Basketball Commitment

[SoCal_Pony]

Now I know at the end of the day the hand grenade theory doesn't help you on the floor, but I truly think Tubbs has proven his ability to get the attention of the big boys and it is a matter of time and circumstances before he signs one of them.

My concern is if Tubbs has another mediocre season played in front of sparse crowds he will lose some of his luster and the likelihood of him landing these ‘big fishes’ diminishes…

We have just witnessed this first-hand with PB. Initial recruiting class was impressive, then reality sunk in and recruiting has suffered.

[jtstang]

My concern is if Tubbs has another mediocre season played in front of sparse crowds he will lose some of his luster and the likelihood of him landing these ‘big fishes’ diminishes…

We have just witnessed this first-hand with PB. Initial recruiting class was impressive, then reality sunk in and recruiting has suffered.

Okay, assuming your concerns are valid, and I really do think they are, what do you propose as a solution? Fire Tubbs? Who better would come to SMU under these circumstances with these facilities?

[ponyboy]

You're making a lot of sense, jt. And as a founding member of the Sunshine Club, I see no overt homerism in your musings.

What does "jt" stand for, by the way? Your initials?

[My handle FWIW is from a character in S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders." Trivia: I have a cousin who played one of the characters in the movie (not Ponyboy).]

[SoCal_Pony]

JT,

I’ve noticed lately that when people are critical of our BB program the comeback by some is ‘so you want to FIRE Tubbs?’

I don’t think anyone on this board has stated such…certainly I haven’t, I think any coach needs at least 3 years before you make that determination. Personally still think Tubbs could be a great one for SMU.

But that doesn’t change my assessment of the situation. I do not think we have the players to be competitive in C-USA, nor do I think Tubbs coaching ability can elevate them to a level we will be happy with. So far I would give Tubbs a ‘C’ in recruiting and next year we lose BHop, one of our best players here over the past 15 years. So unless we sign SS or some other big names, our longer term prospects don’t look so good.

[DickerJames]

Don't let the football team skew your thoughts on basketball.

That can be the only reason for the stupidity I have read on 3 pages concerning the signing of a kid from Cameroon. Hoop Fan was right back on page 1 when he said "If Bennet was sniffing half the local talent Tubbs is alot of you guys would be wetting yourselves." Tubbs inherited a team with 1 above average player that got BLOWN OUT in several games and was accused of quitting on their coach. The record didn't show it, but if you actually attend the games you saw big improvement last year with team defense being played and some decent center play from a very mediocre player, and players actually having fun playing the game. I'd also like to call B.S. on the assertion that we were in contention for top local talent under Dement. I'm sorry, I don't ever remember being one of 2 or 3 finalist against top basketball schools like we have been this year.

One of the funniest post in this thread actually called jtstang a sunshinner. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think he actually coined the phrase. I think everybody that reads and posts daily on the football board is a sunshinner. You wouldn't be spending so much time on this board if you didn't have HOPE that the future was bright and the football team would eventually turn things around. Several of you mask these feelings by being critical of everything. As for the posters that start every season predicting a winning season and get excited about the next game no matter what our record is, those would be Sunshinners Extreme.

Tubbs may turn out to be a complete failure, but to critisize the man right now is just dumb.

[Hoop Fan]

you werent impressed with how Brian Morris played the other night? You dont think this guy has anything to offer? Can't play in CUSA? Where do you get this conclusion? Before you dismiss the opponent, our veteran power forwards (Ike and Ritter) didnt seem to be able to have the same impact and certainly dont have the potential that Big Brian has.

Also where does the conclusion that Tubbs cant coach come from? Last year? The Dement years? I'm not even trying to argue with you here, I'm just trying to understand what the conclusions are based on.

[Stallion]

Well DickerJames then you weren't paying attention-I bet I follow recruiting about 10 time closer than you and under Dement SMU recruited Dallas just about as well as can be expected. At least 8 Texas Top 20s from DFW off the top of my head plus another 5-6 every year we didn't get. I don't think Tubbs has a single Texas Top 20 out of DFW except the transfer Willingham

[Hoop Fan]

who exactly were the big near misses? Anybody of Odufuwa or Arthur's caliber? I really dont think so. And this really isnt a comparison of Tubbs and Dement is it? Dement doesn't get most of the good players we got without Tubbs and we all know it. Tubbs will get more guys that compare favorably to Sasser, Davis and Hancock, dont worry.

[Stallion]

no the point is-we ain't getting the caliber of players we had when Dement first got here-that's why we are going out of state-because we didn't get the guys we wanted and in fact offered. And that is the truth.

[PK]

BTW, [deleted] is shorthand for Damon Hanc0ck for those new to the board.

[Hoop Fan]

I understand that, the issue is whether that is a trend or an event. And you are making a very categorical statement because Willingham is a better player than any single player signed in Dements early years including Stephen Woods, Sasser and Davis. Damon had more talent, but not the head. Also, Morris is probably going to be a better power player than anybody Dement got in his whole time here. Nigel Smith had hands of stone.

[EastStang]

I think Tubbs will pan out in the long run. Don't hit the panic button in recruiting year 2. They guy has struck out on players who are being recruited by top ten programs, not on guys who go to some backwater school. Are we recruiting talent which will compete for championships in CUSA, not yet, but again, this is our first year in the league with WAC 10 recruits. Let recruits see the games against UH, UTEP, Memphis and Tulsa. I think by the end of this season, we'll be in the middle of the conference. Let's hope that until we catch on the Tubbs can sign a JUCO or get a transfer here and there to patch holes until we reel in a big fish.

[jtstang]

JT,

I’ve noticed lately that when people are critical of our BB program the comeback by some is ‘so you want to FIRE Tubbs?’

I'm not suggesting that's what you want, I'm asking what your solution is.

[Waz]

I have yet to grasp what real significance it makes where a recruit comes from. The State of North Carolina seems to produce some pretty good talent each year, but remarkably schools in that State seem to put a pretty significant part of their rosters together with out of state talent. Hmm. It would be absolutely fantastic if we could recruit only locally, but until we have something to draw these players here besides Mom's cooking down the road, we need to fill holes with the best talent we can find. Amazingly, local kids will more likely stay local if there is a program locally that offers them something. Until then, we have to search.

The 'awesome' local talent that Dement was able to recruit didn't do much for two reasons: the weren't that 'awesome' and he couldn't develope them. At least Tubbs seems to be able to improve the end product, which, if I am not mistaken, is the whole point.

[Stallion]

it matters if you are taking your 4th or 5th choice at a position-which in fact is what is happening. And WAZ your not thinking too well because most of those Dallas players were at least All-Conference, our leading scorers and were generally our best players. The fact is that they were the kind of players we needed but we just didn't get enough of them especially big men. The players not from DFW who excelled have been few and far between.