FIRE DOHERTY NOW!

[PonyDoh]

The benefit of allowing Doherty to coach the rest of the season is that the replacement candidates will see that SMU gives the coach ample opportunity to prove himself. I don't think we are the type of program that can afford another disaster like the poor handling of the previous 2 dismissals.

This

Everyone else is just looking at it through game day glasses. The program needs to play it straight, show due diligence, and then be swift and clean w/any potential guillotine. After that, the search HAS to be aided by professionals, not just an ex-football player AD. As good as Orsini has shown to be in football, he's shown NO understanding of basketball or it's tricky landscape. He needs a guide, no shame in that.

[mustangxc]

If the right candidate is not out there this season or needs another year of grooming I wouldn't even be opposed to giving him the full 5 years. The reason being that this is not an easy job, it requires much patience and Doherty himself said that it would take 5-6 seasons to get on track. I hate losing as much as anyone else if not more, but can be more patient if there is a plan. I appreciate Doherty for his openness in saying it would take a long time to rebuild SMU basketball. I would like to see us winning already and really did expect a better showing than what we got out of Hawaii, but even if we were on track, would we really be that much better than we are now? Unless you are competing for championships the season plays out similarly. While the first 2 years were really bad, I am looking forward to next years recruiting class and think that we really are getting better. I can't say that I would be opposed to making a change, but frankly I want long-term success for this program.

[PonyDoh]

If you're addressing roster holes/deficiencies that we've seen so far in '09, you have to like the recruiting class in '10. Also, we have a pretty decent start on '11. Just for the sake of being devil's advocate, shouldn't you have the opportunity to play w/a roster full of your own players? That's pretty much the case now, but the Cam Spencer class was hamstrung out of the gate.

Frankly, there will be some addition by subtraction next year w/regards to roster, whether the stats suggest that or not. Chemistry matters

[mustangxc]

If you're addressing roster holes/deficiencies that we've seen so far in '09, you have to like the recruiting class in '10. Also, we have a pretty decent start on '11. Just for the sake of being devil's advocate, shouldn't you have the opportunity to play w/a roster full of your own players? That's pretty much the case now, but the Cam Spencer class was hamstrung out of the gate.

Frankly, there will be some addition by subtraction next year w/regards to roster, whether the stats suggest that or not. Chemistry matters

I agree, I just hope the AD has enough sense to let it all play out. That is, unless he has something up his sleeves like JJ in football.

[Hoop Fan]

I think one step needs to play out starting tomorrow night. I think the heat on Doh is now very real and public. No longer much doubt that team is playing for his job. If i'm an AD, or a fan, I want to see how the team responds, especially the younger players, given public heat on the coach. I'm not very optimistic that this group is going to nut up and save Doh, but i also don't think turning the reigns over to Lutz does anything for us. I'm all for giving guys chances, but i don't really see him as a viable Orsini hire even if the team did improve the rest of the way. We're just in a bad spot right now as fans. It sucks to know your season is toast this early and moreso to not believe(or have much hope left) that you have the coach who will ultimately turn it around.

[George S. Patton]

When does spring football start?

The only basketball I'm interested in this winter is Rhonda's program and will be visiting Moody to only watch her team play.

Let me know when we have made a move on the men's coaching situation.

[PonyDoh]

When does spring football start?

The only basketball I'm interested in this winter is Rhonda's program and will be visiting Moody to only watch her team play.

Let me know when we have made a move on the men's coaching situation.

Hey Baylor guy, riddle me this. Why is it that Scott Drew's newest verbal, Stargell Love, was taken w/o seeing his transcript? QEA has denied all requests for the kid's transcript until the Spring of his senior year. That sizzling you hear is the cooking of his transcript. OTOH, it could be the back end of John Wall deal being delivered. Oh yeah, it's both.

So, instead of doing [deleted] drive-bys on the SMU board, why don't you write yourself a scathing indictment of Drew and his un-Christian practices in Waco.

[George S. Patton]

That's a rather interesting comment coming from someone who for months downplayed the importance of recruiting in the DFW area and then suddenly turned around within the last couple of weeks and finally acknowledged that it is an important element.

Well, which is it? Then you go back and forth about keeping Doherty and then saying it would be great for Lutz to be given a shot. BTW, the winds are out of the south today at about 15 mph.

I've said enough about this situation with Doherty. And for you to categorize most with just game day observations is not only arrogant but an insult to those who may have more knowledge about the program than you give them credit for.

You may more inside knowledge about this program. But it doesn't mean you have the almighty answers either.

[PonyDoh]

That's a rather interesting comment coming from someone who for months downplayed the importance of recruiting in the DFW area and then suddenly turned around within the last couple of weeks and finally acknowledged that it is an important element.

