state of affairs right now

[Hoop Fan]

sorry, but things are pretty sad when the top 3 posts on this forum are all about womens hoops at the moment and the 5th is about Paul Quinn College. My oh my. nothing against the girls, but cmon, all you can hear is crickets.

[MustangStealth]

Unfortunately, those crickets are our next opponent. This schedule is not going to get anyone talking.

[Pony_Fan]

Not much different than previous years....

[George S. Patton]

Unfortunately, those crickets are our next opponent. This schedule is not going to get anyone talking.

Maybe, but this schedule also has us at 0-2 and when you don't beat those people, that's going to happen.

[mustangxc]

We have to be patient. Tubbs and Dement left the cupboard bare for Doherty. This season will be a struggle and next season will be mediocre. Look for brighter days in 2009/2010.

[Hoop Fan]

We have to be patient. Tubbs and Dement left the cupboard bare for Doherty. This season will be a struggle and next season will be mediocre. Look for brighter days in 2009/2010.

Oh, so you thought Tubbs and Dement had full cupboards when they took over huh? right.

[ponyboy]

He's made his point that the cupboard is bare.

[mustangxc]

We have to be patient. Tubbs and Dement left the cupboard bare for Doherty. This season will be a struggle and next season will be mediocre. Look for brighter days in 2009/2010.

Oh, so you thought Tubbs and Dement had full cupboards when they took over huh? right.

Didn't say that. I said they left the cupboard bare. Dement came into a mediocre situation, improved it and had a bad year. Tubbs came into a mediocre situation and ala Bill Guthridge didn't bring in any players while the results on the court steadily declined. Doherty came into a situation with mediocre senior talent and nothing after that. Who do you blame that on? Don't even answer that, I am not meaning to assign blame anywhere. The reality is that this team has very little returning talent and it will take time to develop the freshmen.

[Stallion]

Hey if that's the case why didn't he go seek JUCO players like every other team would do in this situation? A lot of schools find themselves in these turnover years. Those schools would have addressed those issues in the 2006 and 2007 recruiting seasons by recruiting some immediate help. Why didn't SMU? I predicted this before it happened when Tubbs was fired and said SMU's program was going to bottom out (unless JUCOs were signed) when many thought we'd at least be fighting for the NIT this year behind the GREAT Bamba Fall. Its amazing how every time the genuises want to fire a Coach they talk about the team underperforming while once the new coach gets there and reality sets in the conventional wisdom is invariably that the "cupboard was bare". Consistent? at least I'm consistent-few are.

[Hoop Fan]

We have to be patient. Tubbs and Dement left the cupboard bare for Doherty. This season will be a struggle and next season will be mediocre. Look for brighter days in 2009/2010.

Oh, so you thought Tubbs and Dement had full cupboards when they took over huh? right.

Didn't say that. I said they left the cupboard bare. Dement came into a mediocre situation, improved it and had a bad year. Tubbs came into a mediocre situation and ala Bill Guthridge didn't bring in any players while the results on the court steadily declined. Doherty came into a situation with mediocre senior talent and nothing after that. Who do you blame that on? Don't even answer that, I am not meaning to assign blame anywhere. The reality is that this team has very little returning talent and it will take time to develop the freshmen.

a steady decline in two years? funny. kinda like the steady decline so far this year? Another thing about freshmen. Nearly all of you expected Sasser and Hopkins to be All-americans in their first years, but we cant expect wins against Southern now? Sasser and Hopkins were playing to win from the start here. Both happen to be recruits of Mr. Left the Cupboard Bare too. As was our only player in the NBA since Jon koncack...Q Ross to help the people that just registered or got new screen names for the 500th time. lets keep it real. and consistent would be nice.

[Hoop Fan]

one other thing. One of the guys Doherty should have on the roster right now helped lead UNT to a victory over Oklahoma State the other night. He probably couldn't have helped us against Alabama State though. Don't give me this total cupboard bare stuff. Other coaches have had to work with less than ideal talent too. Dorehty could and probably should have a lineup on the floor right now of Dez, Killen, Roberts, Bamba and Papa. It aint great, but it probably beats Southern. How do you think Roberts likes playing with all these freshman. You think this motivates him? None of the freshman other than Dia are remotely ready to start or play major minutes in D-1 games. Malone should be coming off the bench for 8-12 developmental minutes tops. I am all for playing young guys, if they can compete.

[mustangxc]

Hey if that's the case why didn't he go seek JUCO players like every other team would do in this situation? A lot of schools find themselves in these turnover years. Those schools would have addressed those issues in the 2006 and 2007 recruiting seasons by recruiting some immediate help. Why didn't SMU? I predicted this before it happened when Tubbs was fired and said SMU's program was going to bottom out (unless JUCOs were signed) when many thought we'd at least be fighting for the NIT this year behind the GREAT Bamba Fall. Its amazing how every time the genuises want to fire a Coach they talk about the team underperforming while once the new coach gets there and reality sets in the conventional wisdom is invariably that the "cupboard was bare". Consistent? at least I'm consistent-few are.

I agree it is a talent issue. I think it has been a talent issue all these years save for the 200o-2001 season, which in my opinion was a very talented squad that underperformed. However, Dement and Tubbs had more to work with the last 4 years than Doherty has had these past 2.

[mustangbill67]

So why did Dez leave? Was he really run off as some have said because Doh wanted to give his minutes to the "fab 7" or did Dez make the decision himself that he did not want to compete with the "fab 7" for minutes. I also wonder if Dez was actually recruited by NT because it knew he would not have to sit out and it could offer him guaranteed minutes with a fairly good team. I have a hard time laying the blame on Dez leaving on Doh. Dez would have clearly helped this year but he did have his limitations and options.

[PonyDoh]

We definitely have some problems w/the roster. Obviously, Doh was left very little to work with, but when rebuilding a roster, you have to have spacing. This keeps you from completely bottoming out, as well not having to replace a 7 man class, 4 years down the road. Stallion is right, we needed a JUCO or two.

The other negative is w/a class the size of 07, its pretty clear we're looking at attrition, probably forced, down the road. That can get ride of dead weight, but can cause ill will, if it happens to one of the locals.

I've been a Doh supporter and really think he is very good talent evaluator. So far, Alex & Papa seem to be legit players. Out of a 7 man class, I expected 4 to be quality from Day 1. My hope was that Harp & Rhodes were those guys.

My biggest qualm w/Doh on the trail is the lack of a difference maker at PG. We all knew Killen was limited, so we sign Walker. Not hating on the kid, but he was at a very high profile school, and still off the radar. The 08 class, if it signed as it was supposed too, contains Jared Dubois, who is a combo.

If you are going to rely on all frosh, you need a profile kid or two. What the 07 class represents is a bunch of good players, on a good team, in time. That said, the only way it truly gets good, is if a few of these kids develop into monsters, or we get a bona-fide monster. A few legit Top 100 types. I have high hopes for Frank Otis, but the Justin Haynes verbal is scary low profile. We are running out of ships, w/o having landed the marquee pieces. I have confidence Doh will do so, but it gets harder when you're 0-2 vs. the SWAC

[jimhagle]

Doh has to get a top notch point guard and he hasn't so far. It all starts there as we know. And not bringing in a juco or 2 for this year was a huge mistake.