Many Grown-Ups on Ponyfans?

[Wuba]

it's how it happened Saturday on our big recruiting weekend

I keep hearing this about the recruiting weekend so lets take a look at some possible scenarios,
all of which would hardly seem satisfactory to some furious myopic people on PonyFans.

Option 1: June meets ASU before recruiting weekend, but then if he takes the new job right before the big weekend some would be saying "wow he knew we had this huge recruiting weekend, he didnt care, just up and left us high and dry, and now none of the kids want to even come visit and see our campus...why didnt he at least wait a few days until after....what a jerk!"

Option 2: Wait until after the recruiting weekend knowing you are probably leaving and then some would be saying "wow I cant believe when he knew he was leaving and he still went thru with the recruiting weekend not really into it, what a jerk".

Option 3: Do what he did and be called a jerk. And we dont even know if he was in full control of the time frame. ASU may have said we need to make a decision now so we need to proceed immediately.

Exactly how would some of you complaining specifically about the big recruiting weekend have done it differently? If you were offered what you thought may be a better job and decided to enter into discussions about this potential new job...probably going to accept new job but obviously not a done deal....how would you have handled the SMU recruiting weekend?

I agree with you on this having thought about it as well. Whether he interviewed before, during or after the weekend it was going to have a negative impact on the ability of SMU to land those recruits if it became public.

I suppose the thing I would have preferred is to make sure it stayed secret until it was signed. If you lose your coach you know you will have recruiting issues, it sucks to have it go public and hurt your recruiting when it did not have to.

[mrydel]

Recruiting for another school while employed by SMU was wrong. And the Thomas Brown commitment pretty well bears out that was the case.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

IPP,He did it a lot differently when he was leaving Hawaii. In fact, he put Orsini on the hook for over a month while SMU fans were going ballistic waiting for a new coach. The contrast of how he handled the two situations is striking.

Treadway not really surpising to me. Completely different situations. Every one of these situations is different. No two are exactly the same....they involve a different set characters, time frames, demands, pressures, ect..

SMU at 1-11 may have been easier to ask to wait than BCS PAC 12 Arizona State. Plus being ranked #10 in the country and getting ready to play #4 in the country Georgia in the Sugar Bowl is hardly like backing into the Compass Bowl against another unranked team. Who knows if Hawaii would have beaten #4 Georgia June may have never came to SMU. He may have stayed at Hawaii or gone somewhere else. History could have been easily written a different story.

But Treadway getting back to my question....if you were June and ASU was saying "now or never" something maybe SMU didnt have the power to do when they went after June....how would you have handled the recruiting weekend if ASU was a job you were very interested in?

[Peruna_Ate_My_Rolex]

IPP,

He did it a lot differently when he was leaving Hawaii. In fact, he put Orsini on the hook for over a month while SMU fans were going ballistic waiting for a new coach. The contrast of how he handled the two situations is striking.

It's not surprising if you think about it. He had a lot more respect towards Hawaii because he had embraced the university and didn't want to be disrespectful. When it came to SMU, he didn't care about ruffling feathers because he never really embraced the university like he did in Hawaii.

[MustangSTATS]

IPP,

He did it a lot differently when he was leaving Hawaii. In fact, he put Orsini on the hook for over a month while SMU fans were going ballistic waiting for a new coach. The contrast of how he handled the two situations is striking.

He also begged Hawaii to put up the necessary improvements to stay. But we know June always strives to due best by Hawaii. Interviewing for ASU job meant possibly more money to give back to Hawaii and another team to convince to play Hawaii and play in its bowl. June is a stand up guy... for the state of Hawaii

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

I agree with you on this having thought about it as well. I suppose the thing I would have preferred is to make sure it stayed secret until it was signed.

So true Wuba. It's a disaster the way it played out in the public eye.

[Treadway21]

IPP, I would try to be respectful to my current employer. No good way to handle it, but he has a responsibility to his employer and players first. I cannot completely answer you question since we really need details that we will never know. Certainly, the circumstances were not all of JJ makings, and I acknowledge ASU put him in a very bad position. The order of finish in this episode is 1. SMU 2. June Jones 3. ASU.