Well, which is it? Then you go back and forth about keeping Doherty and then saying it would be great for Lutz to be given a shot. BTW, the winds are out of the south today at about 15 mph.

I've said enough about this situation with Doherty. And for you to categorize most with just game day observations is not only arrogant but an insult to those who may have more knowledge about the program than you give them credit for.

You may more inside knowledge about this program. But it doesn't mean you have the almighty answers either.

I've never said recruiting DFW was unimportant. I said getting players, no matter where they are from, trumps grabbing a local for locals sake. Simply, Vilde is better then Hinton. He's currently better then Keith Davis, who is on his same high school team, yet everyone here would have preferred the other two. Recruit the best players you can. This is a mid-sized private that draws nationally, not just from DFW, so why just recruit DFW? I've always wanted more local success, but understand why we don't have much of it. Others just [deleted], like it will change tomorrow, if we just brought in a DFW friendly coach. There is a ton more to it then that. Does Vandy only recruit Nashville? Do Wake & Duke only recruit the carolinas? What about Davidson? How about Gonzaga? Butler? Northwestern? We need more quality locals, no doubt. That said, we just need better players in general and a model that makes sense.

SMU is in a tricky situation w/regards to Doh. First, this program is considered a graveyard nationally. I spoke w/a soon to be HOF coach last month in Maui about the SMU job. He called it impossible. Anyway, you have to give a coach the opportunity to succeed, or it will be held against you. You have to support the coach, or it will be used against you. Coaches interview SMU more then SMU interviews them, and that's the reality. There are huge problems w/infrastructure, and if you pull the trigger too quickly, the program ends up looking silly to industry folks. It hampers your ability to make the next hire.

As for Lutz, he has been a valuable foot soldier and almost loyal to a fault. In the event that they can do something w/Dohs contract ie buy-out, I'd like to see Lutz given an interim shot. He deserves that much for being the only guy recruiting for 3 years. The farthest I've ever gone, is to say that should he turn it around in a interim role, I'd give him an interview. That's it.

Plenty of people have access to the program, and some are very accurate in their depiction of the happenings. I don't claim to have all the answers, but I know that much of what I read is unfounded. in those cases, I call it out.

[George S. Patton]

FWIW, I've been told that because the athletic department is so in the red that the university really can't afford to buy out Doherty unless big donors step up and want to make the move. The other thing is ieven if this happened, would there be enough in whatever coffers to attract somebody?

See I just don't know if a guy like that UT asst even looks here. He could bypass it because of the national reputation or ignore it, use the Crum center and the hopes of improving Moody and drawing more fans and he just wants the job -- any job.

Also, the infrastructure does appear to be messy because there doesn't seem to be a clear message of what this program wants to be. When Doug Gottlieb is on TV saying that Doherty has the wrong offense associated with the personnel, that's a shot to the gut.

But we're about to hit January, and we should know where this thing is going by how the extension talk is going. As of 12/30, Doherty has through next year guaranteed. The longer January deepens and February opens and if the positive extension rumors do not exist, then I think he's gone. Orsini cannot risk going into the offseason without giving Doherty an extension. That would cause so much of a stir in recruiting angles, it could set SMU back by serveral more years.

Doherty told everyone it would take 5-6 years to get this thing on trek. Well, OK. But by year 4, you need to reveal that it is moving. When you're struggling to beat one Austin area school, play very poorly in a good number of other games and keep hearing that the team is making the mistakes game after game after game, it would appear that this program is not on message and is flailing. Plus, the history of poor losses really doesn't enhance the reputation.

I've spoken with a former college assistant who has seen Doherty at many local games. That's great. But his message locally isn't jiving. Did he close the deal on the Smith kid and that european kid or was that somebody else?

We are definitely between a rock and a hard place. There's no question Orsini has some hard choosing to do come the first quarter of 2010.

[PonyDoh]

I was actually told recently that Doh's contract is air tight, and that there isn't really a buy-out. I guess it's possible that he really believed the 5 or 6 year timetable to rebuild, and gave no out clause. If so, good move by him. Not so much by the big O

[abezontar]

I was unaware we still had a mens basketball program.

[Adopted Hawk]

as Pony Doh said, the recruiting responsibilities have solely been on Lutz through the years. For whatever reason, the other assistants weren't really active in getting out into the recruiting circles. In my opinion, that has hurt us dramatically as recruiting is a big chore and you need multiple irons in the fire. The 3 recruits for next year are all Lutz's guys. He has been on them for years and they as have been said are definite upgrades. Our 2 new assistants this year have been out recruiting so if this group is given another year, I would hope we would have some further upgrades in 2011. That being said, I am not certain as to whether I would like Doherty to get that 5th year, I just wanted to respond and confirm the recruiting comment from above.