Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
How do you define a successful coaching career? I don’t think saying that a guy who won a professional title as well as a collegiate one could ever be considered a failure — that much I know. Still, that does not mean that man or woman who might have accomplished that can’t fail at something at some point during their life on this planet (on other planets, however, all bets are off).
That is where SMU Mustangs coach Larry Brown comes in. Brown has been a successful coach at every destination he has ever been at. Whether it has been in the college ranks or the wonderful realm of the pros, Brown has always seemed to do just enough to consider his time at “team x” a time in which he helped improve the team.
His time with SMU so far … not so much. CBSSports Jeff Goodman has reported that Jordan Dickerson is transferring from the program, joining Uche Ofoegbu & Blaise Mbargorba as three freshmen all bailing the program before Brown decides to leave for another job (I kid, kind of).
SMU will not be losing a ton of productivity as all three of those young players did not exactly see an extended time on the court. Yet, this is a possible sign that the Brown era with the program is not going as smoothly as one would have thought.
Maybe he has lost the magic or it could be that he no longer knows how to relate with the youngsters, but losing three players — regardless of how good — in one offseason is a sure indication that all is not well within the program.
However, it is not time to panic just yet as Brown has a solid recruiting class coming in which features a couple of four-star prospects. Only time will tell if this is a sign of Brown’s career coming to a close or if it was just a bump in the road before SMU heads to the big dance.
Joe is a Senior Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @JosephNardone
