Honest Opinions About Coach Doh

[ibezu2]

I'm reversing my opinion that I had a month or so ago. After watching this "team" play all season, I think Coach Doherty is doing the best he can with what he has to work with. Recruiting is the "key" to building a program, I believe Coach Doherty will get the job done, but not in one, two or three years. All it takes is one or two "players" to come in here and change this program for decades. It's obvious to me that these recruits were highly overrated...sometimes we don't get what we paid for or expected. The individual play is very disappointing, and being "freshman" is NOT a good excuse. They lack talent (basic basketball skills), heart, discipline, etc. "They look like they're trying to play basketball with a football." We would be foolish to place the same kind of "unrealistic expectations" on Coach Jones as we have placed on Coach Doherty.

[mustangxc]

I think we are on track. Remember that last year's team had a decent amount of upperclassmen. This year was basically ground zero. Next year will be a struggle as well. I don't expect anything until the 2010/11 season. That season, our current freshmen will be seniors and I expect us to make an NCAA tournament run and at least get an NIT bid. The following season I do expect us to make it to the NCAA tournament. If SMU does not qualify for the 2011/12 NCAA tournament I will definitely be upset.

[Mustang98]

Be patient everyone. Look how long it took Ron Meyer to dig out of a deep hole of no talent. All it takes is one player to turn the tide. Who is the player that Coach K signed that basically shocked everyone else and turned his program around? I forget his name, but Coach K is indebted to him to this day because this player took a chance on going to Duke over NC, Maryland, NC State, etc. Anyone know the name?

[angryfan04]

Don't know his name, but I do know that the UTEP coach didn't have much when he got there 2 years and essentially won this season with several freshmen. Doh has not lived up to the hype.....

[Pony Ride]

This thread may be the best discussion I've seen on this site. I think everyone that posted made a thoughtful, intelligent response.

IMO, it's too early to judge Coach Doh...as many have already said. Typical of our culture, everyone wants immediate results. But that's not going to happen at a "mid major" like SMU. I agree that two special recruits can immediately change the direction of a program. However, we are not going to get that type of player...yet. You either have to win or have a national presence to draw those program-changing players. We don't have either at the moment.

But, the pieces are in place now for Coach Doh to succeed at SMU. And he knows it. If we do not see any progress next year, then we should be worried about our coach.

[RGV Pony]

Don't know his name, but I do know that the UTEP coach didn't have much when he got there 2 years and essentially won this season with several freshmen. Doh has not lived up to the hype.....

Barbee.

[angryfan04]

I meant I don't know the name of the player that turned it around for coach K

[George S. Patton]

The first round of the tournament was where I thought our season would end. I just believed that we would be around .500 because of the soft non-conference schedule. I said 5-11 in CUSA play and we got 4-10 so pretty close. The highlights of the season were beating TCU (That Daugherty may be on his way out) and beating UTEP in 2OT.

At times, Dia, Harp and Malone looked ready to play at the DI level. At times, they didn't. Couldn't have been more disappointed in my boy Mike Walker. Everything I read and saw gave me the impression he would be a good point guard. Now, I don't know what he is. Maybe he doesn't either.

I give Doherty credit for getting maximum out of Jon Killen because I never believed Killen would amount to this. Good for him. The same thing for Ofeubo. I know under previous regimes, our great players never took their games to the next level as juniors and seniors. They hit a plateau.

IMO on this roster:
*Killen is probably a SLC player
*Ritter isn't even here
*Roberts is a 6th or 7th guy for a mid-major
*Fall probably starts at a mid-major

I think this is going to be a very important summer for the freshmen and for some of the upper classmen in terms of strength, basketball IQ and fundamentals. It's going to be very important for them to advance to their games so they will give us a chance to be better next year. It also could be an interesting May signing period.

Of the four signees, I could only see Otis and DuBois contributing. The other two hard to know. And it will be interesting to see what really happens with Rhodes, Kwiatkowski and Spencer. I think the latter two won't be here next year.

Recruiting Texas has to change. I still have my issues with Goree Johnson and the DISD, but hopefully some mending is being done that we don't know about.

I've seen Matt blow some games that we should have won. I thought he was outcoached in the SFA game. I also think he messed up in the Tulsa game here when he didn't call timeout with 6 seconds to play and set up his defense. Nothing you can do but tip your cap to the Marshall guy on that shot.

