Sizzle! Loser! Bye Bye!!

by **RGV Pony** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 10:04 am

papawasamustang wrote:Until this season, I was a huge "Doh must go" person. That changed this season. The entire coaching staff did an outstanding job. If Doh can't win with the talent assembled for next season, than we have something to talk about.

Thanks to the team for providing many surprising & fun basketball moments this season. The last few games sucked, including last night. But I feel much better about the future of SMU mens basketball going into next season than I have in a very long time.

PWM and I shared similar perspectives at the season's outset. To see this post speaks volumes, and I agree with it.

by **2ndandlong** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 10:09 am

I'm not intending to bag on Doh with this post, so please don't take it that way. BUT we made two huge additions to the coaching staff with Hobbie and Mangino. I ask you, how much of this seasons credits should be attributed to those additions as opposed to Doh turning something around on his own?

by **RGV Pony** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 10:12 am

I think the lion's share belongs to Mangino & Hobbie, both for what they contribute and for having the personality type that's able to at times and in some way influence Doh's way of thinking. I think Doh deserves some credit for being open to that approach.

My big concern last night is what happened with the 4 man sub, and what happened w/ going man to man...did Mangino & Hobbie voice their opinions? There's been times when coaching decisions were made and Doh credited the staff for calming him down etc...I hope he wasnt hard headed and reverting to old ways last night.

And damn you Dean Smith for your love of the large-scale substitution patterns.

by **Wuba** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 10:19 am

2ndandlong wrote:I'm not intending to bag on Doh with this post, so please don't take it that way. BUT we made two huge additions to the coaching staff with Hobbie and Mangino. I ask you, how much of this seasons credits should be attributed to those additions as opposed to Doh turning something around on his own?

He hired them. He would have gotten blamed if it did not work, so he should get credit for the improvement.

by **PoconoPony** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:00 am

EastStang wrote:At the beginning of the season, I said that unless this team finished .500 in conference play and had a winning season (due to the fact that we were playing the Texas School for the Blind), Doh was gone. He met those low expectations with by all accounts a team bereft of star power. Next year, he's going to be fully loaded with a young but talented team. Perhaps, he's learned how to coach or how to delegate duties. I don't know, but I have to give him credit for a season where the team performed above its talent level. Yes, we lost to Rice in the first round of the tournament, we weren't going dancing anyway. Next year is Doh's make it or break it year. If he wins, he'll be the toast of the town, if he loses, he'll be on the bus back to ESPN.

How did he learn to coach calling a 3 point shot against Rice to win the game when they were only down by 1?????? Most logical coaches would have gone inside, knowing Rice would be reluctant to foul, taking the higher % shot or draw a foul. When you coach stupid you have few results.

by **Harry0569** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:06 am

Pocono,

Jfrog looked inside to Papa (everyone that was watching/Rice coaches/blind people knew we were going to Pop, so Rice played it accordingly).

It was a cluster f at the end, but that's what you get when your first and really only option is taken away.

What I am pissed about is the 20 turnovers (many of them unforced). There were at least 5 times that Pop dropped the ball. Secondly, defensive rebounding-my goodness

by **PonyKai** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:46 am

Billy Joe wrote:Excuses, excuses, excuses from you a-clowns. Records do not lie. If so and so was eligible......if we had this player or that player......its always about excuses and next year with SMU and the typical SMU fan.

If you truly think Doherty, or any coach, should have been fired from this position at this school two seasons ago, barring major infractions, you're beyond saving and need to go sit a dark corner alone and not bother anybody else.

by **Mitch McConnell** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:46 am

Harry0569 wrote:Pocono,

Jfrog looked inside to Papa (everyone that was watching/Rice coaches/blind people knew we were going to Pop, so Rice played it accordingly).

It was a cluster f at the end, but that's what you get when your first and really only option is taken away.

