It seems like a lifetime ago, but SMU was once
the toast of the college football world. They
had names like Craig James and Eric Dickerson,
and seriously competed for championships.
All of that changed however when they got their
hand caught in the proverbial cookie jar and
the NCAA put the smack down on them with
sanctions so brutal that would soon become know
as "The Death Penalty". It was easy to see why
too, these sanctions were so harsh it took more
than a generation of fans before SMU could even
sniff anything resembling a winning season or
even an athlete of any major stature.
It seems that in 2008 Southern Methodist decided
to try and establish itself as more than a lackey
for the first time in a long time, and went after
a fairly decent high profile coach in the way of
June Jones, with the exception of him almost
leaving for Arizona St. last Winter, it has been
a good thing for the program, and they have won a
couple bowl games too. So now after sticking their
toe in the water and liking what they've been able
to accomplish, they have decided to build a part
of their athletic department that they are not as
know for to the casual fan, Basketball.
Yesterday Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo sports posted
a story that SMU is in good shape to work out a deal
with Hall of Fame and legendary coach Larry Brown
to take over their basketball program, and he is
getting help from of all people John Calipari.
This is huge on many levels, and the school can
really put itself on the map legitimately if it
lands Brown. Brown has not only a great teacher,
but is the only man to ever win an NCAA title
(Kansas)and an NBA championship (Detroit).
Brown gave Calipari a job as an assistant after
Calipari's fall as head man of the NJ Nets, and
the two are close. Though I don't expect John
Calipari to try any five star recruits in Larry
Brown's direction, you can bet that though Brown
may not need the help, he may benefit from their
relationship anyway, and in turn help SMU shine a
little brighter a little faster. Make no mistake
here, this isn't Isiah Thomas coaching FIU, this
is an established coaching legend looking to show
us he's still got it, and something the folks at
Big East basketball have to be loving.
Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis
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