Larry Brown pumping life into Southern Methodist basketball program
SMU basketball coach Larry Brown leads a rising basketball program at SMU, which won its season opener against the University of Connecticut, 74-65.
By Roger Rubin
Southern Methodist didn’t exactly arrive with Saturday’s impressive 74-65 victory over then-No. 15 Connecticut at the Mustangs’ newly renovated 7,000-seat Moody Coliseum. SMU has a long way to go if it is to reach its first NCAA Tournament since 1993.
But no one can deny the feeling that this program is coming. After all, Larry Brown is behind it all.
The New York-bred Brown is the only coach to capture NBA and NCAA championships. He hadn’t coached college in two decades so his hiring before last season raised eyebrows.
The 73-year-old knows that and has a little fun with it. He said the first hire to his staff was Illinois State head coach Tim Jankovich because “it had to be someone with head coaching experience because I’m old,” Brown told the Daily News Sunday, “and also, I guess I have a track record of leaving.”
The ascent of SMU (11-3, 1-1 AAC) might be worth staying for.
“A lot of the parts have come together,” Brown said....