No way around it: OUTCOACHED

[Argyle Pony]

I am very frustrated too...if we had made those shots that went in and came out...we would have won...for several shots went in on three's, then came out...They are still so young...and we know that young teams have more ups and downs....don't win on the road much and have good nites also...how long of rope do we give coach...is hard to say...I would like to have a set team and then substitute all five so teams can learn to play together to have team spirit and unity...we could sub...all but Falls...and have two teams....Seems like Falls is playing a better game...We do have to get better but with a few on the road...we may lose all before we return home and that will be hard to take....question is to me is...Will We win 10 games this year?...Go Mustangs!!!

[EastStang]

I watched the game on CSTV Saturday evening. Here are my thoughts. First, ECU is one of the conference leaders in 3 point shooting. They also are the smallest team in the conference. The game plan had us put a small line-up out there to stop their three rather than pound them inside. Guess what, you win more games inside the paint than outside the paint. During that good run early in the second half, it was inside basketball, then
ECU went to match-up zone. Rather than for example switching to a big line-up to counter the zone (where they had no big men at all) we stayed small and start jacking up shots from the perimeter and they caught us and passed us. Also they got several Offensive rebounds with a height disadvantage, now to be fair, some of those to long rebounds off the rim, but still, several were under the basket and led to baskets. There should have been virtually none. We didn't get many offensive rebounds, despite a height advantage. While Pete Gillen drives me crazy, he was right on to note that we seemed to have abandoned what was working. This game was ours with about five minutes to go. We had them on the ropes. Rather than keep pounding inside, we played right into their hands. I had no real problems with putting Harp in for defense on the perimeter, but I would have preferred putting Dia in with Fall and let them try and defend the inside then. The contrast with the women is stark. They find a way to win, the men find a way to lose.

[papawasamustang]

All the "we are young" excuses don't have any merit.
I thought the difference makers on the floor for ECU @ crunch time were
Brook Young, a soph, Darrius Morrow is a freshman & Jamar Abrams is a soph.

[The XtC]

That would be the second Coach that we fired before he Coached a Senior Class.

Faye and Williams are both seniors next year, and both Doh recruits. The remaining players from the 7 man freshman class in 07 will be juniors. We'll be top heavy with upperclassmen.

Well there is no way in hell Doherty gets fired next year.

Really? You think any coach anywhere would survive 4 straight seasons below 200 in the RPI, and a pattern of declining success? SMU may only win 2 conference games this year, which would be less than last year, which was fewer than the year before. It's starting to look like we'll win less than 10 games overall, which would be fewer than last year, which was fewer than the year before. Our current RPI is 286, which is lower than last year, which was lower than the year before. Attendance at our OOC games was abysmal, you could even say embarrassing. There has to be clear and quantifiable improvement next season, there has to be a reversal of the downward trend.

I think next year there will be enough improvement for Doh to survive awhile, but another season like this one would do him in. No coach can survive 4 years of decline, particularly when you are already this close to rock bottom.

[FriscoPMG]

Rob Evans will be SMU's new mens basketball coach in the spring of 2010.

X - My apologies if you've explained this in the past, but why do you think Evans will be the next coach? I'd have no problem with that, but just curious if there is a specific link to him. I know his name was mentioned during the last coach search.
Based on his track record, I think he would fall under Orsini's "big name, established coach" category, even though it looks like he's 0-1 in basketball big name hires...

And I'm with you - as frustrating as it is, all you can really do is sit back and watch the meltdown take place...

[The XtC]

Evans and Gerald Turner go waaaaaaaaaaay back.

[papawasamustang]

That would be the second Coach that we fired before he Coached a Senior Class.

Faye and Williams are both seniors next year, and both Doh recruits. The remaining players from the 7 man freshman class in 07 will be juniors. We'll be top heavy with upperclassmen.

Well there is no way in hell Doherty gets fired next year.

Really? You think any coach anywhere would survive 4 straight seasons below 200 in the RPI, and a pattern of declining success? SMU may only win 2 conference games this year, which would be less than last year, which was fewer than the year before. It's starting to look like we'll win less than 10 games overall, which would be fewer than last year, which was fewer than the year before. Our current RPI is 286, which is lower than last year, which was lower than the year before. Attendance at our OOC games was abysmal, you could even say embarrassing. There has to be clear and quantifiable improvement next season, there has to be a reversal of the downward trend.

I think next year there will be enough improvement for Doh to survive awhile, but another season like this one would do him in. No coach can survive 4 years of decline, particularly when you are already this close to rock bottom.

Why 4 years? Cut ties @ 3 if it continues like this. Our HC has a record of 30-48 & all signs appear to be headed south.
Do u see signs of a well coached team? Are they fundamentally sound?
Do they shoot well? Do they play D well? Is this team over achieving or under achieving?
Other than McCoy, do you see any players or incoming recruits that gets you excited about the future?
Is the recruiting good?
Do u see signs of player development?

