OT: Jimmy Whitt transfers from SMU

[UConnStats]

Bad news for them and I have a feeling Jank may not last more than another year there because of his inability to get/keep talent at SMU.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Didn’t he put up about 40 vs us?

 

[awfuldan]

Didn’t he put up about 40 vs us?

20 and 10 in a loss.

SMU is gonna stink next year. Maybe we'll actually be able to win in Moody.

 

[Guapo]

Didn’t he put up about 40 vs us?

It feels like every SMU player put up 40 against us

 

[Guapo]

It feels like every SMU player put up 40 against us

And they shoot 100% from 3

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

At least they still have Nic Moore

 

[Pgh2Storrs]

SMU has fallen hard. The Moore/Kennedy teams were always tough games for us, but it was an entertaining matchup more often than not. Jankovich can’t be long for that job

 

[UConnNick]

SMU's problem is it has been and always will be a football school. Occasionally they've been relevant nationally in BB for short stretches going back to the Jon Koncak era, but they never sustain it long term. Brown did it again for a while with smoke and mirrors but ultimately left them scrambling due to the NCAA sanctions. If they truly had big time aspirations they would have built a new arena instead of going with a lipstick on a pig renovation of a 1950's era building. OTOH, their mid 1990's football stadium is nicer than PAWS-ARF.

 

[QDOG5]

Larry Brown is in excellent basketball coach. By smoke and mirrors I'm guessing you mean he cheated while recruiting. He had done it before so I'm guessing he did it at SMU. Tim Jankovich is not a good basketball coach and will be fired before the 20-21 season starts.

 

[UConnNick]

Larry Brown is in excellent basketball coach. By smoke and mirrors I'm guessing you mean he cheated while recruiting. He had done it before so I'm guessing he did it at SMU. Tim Jankovich is not a good basketball coach and will be fired before the 20-21 season starts.

There's no question he's a great BB coach. I was referring to the NCAA violations which always seem to follow in his wake. He also brought in a lot of JUCO and other transfers. While that might be sustainable at some schools with much more BB history and tradition, at a school like SMU it never was going to be. Brown attracted kids primarily due to his NBA pedigree. They signed with SMU for him, not because of the school's BB name. Jankovich doesn't enjoy that luxury and it's showing.

 

[rip7774]

SMU was looking at two guards, one was a kid we mentor the other was a kid that they sent their whole staff to and prioritized. The latter kid wanted to stay close to home and picked Coastal Carolina! Yes Coastal Carolina. Our kid shot 42%+ from three and plays 1 or 2 well and averaged 10 a game as a frosh in the AAC a few years back. Really stupid. He was between Rhody and SMU and picked Rhody. Academic issues or he’d have been higher level. That one is on Jank!

 

[A10 fan]

There's no question he's a great BB coach. I was referring to the NCAA violations which always seem to follow in his wake. He also brought in a lot of JUCO and other transfers. While that might be sustainable at some schools with much more BB history and tradition, at a school like SMU it never was going to be. Brown attracted kids primarily due to his NBA pedigree. They signed with SMU for him, not because of the school's BB name. Jankovich doesn't enjoy that luxury and it's showing.

When a school like SMU lands a coach like Brown, they need to really blow up while he's there. High school kids memories only go back 4 to 5 years, so if you have a nice run, it's like you were always good. The collapse against UCLA, and the year they were barred from the tourney killed them. They knew at his age, Brown was short term anyway. They needed to make a couple of runs, at least the Sweet 16, maybe an Elite 8, to establish themselves as a name brand. This has worked to varying degrees for programs like Wichita, and VCU. They didn't get it done. The NCAAs is where you build your brand. Houston is probably one NCAA run away from being seen as a powerhouse again. Reaching the S16 is important, because that is when there are fewer games, and many more eyes are on you. When you reach the Elite 8, you're the only game on, and the entire country is watching you. Make a couple of those, and suddenly, you're one of the big boys. SMU didn't get it done.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Whitt committed to Arkansas and is immediately eligible.

Wow, Whitt is now added to a team that now has 10 players who played at least 15 mpg last season and six players with 24+ mpg.

Super deep team and an interesting wildcard for the SEC and no reason why this team doesn't finish 2nd in the SEC behind Kentucky.

Their achilles heel: rebounding.

 

[Stainmaster]

Whitt committed to Arkansas and is immediately eligible.

Wow, Whitt is now added to a team that now has 10 players who played at least 15 mpg last season and six players with 24+ mpg.

Super deep team and an interesting wildcard for the SEC and no reason why this team doesn't finish 2nd in the SEC behind Kentucky.

Their achilles heel: rebounding.

Pulling a Shakim Phillips and returning to his original school...interesting.

 

[BLUEDOGHOUSE]

Tevin Mack grad transferring...So glad he bailed on Alabama. Mack could be a game changer for someone.

 

[rip7774]

Seems like Mack has the longevity of a Carl Krauser or Chevy Troutman.

I guess the 4-5 years of KO were like a bad marriage ... those years only felt like 30 years!

 

[auror]

Tevin Mack grad transferring...So glad he bailed on Alabama. Mack could be a game changer for someone.

Mack was the opposite of a winning basketball play at Alabama.1:2 A:TO ratio, 55% from the FT line, committed more fouls than he drew. None of the little things.