New FSSW.com interview with Doh

[CA Mustang]

This team has been killed by injury...

Even if SMU was 100% healthy all season long, how much better would they (and the record) be?

If McCoy was playing even decently, and we don't have the injuries, we have roughly 4 more wins, IMO. Basically, on track to get the 16 or 17 wins most predicted around here.

Even with four more wins, this still isn't a good team. Many of the issues raised here (coaching style, program direction, recruiting, roster management, etc.) go far beyond whether a player tweaked an ankle or not. In fact, one could argue that additional wins would just disguise the problems.

I'm not questioning Doherty's efforts, but the results simply aren't there. Add my name to the list of alums ready for a change.

[PonyDoh]

Even with four more wins, this still isn't a good team. Many of the issues raised here (coaching style, program direction, recruiting, roster management, etc.) go far beyond whether a player tweaked an ankle or not. In fact, one could argue that additional wins would just disguise the problems.

I'm not questioning Doherty's efforts, but the results simply aren't there. Add my name to the list of alums ready for a change.

The results are disappointing, but w/4 more wins, they are knocking on the door of respectability, and completely living up to expectations for this squad, and SMU hoops in general. Logic would suggest they'd be better next year w/the '10 class added, and McCoy/Haynes/Nyakundi/Otis becoming upper classmen etc. '10 is easily one of the top 2 or 3 classes in CUSA before Spring additions.

You folks are killing Doh b/c his preseason first-team All conference performer is currently #4 in scoring on his own team. That's not his fault, and they are doing everything they can to get the kid right. These are complicated issues. Orsini knows what up w/regards to this, and believe me, it will have a role in determining if Doh is back or not.

Don't get me wrong, we need to see results, but this isn't the program that should fire another coach early, especially w/the '10 class in tow, another on the way, and a very solid '11 lining up. It's funny, people talk about change, but the only names I see brought up are profile Texas-based assistants, or classic retreads that either always stunk, or have so much baggage they'll burn us. I like the idea of Russ Springmann etc, but does anyone know if he can X &O? Does anyone think he grabs Kevin Durant w/o Nike placing him etc? What about Scott Spinelli, who is player-friendly but never done anything of note, even as an assistant? Cameron Dollar gets brought up, but he's 9-11 at Seattle, about to go 9-12. Sean Sutton was an abysmal X and Os guy, that was run quicker then he arrived. Show me a qualified candidate beyond Gillespie that can turn this around tomorrow, w/o question, and I'd be more on board.

[papawasamustang]

I don't see anything wrong with what Doh said in the article & thats coming from someone that thought he should have been canned after the last game of the season last year.

At this point, I really don't care what Doh has to say about the state of his program. The results speak for themselves. He's come up with about every excuse there is. I don't buy most of them. He's accountable for this cluster & the writings on the wall. Its just a matter of time.

In the meantime, I'll keep supporting the team & continue to expect to see the ESPN ticker headline, "SMU fires HC Matt Doherty", every time I turn on the TV.

[therack]

my favorite part from the whole interview was Doh complaining about the players he inherited during his first year... well coach, those players had the best season for you so far at SMU and it's been downhill ever since they left!!!

[George S. Patton]

Doh, I'm getting worn out on your spin. With four more wins....Like fellow alum Don Meredith said, "If its and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry christmas.''

The TCU excuse is a joke where Jim Christian schooled his butt in the second half with something like a 30-8 run. The UAB game and the theatrics after it are unacceptable.

It's embarrassing to read, "We almost beat South Florida....'' Hey, Matt I almost came to that TCU game but because I had other obligations that popped up. The bottom line is I didn't go to that game. And the bottom line for your South Florida business is you didn't win that game. Get it?

The bottom line is Matt Doherty is 38-68 heading into the second half of his fourth season. Is that acceptable?

This program will suffer more if he stays than if he leaves. But since we recognize that this is a coaching graveyard and that we have a poor relationship with AAU folks, how is Doherty staying going to help overcome that? Ah, it hasn't and it won't.


MATT DOHERTY NEEDS TO BE FIRED AND I'LL CONTRIBUTE TO BUYING HIM OUT. GET HIM OUT OF HERE!!!

[Mestengo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJWa6Lr97t4

[PonyDoh]

Doh, I'm getting worn out on your spin. With four more wins....Like fellow alum Don Meredith said, "If its and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry christmas.''

The TCU excuse is a joke where Jim Christian schooled his butt in the second half with something like a 30-8 run. The UAB game and the theatrics after it are unacceptable.

It's embarrassing to read, "We almost beat South Florida....'' Hey, Matt I almost came to that TCU game but because I had other obligations that popped up. The bottom line is I didn't go to that game. And the bottom line for your South Florida business is you didn't win that game. Get it?