But you need better talent and this program isn't at that point yet. You could just see in the Houston games where the difference in athleticism was alarming.

With the academic restriction loosening and a $13 million practice facility, Doherty is getting the tools to perhaps pursue players he probably wouldn't have had a shot at before.

The wins aren't there and they may not be for 1 or 2 more. There are different ways to try and build a program. I think Matt understands the infrastructure and creating visibility. We haven't seen that in some time. He did all of that.

I know we look at first-year coaches at Drake and San Diego who got their programs into the NCAA and we clench our fists in rage. But keep in mind, Kehno Davis accelerated what his father Dr. Tom Davis built for about 4 years.

But this is the course we are on. Like it or not, we have to stay on it until enough is known to determine if Doherty can move in the direction we want. And in my opinion, we're not there yet.

[George S. Patton]

I meant I don't know the name of the player that turned it around for coach K

You mean Johnny Dawkins?

[PonyDoh]

I meant I don't know the name of the player that turned it around for coach K

You mean Johnny Dawkins?

Possibly Mark Alarie

[PonyDoh]

Next year, we should should start to see what Doh is up to. We were so sub-par athletically this year, its near impossible to see how the following athletes won't be a massive upgrade.

Simply, adding Rhodes/Otis/Dubois/Clarke/Haynes/Nyakundi & Faye into the equation puts on equal footing physically. I'm not saying these are polished stars, but all are athletes. I hope Haynes recovers from a severe ankle injury b/c the kid is a physical specimen. Otis & Dubois should work their way into the rotation early and many have been impressed w/Nyakundi in practice etc.

The team still lacks high end guard play, while adding athletes. Dubois is a combo and Haynes is a 2/3. The PG position must be addressed and some dead weight on the roster must be run to give Doh additional ships.

If you break it down, we have 14 returning players, so something has to give:

PG: Walker, Dubois
SG: Harp, Rhodes, Haynes
SF: Malone, Otis, Nyakundi
PF: Dia, Faye, Clarke, Spencer
C: Fall, TK

One thing is for sure, we go from no depth to having a lot of players that are fairly athletic and long. There is pretty much no way to predict how that team will do, none. Its just chock full of question marks. That said, its make up beats the hell out of what we saw this year and the year before.

[Glenn Sosbee]

OK. Let's all be honest. I don't think there was a single SMU fan who was disappointed with the hiring of Matt Doherty. Anytime we can get a guy who was the head coach at North Carolina for God's sakes is great. However, after two years, are the results better/worse/or as you expected? Personally, I think we'd all be screaming bloody murder if after two seasons June Jones hadn't produced more than Coach D.

Now I'm not saying get rid of the guy. I still think he can get it done here. All I'm asking is that after two seasons, can we sit back and objectively say we are as excited now as the day we hired him? I don't think so. And, as others have indicated, the outlook for next season isn't that much brighter. So how long is this rebuilding process going to take? Again I'm not advocating that we get rid of Coach Doh or anything like that. But I think we should re-examine the expectations we had when he was brought here.

Not even coach K could turn this mess around in 2 years. These circumstances are a result of two things. Conference realignment and A Kenneth Pye. Oh, did I mention the remaining death penalty cloud?
I'm sorry, UAB and UCF just don't excite me (or anyone else). The only exciting game this year was when we played former SWC foe TCU. The fans showed up and we actually won.
I miss getting to play the UT's and A&M's of the world. Not to mention being on the same recruiting level.

[gostangs]

Pye?? Really??? You are going with that? How bout blaming the football issue on Coach Bell?

This has nothing to do with A Ken. Its been 20 something yrs by now - lets put that excuse in the deep freeze for good.

We have invested in a top flight AD, top flight facilities, and finally top flight coaches. Excuse time is about over.

[Glenn Sosbee]

Pye?? Really??? You are going with that? How bout blaming the football issue on Coach Bell?

This has nothing to do with A Ken. Its been 20 something yrs by now - lets put that excuse in the deep freeze for good.

We have invested in a top flight AD, top flight facilities, and finally top flight coaches. Excuse time is about over.

You're damn right I am. And I knew I was gonna draw idiots like you out like angry fire ants. When are you people gonna get over your denial and realize our athletic program was DESTROYED.
Coach Bell? Who the hell is that? Matty?

[angryfan04]

I'd rather see us play UTEP than A&M; UTEP has a much better tradition than the stupid aggies