Coaching matters

[chillinfool]

I always thought it was strange that the players don't have a curfew except for the night before the game. I know most teams have them. In fact, if SMU did have one during the season, JW wouldn't have been at that party on a Thursday night last season, which caused the "incident" that lead to his suspension for the UTEP game,,,,just one of those what if's that I am sure PB has thought about. I was OK with the suspension for one game, but I think if there was more discipline instilled on the team, including a curfew, it would have never happened.

[SMU_is_bowling]

I find it hard to beleive there is not a curfew, we had one just 5 years ago, granted, different staff and all . . . I wonder if the players just don't abide by it . . . living off campus did make it more difficult to get close to the underclassman, who are required (again 5 years ago) to live on campus for 2 years, but we never didn't try to get to know each other, you are with them for 20+ hours a week, you can't help but get to know some of them. Sometimes teams don't click, for whatever reason, sometimes people aren't going to be friends. That being said, sweetlady I love the idea of more discipline if they are not so disciplined now, on campus houseing is a good idea and a training table would improve physicality 100% Discipline . . . it does carry over to every aspect of life.

Sweetlady, don't let this board disuade you as to the nature of SMU fans, we all love the univeristy and wont to see it at its best from athletics to academics and everything in between!

[sweetlady]

I agree if the curfew was inforced and the boys were living on the campus tht incident would have not happened along with many other things tht happen when they should be in bed....More discipline is required...my son is a football player there and he will tell you even now at 20 my house curfew is 2 am unless preplanned discussion no exceptions....and trust me he doesnt miss it....or he will not sleep at my house....I just think they are lacking in the one area tht can affect them in a positive manner. Everybody hates rules (and trust me my son does not like mines) but those same rules have kept him focused and on tract for this many years...The curfew is important because they need there rest, the food is important because they need the noursihment and heck they need to put on the weight.....THE PROGRAM JUST NEEDS TO BE MORE DISCIPLINED ALL TOGETHER....And even if you do spend time with the players during the mandatory time wouldn't it be better if you knew who your family was? I have always told my son tht the only people u need to be concerned about are the ones that are directly affected by your success or failure...the team is just like family...everyone is affected by what happens to anyone on it....even the ones tht act like they dont care....THIS IS A TEAM...just needs some stucture....Hopefully the new coach will train them and teach them the right way.

[SMU_is_bowling]

very true, and it is almost impossible not to interact with them outside that mandatory time, but clicks do form, even once you are in the "real world" and they are a downfall to society sometimes. it is absolutely necesarry to form that bond off the field, especailly if you are playing next to the guy, it helps with chemistry, timing, knowing what the other person is thinking before they do it . . . but you cannot force freindships, sometimes the players just don't mesh... facts of life I guess, it is hard to get 90 people in a room to all agree on anything!

[mrydel]

even now at 20 my house curfew is 2 am unless preplanned discussion no exceptions....and trust me he doesnt miss it....or he will not sleep at my house....

I do not know why but that is humorous to me. If he is not in by curfew he will not sleep at your house. Isn't that the whole idea about missing curfew?

I am only kidding. Keep up the fight, save the spoiling for the grandkids.

[sweetlady]

even now at 20 my house curfew is 2 am unless preplanned discussion no exceptions....and trust me he doesnt miss it....or he will not sleep at my house....

I do not know why but that is humorous to me. If he is not in by curfew he will not sleep at your house. Isn't that the whole idea about missing curfew?

I am only kidding. Keep up the fight, save the spoiling for the grandkids.

Lol yeah u would think thts the point but not when u r hanging out with friends and want to go too sleep...hmmm not sure why it works could have to do with the hell to pay the next day...lol cause I can make it miserable when one goes against my rules...lol hmmm NO GRANDKIDS...PLEASE NEVER...

[FWMustangGirl]

Let them live with the regular students. This also helps build some closeness between the players and the students that would help in getting more peole to the games.

When I was at SMU, it seemed the majority of the players lived on campus. Swann and Flanigan lived upstairs from me in Boaz. I definitely agree that there is more interest when the other students know the players. I had friends on my floor who were not football fans by any stretch of the imagination but still attended games (before the blasted move to the Cotton Bowl) because they wanted to support their friends on the team. It's the same reason we went to so many swim meets...if you have friends on the team, you just go.

[southerncomfort]

Let them live with the regular students. This also helps build some closeness between the players and the students that would help in getting more peole to the games.

