ESPN: For some, home really is sweet

[dcpony]

When they began their search for a new head basketball coach, administrators at SMU figured the position would be attractive for a handful of reasons.


After several coaches spurned its advances, SMU filled its vacancy with 71-year old Larry Brown.

1. The school's campus is located in the heart of Dallas, and the Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex is arguably one of the top areas in the country for producing Division I prospects.
2. The Mustangs will leave Conference USA in 2013 and join the Big East.
3. Major facility upgrades have been planned at Moody Coliseum.
4. For the right person, the university was willing to pay more than $2 million.

SMU may not have much tradition in basketball, but the pieces certainly seemed to be in place for success. Still, after spending more than a month interviewing candidates, something became obvious about the Mustangs' vacant head-coaching position.

No one wanted the job.

Not Marquette's Buzz Williams, a Texas native who would've been a perfect fit. Not Long Beach State's Dan Monson or Saint Louis' Rick Majerus, both of whom opted to remain where they were instead of coaching in the Big East. Even Harvard's Tommy Amaker indicated he'd rather stay in the Ivy League instead of taking over in Dallas.

It wasn't until Monday -- when 71-year old Larry Brown came out of retirement to take his first college job in more than 20 years -- that the Mustangs had their man.

"I don't care if I was the second, third or fourth choice," Brown said. "I couldn't be in a better spot in this time in my life than right here.

"Walking around this campus, if we can get a kid to visit here, I can't imagine him going anywhere else."

Indeed, the fact that the Mustangs had to resort to their fifth or sixth option -- sources said parties representing the school also contacted Memphis coach Josh Pastner and recently hired South Carolina coach Frank Martin -- isn't necessarily a negative reflection of the program.

http://espn.go.com/ncb/conversations/_/ ... basketball

[Water Pony]

Yawn

[gostangs]

espy really is trying to undercut the big east. i hope we get our huge contract from NBC and jam it up their @**.

[RyanSMU98]

espy really is trying to undercut the big east. i hope we get our huge contract from NBC and jam it up their @**.

^^^^THIS^^^^ Screw the Worldwide Leader in Self-Promotion (as a friend and former employee there calls them).