Jimmy Tubbs: come on home.

[Hoop Fan]

I know that Jimmy doesnt get people all that fired up, but...that doesnt mean he is not the right man for this job. The path to success for SMU is not going to be recruiting the mid-Atlantic and Florida. Its about Texas. I watched South Oak Cliff play tonight. I want the guy who has a chance at recruiting SOC players and Lincoln players. Thats Jimmy Tubbs. It ain't Jeff Jones, although he is a quality coach.

[LA_Mustang]

HF, I dont think it is any secret that we both would like to see Tubbs as the next HC. A while back, PG said that Tubbs didnt have the organizational and management skills to run the SMU program. I dont know him personally so I have no idea if that is true but I think the guy deserves a chance. We have stated the reasons why so many times. I have no doubt that he could get a Jeremis Smith or LaMarcus Aldridge type player to come to the Hilltop. With the DISD absolutely loaded over the next few years (Miles from Skyline, Eaton and Flowers from Lincoln, Arthur from SOC, Sloan and Boyd from Seagoville) any one of these kids could change our program. They are all that good.

The other coaching name that interests me is Sean Sutton. If he is really interested, he would be a fine choice as well. But for someone as young and promising as Sutton, coming to SMU would be a very big risk.

[PG]

There is no doubt Jimmy Tubbs was a great recruiter for us BUT it's not like he's the only person who can recruit DISD. I know he still has ties with many people in that community but if we are looking for a "fresh start" he's not our man. Everyone I have talked to who has worked with him said he wouldn't make a good head coach. I have nothing against the man and neither do they but I trust their opinions.

The biggest problem with this team is that they stopped responding to Dement. Since most of them are still familiar Tubbs, I don't think they would necessarily respond to him either. They would view it more as their "friend" coming in instead of a new coach. There's nothing wrong with that off the court but I want the coach to push them and get the most out of them on the court and I just don't think Tubbs could do that.

I personally think Sean Sutton could recruit DISD and sell SMU to those kids. Another name I hope we consider is UT's Frank Haith. I think he deserves a HC job somewhere and this would be a perfect fit. He's certainly familiar with DISD and Houston talent. He obviously knows we can get good DISD players since we beat out UT for QRoss and Hop.

[Stampede]

PG,

You oviously have not talked to many people associated with SMU. Certainly not me.

Tubbs CAN coach and the fact that a tremendous amount former players are firmly behind Tubbs speaks to his integrity as a person and as COACH. They ALL say he really knows the game, "his players will play hard for him", "play GREAT defense" and his teams "will get after you".

Of course, we know he can recruit.

What more could you want as a coach? Tubbs is what SMU needs right now.

[BUS]

I put my donation dollar votes behind Mr. Tubbs. Recruiting is one, respect is two.
I think he well have the guys play their butts off for him!

[Higher Authority]

As I mentioned in another thread, Sean Sutton is starting to grow on me. But keep an eye on one of the candidates Kevin Blackistone threw out in Saturday's DMN: Josh Pastner, the assistant coach at Arizona. He's only 25, but that should not be viewed as a negative. He's thought of as one of the premier assistant coaches in America, and coaching under Lute Olson is a hell of a place to learn. From what I've been able to find, he was a very marginal player, but basically started acting like a coach by the time he was a sophomore in college. He was an exceptional student, both academically and in basketball. And his dad is one of the top guys in Texas AAU basketball, so he has connections everywhere in Texas. He's credited with getting some hotshot recruit (I think from the Houston area) to sign with the Wildcats for next year, a national top-25 player and is regarded as a recruiting machine. His connections in Texas sound sort of like those of Jerry Bennett -- he knows every coach in the state. Whether he's ready to be a head coach, I don't know. But based on what I've read, I sure hope he at least gets a long look.

[PG]

"Great defense?" "Get after you?" Those terms haven't been associated with Dement/Tubbs teams since I've been watching. He's in a system now where those terms apply but we didn't play much more D when he was here than we do now.

I never said he can't coach. I simply said he wouldn't be a good head coach.

[Hoop Fan]

You can't judge Tubbs style based on his time as an assistant coach. Judge it by what he did at Kimball more than anything. Honestly, I think Copeland will probably overlook Tubbs. And I can honestly tell you that will be an opportunity lost and possibly a major mistake. You can ALWAYS hire some up and comer from far and wide. Not many chances to bring in a guy who knows SMU so well and provides a huge and immediate inroad to the big recruits in Texas. Tubbs would recruit 10 times MORE effectively as the head coach than anything you saw as an assistant. You want a chance to make a major splash in a relatively short period of time? Your only chance is Tubbs. The time has passed to bring a clone of Dement in here.

[MustangTu]

What we need is a top notch assistant from a major program. With the money that will besaved by cutting the track team, we can afford such a person. I don't think Sutton would come to SMU, if he has the inside on Dad's job. In addition he would possibly leave quickly if Dad's job opened and he has any measure of sucess here.

[Charleston Pony]

no matter what Copeland decides to do, it will be a gamble. Does he get an established head coach (Jeff Jones) that he knows, but who does not have any ties with Texas H.S. coaches...and of course pay a premium salary wise? Or, does he take an "up and coming" assistant coach who most likely uses SMU (if he's successful) as a stepping stone to a job in one of the big time conferences? Or, does he think back about the Bennett vs Waters decision and think Ro Blackman is to SMU hoops what Charlie Waters was to football, i.e., an opportunity to put a high profile guy who might help sell spome tickets in charge? Or...as this post suggests, does he consider taking a gamble that Jimmy Tubbs might know Dallas better than anyone else he could attract for the job, that Tubbs knows SMU, that Tubbs knows most of the guys on this team and perhaps most important...if he is successful...he just might be a guy who chooses to stay and retire after a long run as SMU's head coach?

The most important thing for this program is to bring a guy in here who will make it FUN for the guys again. They got to be Division I bball players because they grew up loving this game. Somewhere along the way this season, they stopped having fun and playing hard. I still believe this group is talented enough to compete with a lot of teams who will be moving on to post season play. This could be a good job for whoever the next coach might be. I give Dement and his staff credit...they have assembled a team that is talented enough to make next year's coach look very good in his 1st year.

[50's PONY]

Charleston Pony, just curious -- but if you live in Charleston have you actually seen this team play? I mean game after game like a lot of us have?

[Hoop Fan]

whether he is down the street or across the country, seems to me that he is dead on.