Not everyone is impressed

[hoopmanx]

Here's the reality. I've done a lot more research about this staff than most, w/far better contacts, and I love the flash/glam of it, but there are real tangible problems w/it as well. I don't blame the staff for the grassroots problem, but I do blame SMU brass.

W/O spilling the beans on the staff issues before its time, let me just say this... The chances of losing Cannen, Jalen, Blaise w/this particular staff, are astronomical. Should that happen, we'll have a ton of open ships, which is good, they just aren't the ones you wanted open. Now, unless we grab the Randles/Parkers of the world, Larry's first two years will net 40 plus losses, and he'll be on the first train out.

[ponydawg]

I don't blame the staff for the grassroots problem, but I do blame SMU brass.

I don't know anything that is truly going on. But for argument sake, if SO knew they were going after a BIG NAME hire, like a Buzz, a Rick, or a Larry, they still would have gotten in trouble with the locals. The locals would have sat down with them, told them who to hire, and then we still would have not hired their guy. And if SO would have asked them "hey what do you think about Larry" and they said hell no, but that is who we hired, we are still in trouble for ignoring them. I don't like the way it was handled (SMU SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST SAT DOWN WITH THEM) but I think either way we would have been made out as the bad guy. Maybe Larry and Howard can sit down with them and hire a reco of theirs for an assist.

If brown and this staff happens, I think the program gets turnaround faster than if we hired Jones/Benford (who I would have been more than happy with).

[ponyboy]

Assuming this is truly a problem that will materially prevent us from getting talent, how do we know that the search committee didn't sit down with the locals? Without wild conjecture, there'd be nothing to talk about around here.

[CoxBizGrad]

Orsini had to do this. He had no other choice but to bring in a high profile person like Brown to make the job more appealing to the outside world. Without Brown in the equation, he would have continued to be rejected by less than stellar or qualified candidates. This was his only out. I don't expect Brown or the HCIW to be here in two years.

[Mitch McConnell]

According to some this new regime has failed before it's even been announced and the ink is dry on the contract.

[WildBillPony]

I hear all of you on the TX concerns. But I'm thinking that these new guys might possess some different skills (i.e. inherently more persuasive in their approach) in recruiting the top potential locals than the Doh staff.

I am also very curious to see how Cannen, Jalen, Leslie Smith, etc. perform under Brown & Company. I'm guessing that these coaches can unlock some of the potential in these guys that they may have been restricted from doing at SMU under the anemic version of the Princeton, and what got them recruited here in the first place. If that happens, it represents something concrete that would make the locals take notice.

[Bergermeister]

We're doomed. Basketball doesn't have a snowball's chance. We need to place blame as soon as possible, possibly through a poll on ponyfans. How come none of our best and brightest ponyfans know-it-alls are not the top tier administrators in the SMU athletic department? We wouldn't be in this helluva mess if we had smarter, more experienced, capable personnel calling the shots. The whole department just sucks. So does the Bush Library and the Crum Center architecture. So does the Moody redo plan. So do the concessions at Moody. DISD will never like us. Just get Larry Brown an office at Sparkman/Hillcrest for convenience sake. Nothing positive can come of this dire situation. We've screwed th' pooch, again.

[Arkpony]

Amen! Oh the gloom of it all!

[CoxBizGrad]

Too funny Bergermeister. Excellent post. I think this move is going to be good for SMU, especially where the program stands (or sits) now. Finally we'll get a coaching staff of substance, with a head coach that is not just a PR/glad hander with little if any substance. I'm excited to see the team reach their full potential from a staff that can finally motivate rather than leading through intimidation. No matter what happens, I love that SMU basketball is being discussed beyond this website.

[SMU 86]

And we should listen to the locals because they sent us HOW MANY players during the Tubbs era??? Oh yeah, that's right, they pushed us to hire Tubbs and then did jack squat for him/us. You do NOT hire your coach based on the outside opinions of a few guys that have no vested interest in SMU's success.

Listen, some of these local are always going to think of SMU as upper crust, rich, white, prejudice, elitist, etc. That's fine...Some people will never change their minds, for whatever reason.

But I guarantee this - everybody loves a winner. Dallas is possibly the biggest BANDWAGON town I've ever lived in, followed by LA and Washington. SMU starts to win, and just like that, you have another Baylor. Came out of nowhere, became good all of the sudden, and then, just like that, they have thousands of fans and coaches/AAU guys beating down the doors.

Unlike Baylor, however, our compliance guys are going to have to be on top of LB and staff...big time.

I think it was more of the local HS coaches that time. This time it is the local AAU coaches who we do need to have a good relation ship with.

[Comet]

Apparently Stephen A. Smith is a big fan of the hire. He just slobbered all over the Brown hiring on SportsCenter.

[SMU 86]

I think some of you need to slow your roll. Strickland has never ever recruited a player in his life, which doesn't mean he won't be great, but no track record. Secondly, there isn't enough Texas on the staff. Its a profile crew, but based on the way Orsini treated DFW grassroots in the process, they're gonna hold a serious grudge. Asked around about Howard, and someone told me he was recently iced out of Chicago, for not delivering on promises, not sure if true, but hope not.

Either way, as profile as it is, it doesn't address Texas. Jank isnt particularly strong locally

---Unbelievable...it's never good enough for anybody. And if people are more hung up on labels INSTEAD OF FINDING OUT FOR THEMSELVES then shame on them. I understand about track records and so forth. But for love of Pete, get to know the guy, will you?

This crap about assistant coaches are X,Y and Z is really a bunch of BS. I am so sick of this self-appointed royalty crowd. I guess relationship building is no longer an acceptable practice.

BTW, I'm going to take DFW underworld approach of saying, "We want you to hire this guy and if you don't, then you'll never get a player from this area.'' Nice people.

Eff it...let's just cancel the 2012-13 season since the AAU crowd threw a holy tantrum because it didn't get what it wanted and won't give the new coach (whoever that is) a chance.

Whatever...

I don't think they wanted to get the person they gave input about but at least they figured they would give the person an interview especially since LSU hired one of the recommendations. I guess they wondered why even ask if they are going to blow them off.

[BRStang]

We're doomed. Basketball doesn't have a snowball's chance. We need to place blame as soon as possible, possibly through a poll on ponyfans. How come none of our best and brightest ponyfans know-it-alls are not the top tier administrators in the SMU athletic department? We wouldn't be in this helluva mess if we had smarter, more experienced, capable personnel calling the shots. The whole department just sucks. So does the Bush Library and the Crum Center architecture. So does the Moody redo plan. So do the concessions at Moody. DISD will never like us. Just get Larry Brown an office at Sparkman/Hillcrest for convenience sake. Nothing positive can come of this dire situation. We've screwed th' pooch, again.

This

All you basketball know-it-alls - quit poo-pooing everything all the damn time.

(Might be the first time I actually 100% agree with Bergermeister.)

[SMU 86]

Apparently Stephen A. Smith is a big fan of the hire. He just slobbered all over the Brown hiring on SportsCenter.

Definitely a proponent for Brown.

[Stallion]

The Spring signing date has already started-if our 3 signees are thinking of bailing you'd think they would have opened up their recruitment by now