You know Your Athletic Model Suxs if

[Stallion]

....in one day you can find a substantial number of posters who want to fire your AD, FB Coach and BB Coach at the same time.

[Vitale]

Or maybe that's merely an indication of a fan base that desperately wants to see its teams win. I know that's my view - I want to see the Ponies win, but I'm not sure a slew of pink slips is definitely the answer.

[GoRedGoBlue]

I'd fire Dement.

And I am on record that it wasn't necessarily Cavan's fault -- but that after 5 years of losing (1 win, then 4 progressively worse seasons with supposedly better talent in a weaker conference vs Rossley's record) it was time to make a change.

[OldPony]

I'm not sure I follow the logic. It isn't his fault but fire him anyway? The next coach would love to know that his support is that rock solid.
I have supported Dement for some time and still think he can coach. However, I no longer think he can coach this group. Since we can't pull all of their schollies, Dement must now go. I don't know why he lost them but it certainly appears that he did. He may have learned some lessons about how good he really is. It is hard to see that you can't overcome large odds to win when you are personally challenged but I'd bet his next school will have plenty of ways to get a JUCO or partial qualifier into school. Then we will say how amazing it is that he wins and brag that he once coached at SMU. Anybody remember Hayden Fry?

[Eddie P]

There will always be people who think a quick change will fix everything. Fire him, fire her. Let's just fire everybody and maybe the magical pixies will rise from the floor and create magical people to replace those we just fired. Magical people work for free too, so we won't have to pay them.

<small>[ 01-22-2004, 10:56 AM: Message edited by: Eddie P ]</small>

[OldPony]

I'm at a loss Eddie. I can't find anyone new to recommend firing.

[EastStang]

Remember La. Tech's basketball team last year. They beat some good teams and then lost like 8 straight. The coach lost them. If it was a talent issue, then we might surprise one top 25 team but not 3. Ditto on coaching. But sometime after the Miami and Purdue games things changed. I saw the Navy game and we just didn't look good in that game against a really bad team. The team just didn't look into it except one or two players (Voc and Castro). We got slaughtered by OSU, then had those losses to Fresno, Nevada, Hawaii. And then lay a big stinker on the floor in Houston. Isham has disappeared. BHop makes very basic mistakes. Castro, Rack beaten inside for position. So, who do you blame. The players quit essentially. My only thought was someone read something that said the WAC was only going to get one bid, so the players decided to cruise until the WAC tourney. Why work so hard when you don't have to? Why not have fun now, and work later?

[Johnny Rock]

Eddie P is pro-athletic department. I am pro-SMU. There is a big difference. I say clean house with the exception of the football staff. Bennett needs a few more years to prove himself. He inherited a mess so he needs time to clean up. Dement's time should have been up three seasons ago. Copeland is really irrelevant. His hiring record is among the worst in the country but he is working under an athletic model that does not allow the coaches to compete in Division 1-A. Copeland's scheduling is a mystery though. The day Dement is sent packing is the day Johnny starts attending basketball games again. Go Mustangs!!!

[Water Pony]

With spammers like you, who needs you at a game? Your point proves you aren't a fan. :thumbdown:

[Hoop Fan]

OP - I know exactly what GRGB means. Even good coaches need to move aside now and then. Look at Bill Parcells career. Rick Pitino comes to mind. There are very few Lute Olsons out there who are lifers at a place. Sometimes, I should say usually, a program gets stale after a period of time. That doesn't mean the leader is unfit to coach. It just happens. That seems to have happened to Dement here and he doesn't have leverage with the admin or enthusiam from the alums to get Moody renovated, which is the main thing the program needs right now.

[GoRedGoBlue]

Originally posted by OldPony:
I'm not sure I follow the logic. It isn't his fault but fire him anyway? The next coach would love to know that his support is that rock solid.
I have supported Dement for some time and still think he can coach. However, I no longer think he can coach this group. Since we can't pull all of their schollies, Dement must now go. I don't know why he lost them but it certainly appears that he did. He may have learned some lessons about how good he really is. It is hard to see that you can't overcome large odds to win when you are personally challenged but I'd bet his next school will have plenty of ways to get a JUCO or partial qualifier into school. Then we will say how amazing it is that he wins and brag that he once coached at SMU. Anybody remember Hayden Fry?

Point is, there were issues other than pure coaching holding Cavan back. But, once 'losing' sets in, you have to make a change, regardless of total fault in the matter. It's hard to get that "next year's" team motivated listening to the same old crap they've heard for 3-4 years. And recruiting starts to tail off due to the losing (which wasn't necessarily all Cavan's fault -- obviously, we all know that the 'model' was very bad when he was here).

A new coach allows you to show new recruits that 'things have changed' and also brings in a new perspective for your existing players.

Whether or not it actually has changed, or that the new coach is any good is something to determine 3-4 years later. We shall see a preview in 2004, and judgement day is in 2005 sometime.

[GoRedGoBlue]

Originally posted by Johnny Rock:
Eddie P is pro-athletic department. I am pro-SMU. There is a big difference. I say clean house with the exception of the football staff. Bennett needs a few more years to prove himself. He inherited a mess so he needs time to clean up. Dement's time should have been up three seasons ago. Copeland is really irrelevant. His hiring record is among the worst in the country but he is working under an athletic model that does not allow the coaches to compete in Division 1-A. Copeland's scheduling is a mystery though. The day Dement is sent packing is the day Johnny starts attending basketball games again. Go Mustangs!!!

He fired Shumate, and Dement at the time was a hot (well, warm) commodity.

[ponynut]

Dement never had his break out year. When?

[Eddie P]

Johnny Rock...puuulllleeaaasseee.