy like others did." So I check Insiders. He is three stars there as well. He got recruited by some good programs, but no one other than LSU, Texas, and Ole Miss.He was higly recruited, but not the way you make it out to be. He couldn't have gone anywhere.

I've said it before, I am from Louisiana and La. Tech isn't THAT good. What I saw out there today is a lack of blocking out, very little offensive gameplanning, and TERRIBLE shooting.

We easily have the talent to squash Tech.This is an 8-8 team. They aren't at the top of the WAC. I think with the right coach who actually sets up offensive gameplans, we would be a lot better than we are right now...

Go watch a team with a good head coach and you will see fluid ball movement and who has his players crashing the baskets for rebounds. I will admit it isn't all coaching, but most of it is...

<small>[ 01-24-2004, 05:43 PM: Message edited by: CoxSMU ]</small>

[CoxSMU]

By the way, I wasn't trying to say Millsap isn't good. He is phenomal. But Brian Hopkins was recruited a whole boat load more than he was and we have other players on our team that were equal in rating on those same sites. Their JUCO guys helped a lot, but we have talent too. Is it maybe that the recruiting services were right about LA Tech's players, but wrong about ours?? I don't think so...

[angryfan04]

If La Tech has so much talent, why were we favored by 8 today? I guess it was a no brainer to pick La tech today; Stallion should have made a ton of money today since he is much smarter than the odds makers

[Stallion]

Sorry Pal-I've backed up my facts in another post and then rechecked them again-he is listed as the No. 58 in the Final 2003 Insiders Top 100. There's even some more sources I didn't l;ist because they are not as reputable-but they are there. Here's a little lesson for you. When you see a recruit that has interest from UT, OU, LSU, and the other top teams listed and suddenly they all disappear two weeks before signing date and the coach says he's not qualified then he will not receive offers froom any schools in conference that do not take or severely limit non-qualifiers. Then all of a sudden the Louisiana Tech's, Fresno St's and Marshall's of the world step in and grab the guy. And then we get geniuses like you that wonder why Dement can't coach. Anybody that follows recruiting knows exactly what is going on. As for players on our team-we have one player vs. 4 players for Louisiana Tech that got any Top 100 recognition. As for being so "smart" that I could make money betting against SMU, I have been prominent saying for 10 years that SMU would not compete consistently for championships, NCAA Tournaments and Bowl Games until they compete on an even playing field with their opponents. I have an untarnished record and everybody that's read these boards knows it. Its people like you that each year in FB and BB for years that have been in a cycle of hope and despair-and have nothing to offer but firing each coach.

<small>[ 01-24-2004, 08:24 PM: Message edited by: Stallion ]</small>

[Pony_Fan]

You are just a recruiting super-geek who doesn't pay attention to what is happening on the court. Even if Dement had all the Juco's in the world, he could coach for sh*t.

[CoxSMU]

The holes in your argument, Stallion, are glaring.

First off, I wasn't saying Millsapp wasn't recruited. You said he could have "gone anywhere he wanted if had his grades" and I said no he couldn't. In the world of basketball recruiting, you better not make that statement unless he was recruited by the likes of Duke, Stanford, UNC, and the schools I mentioned. Like I said, he was highly recruited, but only with schools in the Southeast. If his grades had been better, he probably would be at UT or LSU or maybe Ole Miss. While those schools are good, especially Texas, he wasn't recruited like you said he was.

Also, you're little "lesson" has nothign to do with what I said.Where did I make an argument about his grades or about why he was at Tech? No where. My point was that you make stupid points like he "could otherwise have gone to any school in the country" and expect no one to challenge you.

As far as the top 100 lists go. Like you said, you're sources aren't reputable. He WASN'T in the top 100 for Insiders, I checked. He was a three star player who wasn't even ranked in their top 100.

By two of the top recruiting services, he was a three star recruit who wasn't ranked. Once again, I am not doubting his talent, not am I bashing him. All I am saying is that he wasn't this messiah like Stallion made him out to be.

We should have beaten Tech, we have the talent to do it, Vegas was sure we would, but we didn't.

[angryfan04]

Stallion, again I ask - if La Tech has so much talent, why were we favored by 8? Does Rice have so much more talent that they should beat us by 40?

[Diehard Pony]

It is possible to have mediocre players and have a good team (see TTech their first year under Knight; see Princeton any year). It is also possible to have mediocre players and have a bad team. The difference is coaching.

We have better than average players.

End of message.

[Stallion]

....the final refuge of the uninformed SMU fan-that response reminds me of the bold predictions of Cavan scapegoaters predicting iminient glory as soon as we get rid of that "idiot" Cavan. I guess we'll just have to take your word for it.

[Arkpony]

He aint gonna get it guys..give it up

[CoxSMU]

Originally posted by Stallion:
....the final refuge of the uninformed SMU fan-that response reminds me of the bold predictions of Cavan scapegoaters predicting iminient glory as soon as we get rid of that "idiot" Cavan. I guess we'll just have to take your word for it.

Check on my post "how much does Dement make." I may be wrong, but you Stallion responded to it. My point was that in the world of the Academic schools, Basketball is an easier sport to develop than is Football. The only catch is the money. We would have to increase the basketball budget to attract a top coach. Other than that, there is nothing else we would need to do. We would be able to field a good team under the same recruiting standards with a good coach....

Also, I like how you didn't even respond to my arguments. I guess when I brought up that he wasn't even in the top 100 for Insiders, you realized you had lost? Nice try....

[Stallion]

name a school in Texas or the WAC that has with some consistency(hell ever) gone to the NCAA Tourney using the Model we have today.

[CoxSMU]

Unfortunately, I only follow SMU and LSU closely and don't know the recruiting standards that every school follows. But that doesn't change anything. My point was that we don't need to adopt a different model for basketball. The one thing we would need to do is up the budget for a basketball coach. A quality basketball coach would 1) have had this team in the top 3 in the WAC right now and 2) Deliver a tournament birth within three years.

You're argument stands with Football. I am not going to sit here and say that we could have a top 25 football team under the current model, but Basketball is a completely different can of worms. What I have seen in the three games I have caught this year was that we have an ultra talented PG in Bryan Hopkins who given some direction could take his game to another level. What I saw out there was a lack of offensive movement, no true offensive gameplan, and an imature player(Hopkins) who doesn't seem to have any guidance as to how to run an offense. Do I blame Dement completely? No. But he shoulders the majority of the blame. If you guys wanna see a basketball team that is well coached and utilizes talent, watch a St. Joe's game.