My beef is his acting like we all don't know how things went down. Don't play us for fools. It was one of the biggest sports story around the country that day.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

Recruiting for another school while employed by SMU was wrong.

And exactly what credible/proveable source says June Jones did that?
Do we have e-mails or taped phone calls proving this was done?

And the Thomas Brown commitment pretty well bears out that was the case.

How so? Please explain.

[mrydel]

Recruiting for another school while employed by SMU was wrong.

And exactly what credible/proveable source says June Jones did that?
Do we have e-mails or taped phone calls proving this was done?

And the Thomas Brown commitment pretty well bears out that was the case.

How so? Please explain.

I believe the fact that a kid who had Nebraska and SMU listed as his top 2 schools committed to ASU as the rumors were flying when ASU does not even have a coach is a pretty strong indication of what I am saying. And subsequently he decommitted from ASU and committed to Nebraska right after the ASU deal fell through. And even you would have to admit that if you took off your blinders for a moment. Those are facts if you believe the recruiting services that are reporting what he has said.

Do you have tapes or emails proving this was not done. I am smart enough to figure this one out on my own and I am STOOPID.

[ReedFrawg]

IPP,He did it a lot differently when he was leaving Hawaii. In fact, he put Orsini on the hook for over a month while SMU fans were going ballistic waiting for a new coach. The contrast of how he handled the two situations is striking.

Treadway not really surpising to me. Completely different situations. Every one of these situations is different. No two are exactly the same....they involve a different set characters, time frames, demands, pressures, ect..

SMU at 1-11 may have been easier to ask to wait than BCS PAC 12 Arizona State. Plus being ranked #10 in the country and getting ready to play #4 in the country Georgia in the Sugar Bowl is hardly like backing into the Compass Bowl against another unranked team. Who knows if Hawaii would have beaten #4 Georgia June may have never came to SMU. He may have stayed at Hawaii or gone somewhere else. History could have been easily written a different story.

But Treadway getting back to my question....if you were June and ASU was saying "now or never" something maybe SMU didnt have the power to do when they went after June....how would you have handled the recruiting weekend if ASU was a job you were very interested in?

Until the contract is signed and delivered, he is still an insanely high-paid employee of SMU. He should have continued to give 100% effort to SMU. Same thing I would expect from anybody in the business world. And certainly don't sabotage your current employer by stealing recruits. And stop wearing the damn lei...put on a red and blue SMU polo. They are paying you $2mm per year!

[huskerpony]

Answer to first question requires rivals subscription.

Answer to second question is fairly obvious from the circumstatial evidence. Brown was deciding between SMU and Nebraska. Suddenly committed to ASU, a school without a coach, the night before the June ASU story broke. Within 48 hours of this mess hitting the wall, he has now switched his commitment from ASU to Nebraska. I'd say that speaks for itself.

[huskerpony]

Thanks Reed. Explained the situation perfectly.

[alyssa]

How many intelligent, fair-minded adults are there on Ponyfans? Reading the "Trashing June Jones" comments makes me wonder.

Let's sum up the Coach Jones situation, using short words so all the children on Ponyfans can understand.

(1) Like it or not, June Jones doesn't owe you or SMU anything. The debt is entirely the other way around -- we owe June Jones plenty. This nationally prominent, highly successful coach came to SMU and has resurrected SMU football after 25 LONG YEARS in the football sewer. In only 4 seasons, starting at the very bottom, he and his excellent staff have taken us to THREE STRAIGHT WINNING SEASONS AND THREE BOWL GAMES. Truly amazing, probably unequaled in recent Division One football. For those of you unfamiliar with the word "gratitude," look it up. It's under G in the dictionary. (Am I going too fast?)

