ESPN preview of Conf USA

[carolsmu]

ESPN preview of Conf USA

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2560815

Doug Gottlieb
SMU with Matt Doherty should be interesting. The Mustangs return most of their talent, but suffer a huge loss with the graduation of Bryan Hopkins.

Andy Katz
SMU: Bamba Fall is eligible to play. He's a 7-1, 200-pound, run-like-a-deer shot-blocker who played in 18 games last season, blocking 53 shots. There were some concerns if he was going to be ready to go …Derrick Roberts is healthy after recovering from knee surgery …The only major hit off of Jimmy Tubbs' team is the loss of point guard Bryan Hopkins … There doesn't seem to be any negative effect from the NCAA violation allegations against Tubbs. We'll see if anything develops, but Matt Doherty doesn't seem to be seeing any impact. Doherty landed 6-4 Ryan Harp from Abilene Cooper (Texas) High this month and is looking to get seven players signed in this class.


Matt Doherty is on his seventh house as a coach, his fourth in four years.
"I don't want to do that to my family again,'' Doherty said. "My son and daughter are in third and second grade and it's the third school in three years. But this is a good job in a good city. I'm not looking. I've been to the top of the mountain and the view isn't always great. I've got one of the potential best coaching jobs because of the quality of life.''

Doherty was an assistant at Kansas, went to Notre Dame for one year, North Carolina for three, was out of coaching for two, at Florida Atlantic last season and now is at SMU.

"People that haven't coached at North Carolina, Kentucky, Duke or UCLA don't know what it's like,'' Doherty said. "It sounds glamorous, but it's a unique animal. I don't have to have that. I understand that and my wife and I really like Dallas. It's a great city.''

Doherty is adamant that SMU is a different job than when Mike Dement was here in the mid to late 1990s before former coach Jimmy Tubbs. Athletic director Jim Copeland is gone and former Central Florida AD Steve Orsini is on board and looking to pump up the program.

"We've raised seven million for a new basketball center and we'll start digging in November,'' said Doherty. "Everyone said the same thing about Notre Dame (that it can't win) and yet the crowd stormed the court after we beat Connecticut. There is a market here for us. There is history and we can wake it up.''

...

Hot idea
Finally, SMU and UTEP are going big-time in hoops -- facility-wise. They're building practice buildings specifically for basketball. That was unheard of in the state a few years ago before Texas started the trend. Now, look for everyone else to keep up with the Longhorns as best they can. Getting practice gyms at SMU and UTEP certainly will help these programs compete as destinations for high-profile players.

– Andy Katz

[GoRedGoBlue]

What happened to the old 5 - 8 rule in basketball (no more than 5 in one class, 8 over two years).

(I think it was 5/8, might have been 4/7...)

[ALEX LIFESON]

And they have 11 million now!

[ponyboy]

11 Mil! Holy smokes.

I like this quote from Doh: "There is history and we can wake it up." A beautiful sentiment.

[Pony_Fan]

Getting practice gyms at SMU and UTEP certainly will help these programs compete as destinations for high-profile players.

– Andy Katz

*****************************

I know these schools have a practice facility: Baylor, Texas, TCU

do the other Texas schools have one? A&M, Tech, Houston?

[Stallion]

the 5-8 rule got dumped because 90% of the schools in the country recruit JUCOS and Division 1 Transfers in large numbers and that Model really only works if you recruit freshman. Speculation was that there were huge numbers of teams that would have had to field teams well below the 13 scholarship limit. Those coaches had the power to get rid of the rule because they are in a huge majority.

[Pony_Fan]

we need a new Fab 5 ...haha

[BringBackThePonies03]

We will have a good year, yea the good thing about Doherty being here is he wants to stick around for a while, he will make things happen here for SMU basketball. We need some alumni donations to upgrade our facilities.

GO PONIES!!!

