SMU rarely gets it...

[Original Frank]

Perhaps four things entered into the decision:

1. BBall teams can win big with only two or three top players. Surround the talent with a bunch of role players and good coaching and you will find many of the "Cinderellas" from years past. This is far different than with football where you need many more top players to be competitive. This is why there are so many more competitive bball teams than football teams.

2. To accomplish the above, Jimmy was hired to recruit the fertile DISD grounds mentioned above. Only a couple of difference-makers and the stage would be set. Unforutnately, in two years - just after all the DISD coaches fully endorsed him - he has none. For whatever reason, the Jimmy-DISD pipeline did not work. Further, if it's not going to work at the start of his tenure when everyone is excited, it is likely not going to work later.

3. Without Jimmy's ability to successfully recruit DISD, he is probably in over his head. He is known for being a good recruiter especially in DFW locales, not for being a bball teaching fundamentalist nor a great administrator.

4. I like Jimmy as I met him when my son attended both of his two summer camps. I think he is a great guy and his enthusiasm was contagious. But I will tell you that Jimmy is not a great organizer, a great communicator, nor a great innovator. I really was pulling for him but I thought he might be in over his head from the start, especially if the recruits did not come forward quickly.

I'm dissappointed for Jimmy personally but I am not surprised. I just did not see this deal working out. It's time to move on and see what the next guy can bring.

[DickerJames]

Perhaps four things entered into the decision:

1. BBall teams can win big with only two or three top players. Surround the talent with a bunch of role players and good coaching and you will find many of the "Cinderellas" from years past. This is far different than with football where you need many more top players to be competitive. This is why there are so many more competitive bball teams than football teams.

I agree, and this is why I believe SMU needs to get serious about basketball. I hope our football team can win 6 games and go to some insignificant bowl game this year, but the reality of the world today keeps us from ever repeating our glory days. TCU has made a miraculous turnaround the past few years and I wish we had their success on the football field, but with all of their success they are still irrellevant in the college football world.

2. To accomplish the above, Jimmy was hired to recruit the fertile DISD grounds mentioned above. Only a couple of difference-makers and the stage would be set. Unforutnately, in two years - just after all the DISD coaches fully endorsed him - he has none. For whatever reason, the Jimmy-DISD pipeline did not work. Further, if it's not going to work at the start of his tenure when everyone is excited, it is likely not going to work later.

Jimmy is the only man that has been able to recruit the DISD since the Dave Bliss era. This year we made the lists of several very good DISD players for the first time since B-Hop. Most of you saw failure, I saw hope.

3. Without Jimmy's ability to successfully recruit DISD, he is probably in over his head. He is known for being a good recruiter especially in DFW locales, not for being a bball teaching fundamentalist nor a great administrator.

I don't think there is a person on this board that would'nt admit the jury was still out on JT as head coach, but the reasonable among us looked at the talent he inherited and the time he had to do something about it.

4. I like Jimmy as I met him when my son attended both of his two summer camps. I think he is a great guy and his enthusiasm was contagious. But I will tell you that Jimmy is not a great organizer, a great communicator, nor a great innovator. I really was pulling for him but I thought he might be in over his head from the start, especially if the recruits did not come forward quickly.

I never personally met the man.

I'm dissappointed for Jimmy personally but I am not surprised. I just did not see this deal working out. It's time to move on and see what the next guy can bring.