What I am pissed about is the 20 turnovers (many of them unforced). There were at least 5 times that Pop dropped the ball. Secondly, defensive rebounding-my goodness

Turning it over was this team's achilles heel all season. Weren't they throwing 15-18 per game especially at the end?

by **hoopmanx** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:47 am

Beyond that, that end of the game play last night, is pretty much the only one all year, end of half or game, where we didn't get a near perfect look. We handled those situations amazingly well this year, which was always stuck out as a real point of improvement. From the half court inbounds and T.O vs Houston, to Frog/Rob at Tulsa

by **RGV Pony** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:50 am

hoopmanx wrote:Beyond that, that end of the game play last night, is pretty much the only one all year, end of half or game, where we didn't get a near perfect look. We handled those situations amazingly well this year, which was always stuck out as a real point of improvement. From the half court inbounds and T.O vs Houston, to Frog/Rob at Tulsa

will be nice next year when we have some guys who can just create their own look if options 1 & 2 arent there

by **2ndandlong** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 1:55 pm

Peruna wrote:
Billy Joe wrote:Excuses, excuses, excuses from you a-clowns. Records do not lie. If so and so was eligible......if we had this player or that player......its always about excuses and next year with SMU and the typical SMU fan.

Right - records don't lie. With minimal talent around Papa Dia, Doherty somehow squeezed 17 wins (so far) out of this team. The way this team started out, a lot of us (including me) didn't think he'd get 10 wins, or a single C-USA win. The record, as you so graciously point out, doesn't lie, and shows that Coach Doherty did a decent job, the final nosedive notwithstanding. Hopefully the CBI and CIT (which teams don't pay to get into, by the way ... who started that rumor?) will extend this season.

well said

by **goldenstang** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 1:57 pm

Peruna wrote:
Billy Joe wrote:Excuses, excuses, excuses from you a-clowns. Records do not lie. If so and so was eligible......if we had this player or that player......its always about excuses and next year with SMU and the typical SMU fan.

Right - records don't lie. With minimal talent around Papa Dia, Doherty somehow squeezed 17 wins (so far) out of this team. The way this team started out, a lot of us (including me) didn't think he'd get 10 wins, or a single C-USA win. The record, as you so graciously point out, doesn't lie, and shows that Coach Doherty did a decent job, the final nosedive notwithstanding. Hopefully the CBI and CIT (which teams don't pay to get into, by the way ... who started that rumor?) will extend this season.

From what I have read on the subject you don't have to pay to play in the CBI and CIT you just have to pay if you want to have a home game.

by **Used To Be** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 1:57 pm

Season is over and provided more than i expected. 1st half sucked but 2nd half was fun. Doh, the assistant coaches, and players did much more than i ever expected. Yea, Doh is back next year but i am looking forward to the Ponies doing a little better with next year new players. Expect 1 more win next year and i will be satisfied as i don't think the first year players can turn it around to 20 or more wins.

Great season of ups and downs but very enjoyable to watch. Have to say the players gave it their best shot with the talent we had. Already sent in my request to renew tickets for next year.

by **hoopmanx** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 2:00 pm

Peruna wrote:
Billy Joe wrote:Excuses, excuses, excuses from you a-clowns. Records do not lie. If so and so was eligible......if we had this player or that player......its always about excuses and next year with SMU and the typical SMU fan.

Right - records don't lie. With minimal talent around Papa Dia, Doherty somehow squeezed 17 wins (so far) out of this team. The way this team started out, a lot of us (including me) didn't think he'd get 10 wins, or a single C-USA win. The record, as you so graciously point out, doesn't lie, and shows that Coach Doherty did a decent job, the final nosedive notwithstanding. Hopefully the CBI and CIT (which teams don't pay to get into, by the way ... who started that rumor?) will extend this season.

not rumor, there were several articles on it a year or so ago. Plus, a coach at a mid, most likely headed to the CBI, told me a home game only cost around 30k in the CIT. That's info he's received from the last week. Those tourneys do invite teams, but many decline b/c they don't want to pay, so there is trickle down. FWIW, I don't care about buy-in's etc. Let's play more games plz

by **mustangxc** » Thu Mar 10, 2011 4:37 pm

papawasamustang wrote:Until this season, I was a huge "Doh must go" person. That changed this season. The entire coaching staff did an outstanding job. If Doh can't win with the talent assembled for next season, than we have something to talk about.

Thanks to the team for providing many surprising & fun basketball moments this season. The last few games sucked, including last night. But I feel much better about the future of SMU mens basketball going into next season than I have in a very long time.

Great post! Let's get rid of the trolls in this thread.