The bottom line is Matt Doherty is 38-68 heading into the second half of his fourth season. Is that acceptable?

This program will suffer more if he stays than if he leaves. But since we recognize that this is a coaching graveyard and that we have a poor relationship with AAU folks, how is Doherty staying going to help overcome that? Ah, it hasn't and it won't.


MATT DOHERTY NEEDS TO BE FIRED AND I'LL CONTRIBUTE TO BUYING HIM OUT. GET HIM OUT OF HERE!!!

No spin, I'm just reacting to what I read in the article/interview, which isn't terribly damning, nor is it full of excuses. We all get it, you hate the man, the record etc. I'm not a huge fan either, but whatever happens happens, and only one person on here is throwing around legit candidates, and it's not you. You obsess w/hate, not solutions. You use every thread to beat the same drum, and I doubt you even read the interview at this point.

Saying he's a full year behind schedule is self-effacing. Saying that he inherited a barren roster is the truth, whether Rack believes it or not. Saying we are hurting physically, and McCoy being MIA is ruining the W/L record is fact. Saying our schedule is too ambitious is garbage. Saying that recruiting is hit'n'miss is true, but instead of dismissing it, he still needs to own up to those roster failures. It's a mixed bag, but at least he's addressing the hard questions, and the answers really aren't that far off base. Many of his answers are the same ones you would have heard from Dement or Tubbs etc

[mustangxc]

Doh, I'm getting worn out on your spin. With four more wins....Like fellow alum Don Meredith said, "If its and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry christmas.''

The TCU excuse is a joke where Jim Christian schooled his butt in the second half with something like a 30-8 run. The UAB game and the theatrics after it are unacceptable.

It's embarrassing to read, "We almost beat South Florida....'' Hey, Matt I almost came to that TCU game but because I had other obligations that popped up. The bottom line is I didn't go to that game. And the bottom line for your South Florida business is you didn't win that game. Get it?

The bottom line is Matt Doherty is 38-68 heading into the second half of his fourth season. Is that acceptable?

This program will suffer more if he stays than if he leaves. But since we recognize that this is a coaching graveyard and that we have a poor relationship with AAU folks, how is Doherty staying going to help overcome that? Ah, it hasn't and it won't.


MATT DOHERTY NEEDS TO BE FIRED AND I'LL CONTRIBUTE TO BUYING HIM OUT. GET HIM OUT OF HERE!!!

No spin, I'm just reacting to what I read in the article/interview, which isn't terribly damning, nor is it full of excuses. We all get it, you hate the man, the record etc. I'm not a huge fan either, but whatever happens happens, and only one person on here is throwing around legit candidates, and it's not you. You obsess w/hate, not solutions. You use every thread to beat the same drum, and I doubt you even read the interview at this point.

Saying he's a full year behind schedule is self-effacing. Saying that he inherited a barren roster is the truth, whether Rack believes it or not. Saying we are hurting physically, and McCoy being MIA is ruining the W/L record is fact. Saying our schedule is too ambitious is garbage. Saying that recruiting is hit'n'miss is true, but instead of dismissing it, he still needs to own up to those roster failures. It's a mixed bag, but at least he's addressing the hard questions, and the answers really aren't that far off base. Many of his answers are the same ones you would have heard from Dement or Tubbs etc

Great post!

[George S. Patton]

Doh, Matt Doherty's record at SMU is 38-68.

My only suggestion is to convince a to assistant fro a BCS conference to come here bc I want new energy. I don't know who that is but someone w Texas ties and local AAU ties who can at least crack the door in these areas.

I'm not up to speed on who the hot assistants are but go snooping in your big-time programs and you can go from there. I've already said Im not sure Springman would want this job. Scott Sutton has a bigger program in his future.

Regardless, the Matt Doherty era must end following this season or sooner. This program is crying out for help.

[Hoop Fan]

those very well might be the excuses Dement and Tubbs gave, but look what happened to them. I think Dement could have easily said that BHop was never the same player after he injured his foot and that was not the coaches fault and he'd be right. Very well might be true but no one cares about underlying reasons, just like only a very few defended Tubbs after only two years here and a railroad job. I don't have any huge problem with the article, but the scheduling comment is flat out ridiculous. It just seems like a continuing pattern of Doh not have any sincere belief in the players past and present or the potential of the program in general. Players know when a coach doesn't have confidence in them or what he is doing. I know he says he does, top 25 etc, but it doesn't feel sincere. Not like JJ. For instance, talking to the Vandy coaches about what style of play will work here. Cmon, what is that? Is that where he came upon the idea to now slow it down and grind out a half court game? Thats not a system.

I was at the UAB game rooting like heck for the team to win that game, yelling at the refs etc. But in the end there can be no excuse for things like losing 24 point leads at home. I don't know how Doh overcomes these things at this point but i wish him luck, I really do. And notice i have not made one statement that doh should be let go or about potential coaching candidates but i do know I dont want the AD hiring any basketball coaches in a vacuum like last time.