When I was at SMU, it seemed the majority of the players lived on campus. Swann and Flanigan lived upstairs from me in Boaz. I definitely agree that there is more interest when the other students know the players. I had friends on my floor who were not football fans by any stretch of the imagination but still attended games (before the blasted move to the Cotton Bowl) because they wanted to support their friends on the team. It's the same reason we went to so many swim meets...if you have friends on the team, you just go.

Mmm no that's changed now. Most of them get placed in 4s (suites) in Cockrell McIntosh or else Morrisson. Sometimes McElvaney. They rarely put scholarship boys in Boaz, alot of walk-ons tended to be from Boaz though. Anyways, Boaz is closing down for renovations after this semester so they would be a bunch of refugees seeking shelter. And yes, Moore Hall would count as apartments and they still do get a stipend check although it's significantly smaller than if they lived off-campus because their rent is already technically paid for as a boarding fee anyways. Yesterday, Moore Hall flooded and a few of the football boys skipped out a little bit of practice to check their rooms which apparently now look like wading pools...sucks to be them.

[EastStang]

When I was a freshman at SMU under Fry, there was no athletic dorm and freshman football players lived with the student population. The coaches came in for bed checks periodically. You got to know the guys and it made rooting for them on Saturdays that much easier. Then, Dave Smith came in and required all football players be in athletic dorm. The freshmen players were completely isolated from the rest of the student population except for classes. Also college is a place to grow and learn how to live independently from your parents. And players are human and will make mistakes, but that is part of growing up. I think that off campus living by football players should not be permitted. But, an athletic dorm should not be mandated either. If you start isolating the players too much from the rest of the student body, it will create other problems for the program. For one thing, students who got to know these players from living in the dorms would include them in their study groups to help them get through school. I remember sitting up half the night with a few buddies one of them a lineman studying economics. It was a difficult class for him and I like to think the rest of us helped him get through it.

[southerncomfort]

Ya'll make it sound like after freshman or sophomore year, these guys just go off-campus and isolate themselves but that's really not the case. They know plenty of people from classes, from freshman/sophomore year, from going out etc. Furthermore, most of them live in relative closeness to each other i.e. Amesbury Parc and only a small minority of them live alone and usually for a decent/good reason. Yes, you're right, there may be more people in the stands if the football guys had more friends that would come out to support them but when you're 1-7 and the games aren't very inspiring...well...

[expony18]

1. you CAN'T have an athletic dorm these days anyways! athletes can only make up a small percentage of the population in any given dorm, this is a policy that is set nation wide. 2. Athletes live off campus all across the nation, think about schools that have 30,000+ students. You should go to the game because you are rooting for your school to do well, not because you have a man crush on your neighbor.

[sweetlady]

hmmm and I just said I don't agree with them living off campus ...I believe you should eat, sleep, shi$ football...but thts just my opinion. No time for distractions or trying to go too the grocery store or swing by mcdonalds...alot of down falls to the boys being so scattered....They need to build campus apartments tht have 4 bdrms. And require the team live in those apartments along with the students not just dorm for the athletes....bring these guys together as a team....they are soooo divided. JUST A PLAYERS MAMA.

[SMUer]

A lot of the soccer players used to live together in the Binkley Townhouses while I was at SMU not too long ago, but even there I always felt that they chose to isolate themselves (although the semi-daily pot smoking that some of them participated in I'm sure had a little to do with that desire). I think the new dorm-style apartments SMU is building across Mockingbird will offer the right mix of freedom/adultness and continued interaction with student peers for student athletes. I think althetics coaches should encourage dorms or that, instead of off campus housing (although it is SO much cheaper). That latter idea is a major problem.

[mrydel]

I enjoyed living with the normal students. It kept us grounded in reality. It also let us that were not quite as affluent get to hob nob with some of the daddy's money kids.

What we all agreed on was try to stay away from the swimmers. They were an odd lot having live action sword fights and other types of escapdes. Perhaps Waterpony could tell some of the exploits of the swimmers and their campus life.

[EastStang]

When I lived in Daniels, most of the upperclassmen swimmers were in there. They were "different", but then again, the "scenery" going in and out of their apartments was well worth the stangeness quotient. Good thing the NCAA didn't have drug tests back then. There was usually a penumbra around those apartments. But all in all they were a lot of fun to be around, if you didn't mind them forgetting to wear clothing once in awhile. Our little dorm was party central back then.