mustangnation wrote:I am probably going to get torched for this but I think that it is a good thing that he is gone. He took the program as far as he could and there is no reason that we should not have already have won a National Championship, at the very least played for one.
SMU is a top 5 soccer job in the country. It is the only D-1 program in the state and is in arguably the biggest hotbed for youth soccer. There is no reason that we should not be able to get the very best coach out there who will deliver that elusive National Title.
We "play for one" every year. 23 NCAA tournaments in 24 years is outrageous. Yes, we had a better chance a few times than others, but the fact that he got us in position to compete for the big prize every single year (ZERO losing seasons in 24 years?) is astounding. St. Louis has missed NCAA tournaments. Duke has missed NCAA tournaments. Maryland has missed NCAA tournaments. UConn has missed NCAA tournaments.
He had some bad luck, untimely injuries and in 2001 ran into a St. John's buzzsaw that would have beaten anyone that night. But his run of continued victories at SMU is something we likely will never see again in any sport at SMU. His longevity and continuous winning have set a standard that might be out of anyone's reach.
As much as I like him, I don't think Coach McClements has any kind of "inside track," and I'm not sure Coach Grimes is a shoe-in, either, by any stretch, although I would expect each will get an interview. I would think the names of some of the people in the mix will astound a lot of fans.
mustangnation wrote:I am probably going to get torched for this but I think that it is a good thing that he is gone. He took the program as far as he could and there is no reason that we should not have already have won a National Championship, at the very least played for one.
SMU is a top 5 soccer job in the country. It is the only D-1 program in the state and is in arguably the biggest hotbed for youth soccer. There is no reason that we should not be able to get the very best coach out there who will deliver that elusive National Title.
We "play for one" every year. 23 NCAA tournaments in 24 years is outrageous. Yes, we had a better chance a few times than others, but the fact that he got us in position to compete for the big prize every single year (ZERO losing seasons in 24 years?) is astounding. St. Louis has missed NCAA tournaments. Duke has missed NCAA tournaments. Maryland has missed NCAA tournaments. UConn has missed NCAA tournaments.
He had some bad luck, untimely injuries and in 2001 ran into a St. John's buzzsaw that would have beaten anyone that night. But his run of continued victories at SMU is something we likely will never see again in any sport at SMU. His longevity and continuous winning have set a standard that might be out of anyone's reach.
As much as I like him, I don't think Coach McClements has any kind of "inside track," and I'm not sure Coach Grimes is a shoe-in, either, by any stretch, although I would expect each will get an interview. I would think the names of some of the people in the mix will astound a lot of fans.
I agree that his record has been unbelievable in his time here but I dont think that it is apples to apples comparing Duke, MAryland and some of the other traditional soccer powers. SMU has played in a weaker conference the last 10 plus years almost guaranteeing them a tournament bid. I understand that we can only play the games that are scheduled but look what happens year in and year out once a highly ranked SMU team makes the tournament. We lose in the 1st few rounds to a major conference team. I think Schellas was a hell of a coach at SMU but some new blood in here will hopefully give the program the boost to get over the numerous tournament disapointments.