SMU Withdraws Offer to Francis and Gives Release

PonyDoh · Post by **PonyDoh** » Thu May 07, 2009 12:22 pm

Harry0569 wrote:Talking with someone who is extremely tied to the basketball program, they said that Francis's coach called SMU to tell them that he was not "ready" to play basketball in C-USA, nor succeed in the classroom. All sides felt it was best to release him from his scholarship, so that he could pursue a "lesser" D1 school. Yes, Winthrop has made the tournament a few times over the past 8 years, but I honestly believe the competition in CUSA is superior to the Big South.

I don't doubt that's the party line, which by excuse standards is awful. It firmly puts the staff on the hook for another bad evaluation. That said, I've seen this kid play multiple times and he's FAR better then Bamba was in high school. Not even comparable really. Also, he played a bunch of AAU at an elite level, and played fine. He's better then TK at the same stage, possibly now. Doh just doesn't have the time to see the project through, so he ditched the kid

EastStang · Post by **EastStang** » Thu May 07, 2009 1:08 pm

The kid had a decent junior year in HS and played in a premier HS League. If he had normally progressed his senior year, he would have been a decent signing. Apparently, he did not progress his senior year and the signing became problematic (especially if there were the dreaded academic issues) although Good Counsel is a good Catholic prep school so I find it hard to believe if he could graduate from there that he would not be able to succeed in the classroom at SMU.

mrydel · Post by **mrydel** » Thu May 07, 2009 1:14 pm

Sounds to me more of a case of the kid wanting out, and Doherty did not want another situation like occurred with Frenchie. The story that Harry tells let's both sides out without too much flak.

papawasamustang · Post by **papawasamustang** » Thu May 07, 2009 2:26 pm

From what I've seen of the kid on tape he looks like a pretty good prospect 2 to 3 years down the road. I was really looking forward to seeing Gillispie or whoever the next HC is work with the kid.
Its all making perfect sense why Doh, Lutz & company are so hush hush about everything they do. Not a clue!!

jtstang · Post by **jtstang** » Thu May 07, 2009 2:46 pm

By unanimous decision of the WDNWHA Committee.

Harry0569 · Post by **Harry0569** » Thu May 07, 2009 3:13 pm

Everyone is talking about his Junior year, yet via the very reliable source the big REALLY REALLY regressed his senior year.

mrydel · Post by **mrydel** » Thu May 07, 2009 3:36 pm

I regurgitated a lot my senior year.

Stallion · Post by **Stallion** » Thu May 07, 2009 3:52 pm

let's be honest-he wasn't so great his Junior year either. I've posted the numbers. Maybe he showed something at AAU during the summer of his Junior Year. He seemed like a sleeper from the first day I began to track him based upon his high school career.

PonyDoh · Post by **PonyDoh** » Fri May 08, 2009 11:45 am

Harry0569 wrote:Everyone is talking about his Junior year, yet via the very reliable source the big REALLY REALLY regressed his senior year.

He was painfully average both years. He didn't regress, b/c he's not good enough to get appreciably worse. Certainly, he didn't step up and become a high major big, but nobody ever thought he would. He is who we thought he'd be. Bottom line, we flaked on the kid b/c Doh needs help now, to keep his job beyond next year. No offense to your source, but I saw Francis play as a soph, junior & senior, as well as in AAU. You can't regress if you aren't particularly good to begin with.

To steal a phrase from the NCAA, this program lacks institutional control. Doh is allowed to do things the wrong way w/consistency. He tries to demote an assistant for non-performance, after squandering two other opportunities to hire a legit recruiter, and bench coach previously. Two years running, he pulls the rug out from underneath a committed player/prospect. He runs off kids on the current roster, to make room for kids, that aren't any better. He can't recruit DFW and the '09 class is an abortion.

My biggest fear, after watching the past 3 years, is that Doh gets to 16 wins and keeps his job. Bad evaluations, poor roster management and the inability to bring in anything near a marquee kid, dooms doh.

SoCal_Pony · Post by **SoCal_Pony** » Fri May 08, 2009 12:43 pm

First we want him, then we don├â┬ó├óΓÇÜ┬¼├óΓÇ₧┬ót├â┬ó├óΓÇÜ┬¼├é┬ªfirst he is a project, then he becomes a player, now he is a project again...first we have high admission standards, then we lower them, now we hear Francis is a academic risk├â┬ó├óΓÇÜ┬¼├é┬ªthis is all very confusing to me.

I need a no nonsense answer to what really happened here.

Mrydel, as Chairman Emeritus of the WDNWHA Committee, can you please shed some light on this?

George S. Patton · Post by **George S. Patton** » Fri May 08, 2009 1:56 pm

[quote="PonyDoh']

Bad evaluations, poor roster management and the inability to bring in anything near a marquee kid...[/quote]

Succinct and the perfect description to what we have seen in 3 years. And what fun, we get to see it for a fourth year.

Doherty runs an absolute Toxic program. What we were warned about in the beginning of his tenure has come to fruition.

So much for taking all of the good things from the Wharton School of Business and translating them into a better way of doing things. Remember, how Doherty was selling that in his first year?

ponydawg · Post by **ponydawg** » Fri May 08, 2009 2:18 pm

I hope for many reasons Doh gets the team on track.
My third reason for wanting success is so I can see all the naysayers flip flop
once more.

George S. Patton · Post by **George S. Patton** » Fri May 08, 2009 3:07 pm

ponydawg wrote:I hope for many reasons Doh gets the team on track.
My third reason for wanting success is so I can see all the naysayers flip flop
once more.

No, I want our basketball program to continue to fail just so I look right in my assessment.

The comeback is so tiresome. Do you really think all of us naysayers only want to be proven right rather than have a successful program.

Come on, now. We all want the program to succeed. We just differ on how to get there.

ponydawg · Post by **ponydawg** » Fri May 08, 2009 3:21 pm

George S. Patton wrote: No, I want our basketball program to continue to fail just so I look right in my assessment.

The comeback is so tiresome. Do you really think all of us naysayers only want to be proven right rather than have a successful program.

Come on, now. We all want the program to succeed. We just differ on how to get there.

Not really what I was talking about. I just find it funny when people rant and rave for 5,000 post and then flip flop in one post and act like the last 5000 post didn't mean much. But anyone who is ranting and raving about SMU not being very good has a pretty safe bet that they won't have to jump ship from their original argument.

Hoop Fan · Post by **Hoop Fan** » Fri May 08, 2009 4:44 pm

PonyDoh wrote: My biggest fear, after watching the past 3 years, is that Doh gets to 16 wins and keeps his job. Bad evaluations, poor roster management and the inability to bring in anything near a marquee kid, dooms doh.

I think McCoy was a superior signing for SMU, not sure I would say marquee, but worth giving credit for. Other than that, its been a freakin train wreck on most counts so far. Cutting this Francis kid loose smells really bad like many others have commented. All you can do is shake your head and wonder, but sooner or later things add up. By the way, its not naysaying if its true. Time will tell and its already speaking for itself. The early to mid Dement years look like proud days indeed.