(2) Despite our successes, who cares? SMU continually plays before pitiful home-field crowds. On game days more than half the seats in our fairly small stadium are often empty. We're almost totally ignored by Dallas sports fans and also by SMU students, many of whom just hang out nearby on the boulevard during games. Coach Jones is justifiably disappointed in the almost total lack of interest and support, even when we're succeeding. For God's sake, can any of you gripers name a top-flight coach who wouldn't be?

(3) Then a big state university, with a large fan base and playing in a much bigger and better conference, wants Coach Jones. He can go there into big-time football or wind down his distinguished career in a place where very few people care.

(4) Now ask yourselves: How would YOU feel in that situation, if you were as successful as June Jones? I'll help you: You'd say, Is this the way I want to finish up my whole career? Or should I wind it up coaching a team in front of big crowds in a big important conference, where people actually care about football?

Oh, I suppose you critics would say, No! I must be loyal to SMU regardless! I'm perfectly happy coaching in front of empty seats and uninterested students in an uninterested town! It's wonderful -- how lucky I am!! If you claim you'd say that you're either a liar or you're stupid, or you'd stay at SMU because your Mommy wouldn't let you leave town.

Personally, as a grown-up, I fully understand June Jones' feelings and I respect his and any other highly successful coach's right to want to better himself. Tell me, who doesn't have that right? And I'm just extremely glad that we dodged a bullet. Welcome back, Coach Jones. We need you and we look forward to continued success from you and your fine staff. Thanks for what you've done for us. We owe you. Yes we do. And if any of you June Jones-bashers don't understand that fact, ask your baby-sitters to explain it to you.

Hooray for the new era in SMU football, at last. Hooray for our bright future. And a special hooray for June Jones. He's earned it big-time, and we're hugely fortunate to have him. Again, welcome back, Coach, and please stay for a LONG time. You can feel sure that nearly all the adults around here greatly appreciate you. After all, grown-ups are like that.

Your psychology failed. There are holes throughout it. However, I don't want to point them all out.
(Quality fans v quantity ones). You become insulting. I care about SMU.


I was told by a Sun Devil today that 97% of them did not want June Jones. This Sun Devil who I spoke with did want JJ. I did not ask him where he got 97%.
I want to start again with a new head coach. I understand when relationships are not working well. I don't hate JJ.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

IPP, I would try to be respectful to my current employer. No good way to handle it. I cannot completely answer you question since we really need details that we will never know.

Treadway I appreciate your honest answer. June did let his employer know what was going on. I understand what you are saying, but really if you admit there was "no good way to handle it" and you cant answer because we "dont know the details" then how can we be so quick to rush to judge how the recruiting weekend was handled all wrong?

My beef is his acting like we all don't know how things went down.

You mean like saying he is happy to be here and all that? Yeah I can understand your frustration.

But ya know whatz the man supposed to say? I mean he can't say "yeah I thought ASU was a better job, but that fell through, I'd really rather be in the PAC 12 Conference a BSC Confernce next season playing in front of larger crowds in better weather". How would that go over? You guys get upset when he tries to gloss over/make the best of a bad situation and would get upset if he told the truth.

Treadway it's a disaster...no win situation we find ourselves in.
I hope it can somehow turn out ok...whether June stays or we find a new
face of SMU Football....I just wanna get past this as soon as we can.

[GiddyUp]

Andrew, I assume you must not be in at $500k like the CoC. There is not one person reading or posting on this board that doesn't appreciate winning seasons and bowl games. It was a very difficult task to get to winning. Despite this, he is overpaid comparatively. We have discussed at length attendance issues. It would help a little bit if the City of Dallas had any clue we have football games played on campus.

If he went about it the right way, I don't think many would be as upset.

We would have all appreciated a few things:
1) Interview on Monday or Tuesday and don't skip out on a huge recruiting day and taint the BE announcement. This took months and months of effort for SO and Turner.
2) Don't try to recruit to ASU while you are still at SMU, this one has good evidence.
3) Act like you care to be here this year, his demeanor was like he had no desire to be around.
4) Don't whine and [deleted] about everything all the time to get your way.

He is here and we all have to deal with it now. Go SMU!