Lay off this team a bit

[DickerJames]

Nobody with a brain was expecting a winning season out of this team, but EVERYONE, me included, was expecting a winning non-conference record against Cupcake U. That Dayton team was a preview of what we will face in C-USA except for Memphis, which means we probably wont match last years 3 conference wins. Therefore, its pretty imperative that they beat Paul Quinn at home or this thing could really snowball.

[SoCal_Pony]

I think the reason SMU isn't getting any JUCO's isn't because of recruiting limitations, but because Doherty doesn't want the "quick fix." I believe I read a quote last year that says something along those lines.

That was the quote PBennett used. I didn't believe him at the time, given his K-State roots.

If there is anything we have learned from the past, it is 'waiting a few years to rebuild it the right way' is hazardous to your health.

[SMUmessageboardScreename]

I think the reason we all thought we would dominate these cupcakes is because we have Derrick Roberts, John Killen, Bamba Fall, and some highly touted recruits.

Derrick Roberts has basically been a huge disappointment. He has the talent to be a top notch player. There is no consistency from him what so ever.

Killen needs to SHOOT THE BALL. Doherty needs to give him 40 minutes and tell him he isn't coming out no matter how many shots he misses. Killen looks afraid to get pulled from the game. If he had a killer instinct, he would be a much more dynamic player.

Bamba has none, 0, zilch inside toughness. He is just too skinny. He blocks his share of runners from guards, but he gets punished on the inside.

Basically our 3 main returning contributors all have major major flaws and our freshman are a lot more raw than anyone here thought. I sure hope we don't lose to paul quinn.

[mr. pony]

Would Mike Dement or Jimmy Tubbs get a pass for being 0-4 with this schedule?

[Pony_Fan]

I think the reason SMU isn't getting any JUCO's isn't because of recruiting limitations, but because Doherty doesn't want the "quick fix." I believe I read a quote last year that says something along those lines.

He has to say that now that he is at SMU. He would get Juco's if he could.

[2112]

i hope everyone on this board will be there tuesday

[DickerJames]

I think the reason we all thought we would dominate these cupcakes is because we have Derrick Roberts, John Killen, Bamba Fall, and some highly touted recruits.

You hit the nail on the head. I don't expect domination, but there just isn't an excuse for losing to Southern and Centenary at home and certainly not by double digits. We should be 3-1 right now with our only loss being Dayton, and 2-2 would be completely understandable since Alabama State isn't horrible, but it should have at least been close.

We get a preview of our next two opponents tonight when Paul Quinn plays at UTSA.

[SMUmessageboardScreename]

Would Mike Dement or Jimmy Tubbs get a pass for being 0-4 with this schedule?

with this team, sure. I honestly don't know what would be happening right now if Tubbs were still here. You might have had to fill out 6 spots on the roster from the Dedman intramural games. I was not here when Dement was recruiting, so I will assume he was the one that got bhop, simpson, castro, etc.....So I imagine if we had him we would have either a similar team or a better team (if he recruits better than Doh, which seems unlikely but it is impossible to measure) playing completely uninspired basketball built on walking the ball up the floor and chucking up ill advised shots.

[Hoop Fan]

Would Mike Dement or Jimmy Tubbs get a pass for being 0-4 with this schedule?

with this team, sure. I honestly don't know what would be happening right now if Tubbs were still here. You might have had to fill out 6 spots on the roster from the Dedman intramural games. I was not here when Dement was recruiting, so I will assume he was the one that got bhop, simpson, castro, etc.....So I imagine if we had him we would have either a similar team or a better team (if he recruits better than Doh, which seems unlikely but it is impossible to measure) playing completely uninspired basketball built on walking the ball up the floor and chucking up ill advised shots.

oh, ok. if you say so.

[Alaric]

I finally saw my first game of this year when they played Dayton. I understand the frustration...we are beyond terrible. But layoff Doherty and give this team a chance.

A flawed thought:
" Freshman are helping teams win across the country. Our Freshman are losing, therefore they are no good."
...
When I look at what Mike Dement and Jimmy Tubbs did the last few years before Doherty, it was a bunch of nothing. The team looked uninspired, no recruiting, no nothing. They were a much more talented and seasoned bunch, but the underachieving was almost more depressing.

I think he's right. The gap between high school and college is enormous. Adding one or two great freshman in with upperclassman is totally different than what we've got now. Our situation reminds me of the person who posed the question on the football msg board asking if Southlake Carroll might beat SMU. That's ridiculous because the gap between high school and college is so big. If you look at this team, that's what we basically have, a high school team. Even against weak college teams, we're terrible. It's only to be expected with this many freshman. The day Doh decided not to get 2-3 juco's, he decided against a quick turnaround. I personally don't think it was a great decision but having these kids around for a long time is a counterweight to JUCO's...we'll see. Just because we're struggling doesn't mean we're in trouble for the future given that we've got so many freshman.

[angryfan04]

He's wrong: Teams can win with freshmen; UTEP has a 2nd year coach and plays 5 freshmen and is 3-1.

Yes - there is a difference between college and hs, but these guys are no longer high school age - that was last year - it is not like they skipped their last year in hs and are playing "up" - they are college ball players now.

Also - Roberts, Killen and Fall are not freshmen. Let just quit with the excuses and hope these guys figure something out this season and show some progress.....I don't expect a winning record in conference play but some Ws during the non-conference schedule would be a step in the right direction. I really expect these guys to step it up tomorrow against Paul Quinn

[Charleston Pony]

don't look now, but for those who thought SC-Upstate was another "cupcake" win, that bunch lost at Cincinnatti by 12 after trailing at half by only 5 ptf. I'm going out on a limb and guessing that Cincy is a much tougher place to play than Moody (in front of 7-800) will be for them