Thank you Doh for helping raise $ for the Crum Center & the new scoreboard. You are great @ PR, you have charm & charisma & I'm sure you will make someone an outstanding asst coach or scout in the NBA.

Its all about good recruiting, solid X's & O's coaching & player development which lead to W's. I realize Doh is well liked but it just isn't going to happen with him as HC @ SMU.

Didn't we learn our lesson with PB.

[LA_Mustang]

During the last search, I thought we were going to hire Evans. I think he would have been, and still would be a good hire. I remember finding this story when we were considering him a few years ago.....

From the Rob Evans biography......
"Rob Evans was hired by the University of Mississippi in March, 1992. He immediately set a course for Ole Miss basketball in his first season (1992-93) when he coached the Rebels to a win over LSU, who would go to the NCAA post season tournament and an unbelievable win in the first-round of the SEC Tournament, upsetting Florida 67-62. Perhaps, the icing on the cake in Evans first season at Ole Miss was a two game conference sweep of arch-rival Mississippi State. Evans coached the Rebels to a 42-16 record in his final two seasons (1996-98) and earned consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, for the first time in school history. Evans was named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year in 1997 and led the program to consecutive SEC West regular season titles. The Rebels posted consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time since 1937-38. College Hoops Insider named him National Coach of the Year in 1997.

The 1997-98 Rebels went 22-7 overall and 13-5 in conference defeating national champion and then seventh-ranked Kentucky on the road, their first win at Lexington since 1927. Ole Miss won the conference title winning its final seven games to finish 12-4. Ole Miss went 14-0 at home and sold out every SEC game, causing a previously unknown interest in the program.

Evans had been advised not to take the Ole Miss job. Eddie Sutton warned Evans;?I told him I thought you could take Adolph Rupp, John Wooden, Henry Iba and Phog Allen and they probably couldn?t get that done.? According to Slim Smith media sports personality at the time Evans arrived at Ole Miss; ?When he arrived in Oxford in 1992 he found: A team that lingered consistently at the bottom of the Southeastern Conference, a program that drew so poorly that often the traveling party of fans from schools like Kentucky, Arkansas and Mississippi State consistently outdrew the home team, a school whose affinity for the Confederate Battle Flag made it virtually impossible to attract top recruits. The Ole Miss basketball program was viewed as a graveyard for coaches, a program that had no chance for success, even ?modest? success.? Evans inherited a basketball program at Ole Miss which had been descibed as hopeless due to a variety of on and off the court distractions.

Stories from the SEC had it that Ole Miss was so disinterested in basketball they announced the head basketball coach had received a ?promotion? to assistant football coach.

Into this seething cauldron of basketball obscurity and certain career death strode our intrepid hero one Rob Evans who said; ?I?ve never shied away from a challenge, that is why I went to Ole Miss.? In his six seasons at Ole Miss Evans coached the Rebels to 86 wins, a 20-9 season, schools first winning season since 1986-87', won an SEC Title, first since 1927 and he was named SEC Coach of the Year (1997). Evans said when he left; "we started with 1,200 fans, now you can?t get a ticket in Oxford."


It sounds like he has experience with a program struggling mightly like SMU - I like when he started they drew 1,200 a game and the other schools often brought more people to the games than Ole Miss.

[The XtC]

Gerald Turner and Rob Evans were teammates/roommates at Lubbock Christian JC. Evans got a scholarship to New Mexico State, where he was a star player, and Turner would finish his degree at Abilene Christian. 25 years later Evans got his first head coaching job, at Ole Miss, where Gerald Turner was the Chancellor.

[papawasamustang]

Rob Evans is not the man needed to turn this program around.
However, he would be a great Associate HC to someone like Anthony Grant, Brad Brownell or as RGV mentioned Reggie Theus, Fran Fraschilla or Steve Lavin types.

[Stallion]

The Lynch Mob gathers-ain't going to happen until he gets a shot with a Senior Class

[papawasamustang]

I hope your wrong but if u are right, I predict this turns out just like the Neil Dougherty era @ TCU. 75-106, but @ least they got to the NIT.
Doh must go!

[The XtC]

The Lynch Mob gathers-ain't going to happen until he gets a shot with a Senior Class

Right. He will have a senior class next year, and I think I've been pretty consistent in saying that he will be back next year, but must show measurable improvement. If the team makes progress next year he will probably stay for his 5th and possibly longer.

[EastStang]

LIke I said, the usual first step is that they make him fire his assistants. So, this is the fire the assistants year. So be thinking about assistants who we should target.

[papawasamustang]

The Lynch Mob gathers-ain't going to happen until he gets a shot with a Senior Class

Right. He will have a senior class next year, and I think I've been pretty consistent in saying that he will be back next year, but must show measurable improvement. If the team makes progress next year he will probably stay for his 5th and possibly longer.

What difference does it make if he has a senior class or not? He recruiting classes have sucked. Over hyped & under developed.
Is the program turning the corner & winning games?
Is the team improving in most or any aspects of the game?
Its obvious that this relationship isn't going to work & its best to cut ties after the last game before this gets any worse.