Sources Say Doherty Out at SMU
The Sporting News and other sources are reporting SMU men’s basketball coach Matt Doherty has been fired after six seasons on the Hilltop.
Doherty, a player on North Carolina’s 1982 national championship team, was 80-109 at SMU and produced just one winning season. The Mustangs went 13-19 this past season.
Update: SMU has reportedly reached out to UT-Arlington’s Scott Cross, UT-San Antonio’s Brooks Thompson & Indiana State’s Greg Lansing to fill the position, according to Fox Sports reporter Laken Litman. And recruiting is now in flux.
Not the best set of circumstances heading into the Big East, but maybe the program can lure a name coach because of it. Shaka Smart? Brad Stevens? Who would you want?
Brad Stevens was the first coach that came to me, but he has a much better supported program at Butler and signed a long contract for good money in 2010. I’d make the phone call anyway.
Question, could SMU build a competitive BB program by solely focusing on North Texas talent? If so, who (current coach at any level) has the best ties with local HS coaches in the area?
They tried the local ties route before Doherty with Jimmy Tubbs, and that didn’t work so well. I thought & hoped when they got Doherty that they had gotten someone who would recruit well, especially with the new facility. I still think that’s the only possible route to building any kind of a program, getting a good, solid, successful coach, as opposed to an up-and-comer. I think they just got the wrong one this time. Brooks, Thomas, or Lansing are just going backwards.