Fran Fransella

[Mickey]

Lives in Dallas.

[50's PONY]

Mickey,
Please tell us you are kidding!!!!!!

[Mickey]

He was named as a possible coach in the past. We need a change.

[DenPony]

Fran really isn't a very good coach. Would you really rather have Fran than Mike D.? Not me.

[Pony_Fan]

I was just in New Mexico over the break. He sounds like a real chump and they were happy to get rid of him in Lobo land. Nobody wants him except for announcing here and there...that says something.
Bring on Lon Krueger. Dement has had his time here.

[This message has been edited by Pony_Fan (edited 01-02-2003).]

[DenPony]

You may be right about Dement but I want someone to give us a couple of "realistic choices". Lon is NOT one. Name a coach who has a big or mediocre name who will come to a school with old facilities, no tradition, no fans and no money for basketball. If someone can give us some realistic alternatives then I am with you. We can not attract a proven winner though. Our choices will be from top assistants who are now with very good programs but not the elite ones. The elite teams' assistants have better choices than SMU unless someone from SMU offers to pay about a million $. Those are cold hard facts. Please quit complaining about Dement unless you can come up with a better realistic alternative!!!

[Pony4Life]

Franchilla (or however you spell his name) does in fact live here - his wife is from University Park. And before he gets written off as "not a very good coach," remember that he is the coach that took Manhattan to the NCAAs. Give him a team with a Q Ross, a Bryan Hopkins and a Patrick Simpson, and he might be able to do some postseason damage. He might not make the Final Four, but I imagine the bar would be raised a notch or two.

[DenPony]

If Fran is being run off at Lobo U because he can't win, what makes you think he can do better here? The Lobos usually recruit better than SMU(that has somewhat evened up since Dement arrived at SMU), has incredible fan support (read huge home court advantage), spend big bucks on coaches and facilities (remember Bob Knight offer when they ended up with Bliss) and play pretty much the same level of competitionm as the Ponies. Don't even think about his Manhattan success. No recruiting restricitions and a city full of good street ballers. What has he done since then in programs with some tradition? No thanks, I'll stay with Dement if that is the choice.

[Mickey]

Jimmy Tubbs

[DenPony]

I know very little about Tubbs coaching ability. No head jobs since high school many years ago. People seem to give him all the credit for Dallas recruiting but we only had one Dallas player on the team when Dement got here so I'm not even sure that point is really valid (although I think his relationship with HS coaches was critical when Dement first arrived). There have been much worse suggestions and at least this is one we could get. My question really is "Is that worth the gamble?"

[Nacho]

If (if if if) it is decided after the season to go after another coach then to go after anyone but a high-profile proven d-1 head coach doesn't make much sense to me.

[KnuckleStang]

Anybody who thinks a high-profile, proven D-1 coach is ever going to consider coming to SMU, might want to think again. That's not very realistic.