In terms of landing men's basketball coaches, SMU thumped TCU

Larry Brown may not stay at SMU for more than a few years, if that, but as long as he is in Dallas the Ponies have the best men's basketball program in this region. In terms of landing a "big-time" hire to fill its vacated men's basketball coaching position, SMU popped cross-town rivals TCU.

If you want to make a splash by hiring a coach, you give your athletic director a check that reads "A google" and hire a proven name.

Trent Johnson's arrival to TCU as a replacement to Jim Christian was greeted mostly with a "Huh? Who? Really?" and created zero in terms of buzz, either on campus, locally, regionally and nothing nationally. Johnson may be a decent fit long term, but in terms of the immediate his arrival wasn't much.

Larry Brown's arrival to SMU as the replacement to Matt Doherty is national news, and greeted with the type of excitement this program has not enjoyed in, well, I have no idea. Decades? Larry Brown will make SMU basketball matter. 

Why Brown would want to do this at the age of 71, and very likely with more money than he knows what to do with, defies normal logic. Clearly he does not know what else to do other than be around this game.

There are few better basketball teachers than Larry Brown. There have been few better at winning with less talent than Larry Brown. There are few better X and O coaches than Larry Brown.

There also have been few guys who bolt town like this guy. Take the good with the bad, this is a major score for SMU.

 

@MacEngelProf
tengel@star-telegram.com 
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Comments

[jim]

Mac is the biggest idiot in sports journalism. Hands down, no exceptions. There are about 10 things wrong with this column but pointing them out would jut be stating the obvious.

Its a shame when people write columns they can't possibly believe just for the sake of creating a stir. Just brutal, Mac, as always.

[Steve]

If Brown is such a good hire, why did Orsini have to get turned down by a dozen other guys before contacting him?

[Jim Swayze]

Go Mustangs!

[SMUfan]

SMU:
• Is going to the best basketball conference in the country
• Has a world-class practice facility that NBA teams use when they come to Dallas
• Is getting ready to begin a facelift on Moody Coliseum that will make it a state-of-the-art facility as good as anywhere
• Has a Hall-of-Fame coach

Good time to be a Mustang!

[The Big Mac Blog]

I agree with everything Jim said.

[Reggie S]

Mac,

Your column is perfect. It's spot on the truth. You would have to be a total idiot to not agree with every word you have written.

Your column hits the nail on the head. Coach Brown is a massive score for SMU. He could do things for SMU that I never saw happening in my life time. And you are right again when you suggest Coach Brown is a total 'flight risk'. That guy is crazy well travled. It's anybodies guess how long he will stick around.

Coach Brown is an amazimg x's and o's guy. I'll be shocked if he doesn't do something amazing things for SMU during his tenure; however short or long.

[tristatecoog]

Brown is an outstanding hire with a great staff. SMU is making a huge commitment to hoops.

[Mackey L.]

Huge for SMU!!! HUGE! Never saw this one coming. Next season should be AmAzInG!!!

[Brad Ford]

SMU went for a supermodel and took the hits that come with rejection. While it was pretty, we ended up with a great hire.

In contrast, TCU married the first coach that looked their way. Had they been willing to take risks, could they have done better?

[McNugget]

TCU should have stuck its neck out. SMU totally embarassed us. There is now way SMU doesn't clean up with Larry Brown.

[JD]

There's a third program sitting at the top of the Metroplex with the best program around that will trump them all when they hire their new coach. Go Mean Green!!!!!!!!

[Brad Ford]

JD - SMU and TCU are great Universities. UNT is DeVry on steroids.

[JD]

Really Brad? Please show me some unbiased data to prove your point.

TCU hired who? Their AD must be smoking what the football team is selling.

SMU has become so irrelevant that they had to agree to pay Brown's AARP dues as part of his contract just to get him to town. They were turned down more than a homely girl on prom night.

[Brad Ford]

JD - my point was that UNT, as a school, is not in the same class as TCU or SMU.

Trying to compare a 3rd tier commuter school to them was your mistake.

UNT might have a better basketball team right now, but the school will always be irrelevant in sports.

[Ryan]

Brad, don't bother getting me started. UNT is not on the level with SMUt and TCU simply because it lacks the money backing that SMUt has. Don't bring up any rankings, please, because when it boils down to it, you either can point me in the direction of Forbes (which uses Rate Your Professor rankings) or US News (which is criticized heavily for basing its rankings on $. Furthermore, we are ranked VERY highly by Princeton. Besides the point, UNT has had a better basketball team than SMUt for most of UNT's existence. SMUt is a terrible basketball school. We also have a better football stadium. Keep saying we're irrelevant, obviously you get a kick out of trying to keep the little guy down. That worked well for the Patriots in the Super Bowl...right? You know nothing, just a prototypical SMUtter. I really wish UNT was not unfortunately associated with D/FW market. TCU has respectable people, unlike SMU and the snotty, daddy's money students that litter the SMU campus. Back to your hole.

[Ryan]

Oh, and it'll get nasty on campus when you lose to us in 2014, I'm expecting.

[Ryan]

One more thing. 2nd tier. Not so much a commuter school anymore. Didn't a chick from UNT just win Jeopardy? Oh, yeah, she did.

[Cash money]

SMU has the coach and a looooong history of "ponying" up for the players. Look out for SMU!!!!

[Ryan]

How ironic. A SMUtter has a name of "Cash money". More like Dad's "cash money"

[Brad Ford]

Ryan,

Glad that I got you all worked up. It was so easy.

Enjoy that chip on your shoulder?

Peace,

Bill

[ATM]

Why pull any punches!?!?? SMU is an elite club of Texans. I don't hide it. I flaunt it.

[Scott]

Are we all in grade school that we have to make fun of each other's schools to feel better about ourselves? The longer I am out of college, the more I realize that it doesn't really matter where you go to school as long as you graduate and work hard after graduation.

And yes, I did go to SMU and have a lot of friends that went to both UNT and TCU.

[JDjd]

You're correct Scott. I, being a NT graduate, have hired a couple of SMU grads in the past. Won't do that again.

[Brad Ford]

Lighten up Fransis!

Part of the fun is taunting opposing schools. Unless people go English football on each other, it's all in good fun.

1) I am a lifelong Pony fan.
2) I hope TCU does well in the Big 12.
3) I root for all SWC teams when they aren't playing SMU. Except the traitorous Aggies in the sec.
4) I hope unt does improve. Areas with lots of good colleges grow.
5). I do hate the Big 10 and Penn State in particular.

[jd]

Love these quotes on the pending announcement that North Texas is hiring Benford:

"Dan Wolken ‏ @DanWolken
No surprise, but North Texas made a better hire than SMU.

7m Ryan Coatney ‏
@DanWolken pretty sure benford was a finalist at SMU. apparently they didn't think he'd be a better hire.

Dan Wolken ‏ @DanWolken Close
@_coat They were wrong. There's a reason North Texas has won at basketball and SMU hasn't.