[PonyFan]

The university needs to be completely supportive, because if he has success at SMU, some state school will come along with a truckload of cash. I'm hoping he does well enough that this is a problem that needs to be addressed.

[Blunt Pony]

ESPN preview of Conf USA

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2560815

Doug Gottlieb
SMU with Matt Doherty should be interesting. The Mustangs return most of their talent, but suffer a huge loss with the graduation of Bryan Hopkins.

Andy Katz
SMU: Bamba Fall is eligible to play. He's a 7-1, 200-pound, run-like-a-deer shot-blocker who played in 18 games last season, blocking 53 shots. There were some concerns if he was going to be ready to go …Derrick Roberts is healthy after recovering from knee surgery …The only major hit off of Jimmy Tubbs' team is the loss of point guard Bryan Hopkins … There doesn't seem to be any negative effect from the NCAA violation allegations against Tubbs. We'll see if anything develops, but Matt Doherty doesn't seem to be seeing any impact. Doherty landed 6-4 Ryan Harp from Abilene Cooper (Texas) High this month and is looking to get seven players signed in this class.


Matt Doherty is on his seventh house as a coach, his fourth in four years.
"I don't want to do that to my family again,'' Doherty said. "My son and daughter are in third and second grade and it's the third school in three years. But this is a good job in a good city. I'm not looking. I've been to the top of the mountain and the view isn't always great. I've got one of the potential best coaching jobs because of the quality of life.''

Doherty was an assistant at Kansas, went to Notre Dame for one year, North Carolina for three, was out of coaching for two, at Florida Atlantic last season and now is at SMU.

"People that haven't coached at North Carolina, Kentucky, Duke or UCLA don't know what it's like,'' Doherty said. "It sounds glamorous, but it's a unique animal. I don't have to have that. I understand that and my wife and I really like Dallas. It's a great city.''

Doherty is adamant that SMU is a different job than when Mike Dement was here in the mid to late 1990s before former coach Jimmy Tubbs. Athletic director Jim Copeland is gone and former Central Florida AD Steve Orsini is on board and looking to pump up the program.

"We've raised seven million for a new basketball center and we'll start digging in November,'' said Doherty. "Everyone said the same thing about Notre Dame (that it can't win) and yet the crowd stormed the court after we beat Connecticut. There is a market here for us. There is history and we can wake it up.''

...

Hot idea
Finally, SMU and UTEP are going big-time in hoops -- facility-wise. They're building practice buildings specifically for basketball. That was unheard of in the state a few years ago before Texas started the trend. Now, look for everyone else to keep up with the Longhorns as best they can. Getting practice gyms at SMU and UTEP certainly will help these programs compete as destinations for high-profile players.

– Andy Katz

Once again, who are these so called experts who keep insisting that upgraded facilities help to lure talent. Again, I stand by McClown, facilities do not help recruiting.

[LA_Mustang]

I'm no expert, but that statement couldn't be further from the truth. Our lack of facilities and the recruiting restrictions are what have held this program down for years.

[Pony_Fan]

Are we going thru this discussion again? LA is correct - Facilities are necessary and help in recruiting. Is it going to land the next big stud by itself?....NO....It's just a piece of the puzzle.

[SMUltimedia]

Cmon, facilities are vital in recruiting regular students, let alone athletes. Ask anyone whose seen the new Dedman center compared to Cinco...

[Blunt Pony]

I'm no expert, but that statement couldn't be further from the truth. Our lack of facilities and the recruiting restrictions are what have held this program down for years.

C'mon guys, I am just poking fun at McClown who will not stop his drumbeat about not building new facilities. Of course they matter, ESPECIALLY to the 18 year olds we are trying to recruit.

[jtstang]

C'mon guys, I am just poking fun at McClown who will not stop his drumbeat about not building new facilities. Of course they matter, ESPECIALLY to the 18 year olds we are trying to recruit.

Rule number one for a large number of posters on this site: check your sense of humor at the door.