[PonyDoh]

those very well might be the excuses Dement and Tubbs gave, but look what happened to them. I think Dement could have easily said that BHop was never the same player after he injured his foot and that was not the coaches fault and he'd be right. Very well might be true but no one cares about underlying reasons, just like only a very few defended Tubbs after only two years here and a railroad job. I don't have any huge problem with the article, but the scheduling comment is flat out ridiculous. It just seems like a continuing pattern of Doh not have any sincere belief in the players past and present or the potential of the program in general. Players know when a coach doesn't have confidence in them or what he is doing. I know he says he does, top 25 etc, but it doesn't feel sincere. Not like JJ. For instance, talking to the Vandy coaches about what style of play will work here. Cmon, what is that? Is that where he came upon the idea to now slow it down and grind out a half court game? Thats not a system.

I was at the UAB game rooting like heck for the team to win that game, yelling at the refs etc. But in the end there can be no excuse for things like losing 24 point leads at home. I don't know how Doh overcomes these things at this point but i wish him luck, I really do. And notice i have not made one statement that doh should be let go or about potential coaching candidates but i do know I dont want the AD hiring any basketball coaches in a vacuum like last time.

Good post, but why would you have issue w/Doh discussing systems and situations w/Stallings? All coaches do that, it's part of being in the coaching fraternity. Also, I'm not an advocate of methodical ball as it bores me to tears, but it is a viable system, especially when coupled w/the match-up zone. That's quickly becoming the on court trademark of the program, if it's even possible to lose this much and have a trademark.

Couldn't agree more about hiring in a vacuum. May be the most important aspect of all these discussions

[Balatro Diabolus Ex]

This team has been killed by injury...

Even if SMU was 100% healthy all season long, how much better would they (and the record) be?

If McCoy was playing even decently, and we don't have the injuries, we have roughly 4 more wins, IMO. Basically, on track to get the 16 or 17 wins most predicted around here.

I'm curious as to which games those would be, because I'm not seeing how we've been killed by injuries, thus far. Nyakundai missed 4 games, but we won 3 of them, and the one loss was A&M. Faye missed 2 games, UTEP and NCCC, which we split. Otis missed 2 games, but we won them both. Our most embarrassing loss this year was Texas State, but everyone was healthy and available, Luttman and Kwiatkowski were the only scholarship players that didnt play that night, and McCoy had one of his better games (16 points and 6 rebounds). McCoy had his best game (20 points) against A&M, the one loss Nyakundai was missing for. Perhaps you could pin the UTEP loss on Faye's absence, but after the game weren't you making posts about how losing Faye was addition by subtraction? I'm fairly sure I read that phrase, 3 or 4 times.

Every year, every team has a few injuries, and players miss a game or two. That happens in contact sports. Our core group, the 4 players who are our most productive, and the 3-4 primary subs, have remained relatively healthy, so I dont understand why you say injuries have killed us. The timing of this is puzzling, did you already know that we are going to be shorthanded, tonight?

[Hoop Fan]

i guess what i meant was that in and of itself, being methodical is not a system. slowing it down only to run a half broken play, watch your ball handlers get shoved out to halfcourt, and then jack up a bad shot as the shot clock expires is all too often what we see. If we executed some crisp half court sets with good ball movement that put players in positions to make shots from their favorite spots, that would be different. I know you didn't see the UAB game, but I'll tell you how we got the lead to begin with, it was DWill being unconscious and jacking up several 23-25 footers that were hitting nothing but net. Once UAB took that away and he cooled off, we were toast. Thats not a half court offense.

Of course i dont have any issue with Doh talking x's and o's with Stallings or anybody, but its Dohs 4th year and he is now coming around to this revelation about what will work at SMU? Thats real frustrating to hear is all.

[Charleston Pony]

I can't recall the last time SMU was any good in the half court; we walk it up into set defenses, throw it around on the perimeter until the clock runs down and more often than not, get bad/rushed shots. It would be nice to have stronger, more athletic guys in the low post, but those guys tend to play with top 25 programs who also have quality PGs to get them the ball. I'd love to see us push the ball more and try to get open looks before the defense gets set, but that is not part of the plan. Forcing tempo might lead to getting blown out, but I'd sure like to see how this group would fare in a more up tempo game. If you are going to lose, can we at least be entertained?

If Doh is replaced, I hope it is by someone who likes to push tempo. Moody has been in need of some excitement for how long now?

Run, Sonny, run...

[Pony_Fan]

my favorite part from the whole interview was Doh complaining about the players he inherited during his first year... well coach, those players had the best season for you so far at SMU and it's been downhill ever since they left!!!

That is funny Rack