GoodVibrations: Will Keith Frazier get a shot of confidence this year?
If I’m Larry Brown my move is to play Frazier 30-35 minutes in the opener and try to get him off to a hot start to the season. If he does that and gets the Moody crowd behind him right away to start off his junior year, I think that would be a huge boost for his confidence. If he gets off to a slow start to the season, I’d start to get worried that he is repeating the last two years.
SMUguru: Who is realistic for basketball in class of 2016?
Point guard DaShawn McDowell and three-star power forward Eric Curry have already set official visits to SMU in September so they are serious options. Four-star shooting guard Andrew Jones kept SMU in his final seven and is planning on taking an official visit to SMU as well. Power forward Clevon Brown is still considering SMU after his latest cut, as is power forward Oliver Powell. Four-star small forward DeAndre Hunter is also considering SMU though his list is currently at 11.
Of those, I’d say the most realistic options are McDowell and Powell coming to SMU. Landing McDowell would help SMU’s chances with his AAU teammate Mike Layssard. Keep an eye on Andrew Jones as well; there is some thought that he wants to stay close to his home in Irving and he is extremely impressed with Larry Brown. Jones likes the ball in his hands a lot but could definitely be the slasher lining up next to Shake Milton or Sedrick Barefield and make a formidable backcourt for any opponent.
Gundo100: How excited is the student body, will we be able to get stadium participation and would a loss to Baylor deflate the season?
I don’t think a loss to Baylor deflates the season because outside of the SMU locker room there aren’t many people who believe the Mustangs can win that game. But going out against Baylor and not even competing like a year ago would cause a lot of SMU fans to roll their eyes and say, here we go again, and write off the season right away. SMU needs to keep the score reasonable into the second half in that game and that improvement should keep the season from getting “deflated” off the bat.
As for the student body and stadium participation, as we saw when Larry Brown was hired, a team does not seem to matter to the SMU student body until it starts winning. SMU did not sell out a game in the Larry Brown era until the Moody opener against UConn and that win turned SMU into the hottest ticket in Dallas. It was after that that students started showing the proper attention to the team. Sadly, I’m going to guess that football will be much the same way and SMU will need to show some progress on the field before fans start to pay attention.
Dthailing: Could you do a pair up of the weigh in from the applicable players from 2014 to 2015?
I don’t have the numbers on last year’s weigh-in but the results are pretty clear to see on the field. The team is faster and stronger which will help them compete better against top competition.
If I’m Larry Brown my move is to play Frazier 30-35 minutes in the opener and try to get him off to a hot start to the season. If he does that and gets the Moody crowd behind him right away to start off his junior year, I think that would be a huge boost for his confidence. If he gets off to a slow start to the season, I’d start to get worried that he is repeating the last two years.
SMUguru: Who is realistic for basketball in class of 2016?
Point guard DaShawn McDowell and three-star power forward Eric Curry have already set official visits to SMU in September so they are serious options. Four-star shooting guard Andrew Jones kept SMU in his final seven and is planning on taking an official visit to SMU as well. Power forward Clevon Brown is still considering SMU after his latest cut, as is power forward Oliver Powell. Four-star small forward DeAndre Hunter is also considering SMU though his list is currently at 11.
Of those, I’d say the most realistic options are McDowell and Powell coming to SMU. Landing McDowell would help SMU’s chances with his AAU teammate Mike Layssard. Keep an eye on Andrew Jones as well; there is some thought that he wants to stay close to his home in Irving and he is extremely impressed with Larry Brown. Jones likes the ball in his hands a lot but could definitely be the slasher lining up next to Shake Milton or Sedrick Barefield and make a formidable backcourt for any opponent.
Gundo100: How excited is the student body, will we be able to get stadium participation and would a loss to Baylor deflate the season?
I don’t think a loss to Baylor deflates the season because outside of the SMU locker room there aren’t many people who believe the Mustangs can win that game. But going out against Baylor and not even competing like a year ago would cause a lot of SMU fans to roll their eyes and say, here we go again, and write off the season right away. SMU needs to keep the score reasonable into the second half in that game and that improvement should keep the season from getting “deflated” off the bat.
As for the student body and stadium participation, as we saw when Larry Brown was hired, a team does not seem to matter to the SMU student body until it starts winning. SMU did not sell out a game in the Larry Brown era until the Moody opener against UConn and that win turned SMU into the hottest ticket in Dallas. It was after that that students started showing the proper attention to the team. Sadly, I’m going to guess that football will be much the same way and SMU will need to show some progress on the field before fans start to pay attention.
Dthailing: Could you do a pair up of the weigh in from the applicable players from 2014 to 2015?
I don’t have the numbers on last year’s weigh-in but the results are pretty clear to see on the field. The team is faster and stronger which will help them compete better against top competition.
