SMU's Brown brings nation's only unbeaten team to face Temple
Larry Brown was in his element, teaching, coaching, and joking with his players one moment, instructing them the next. The 75-year-old Brown wasn't acting his age, and who could blame him? He was where he is always most comfortable - on the basketball court.
Larry Brown was in his element, teaching, coaching, and joking with his players one moment, instructing them the next. The 75-year-old Brown wasn't acting his age, and who could blame him? He was where he is always most comfortable - on the basketball court.
The former 76ers coach has returned to Philadelphia with the nation's lone undefeated major-college team. His No. 8 Southern Methodist squad is 18-0 overall and 7-0 in the American Athletic Conference. The Mustangs will play Temple (10-7, 4-2) at noon Sunday.
"I love to coach and teach," Brown said before practice Friday at the Liacouras Center. "I don't like the recruiting and some of the stuff we've been through, but when I am around these guys and my coaches, it's pretty awesome."
That "stuff" has caused the Mustangs a chance at the postseason. SMU won't participate in the AAC or NCAA tournaments. The Mustangs are banned because the NCAA ruled they "committed multiple violations, including academic fraud, unethical conduct and head coach control . . ."
According to the NCAA, "a former men's basketball administrative assistant obtained a student's username and password then completed all of his coursework."
Brown said he initially wanted to appeal the decision himself.
"When our school decided we are not appealing because we wouldn't know what the outcome would be, when it would happen, so they decided to move on, then how could I do it if they didn't do it?" he said.
In addition to the postseason ban, Brown was suspended for the first nine games this season.
When asked whether the NCAA ruling was fair, Brown replied: "I don't want to get into that; it is for other people to judge. For [the players], absolutely not."
Brown's past with the NCAA will always follow him. After leading Kansas to the 1988 NCAA title, he left to coach the San Antonio Spurs. Kansas was banned from postseason play the next season and placed on probation for recruiting violations during Brown's tenure.
While he was coaching at UCLA, the Bruins' 1980 NCAA runner-up finish was vacated after two players were determined to be ineligible.
Brown said he didn't want to defend himself concerning those situations. What he did want to do was laud his current players for the way they are handling the postseason ban.
"We find out that we aren't allowed to go to the postseason and the seniors can't transfer, and they just moved on. They dealt with every one of these situations the right way, I think," Brown said. "It is pretty incredible for me to be around them, to experience a group of kids that care enough about each other."
Another topic he doesn't like addressing is being undefeated. "I don't want to talk about it," he said.
When asked about the program's future, Brown perked up considerably. With Duke transfer Semi Ojeleye leading the way, and some strong recruits, Brown believes SMU should stay remain an elite program.
"Teams better get" the Mustangs now, Brown said, "because we are going to remain at a high level."