Men's Basketball Visits Oklahoma On Dec. 28
Dec 23 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 23, 2006
The SMU Mustangs (9-1) visit the Oklahoma Sooners (7-3) at the Lloyd Noble Center on Thursday, Dec. 28, at 7 p.m. The Mustangs have won seven straight for the first time since 1999-2000, including two consecutive road games. The most recent victory, a 64-62 win at TCU on Dec. 21, came as Dez Willingham hit a 3-pointer from the left wing as time expired in a game that saw the lead change four times in the final 17 seconds. Head coach Matt Doherty is going for a personal coaching milestone as well, looking for career victory 100 as he enters with a 99-72 head coaching record.
The Mustangs trail the all-time series 34-14 and have lost the last seven meetings. The 12th-ranked Sooners came into Moody Coliseum last season on Jan. 3, and left with a 50-47 victory. The last SMU victory against was Dec. 22, 1984, when the 7th-ranked Mustangs defeated 11th-ranked Oklahoma 85-76 in the Chaminade Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Mustangs last win at Oklahoma was 83-72 on Dec. 7, 1963.
The Mustangs are looking to win a third consecutive road game for the first time since the 2003-04 season. The Mustangs won at Baylor, at [17] Purdue, and at Navy in Dec. 2003. The Mustangs are also looking to win three road games, all in succession, for the first time in program history.
As of Dec. 23, the Mustangs are No. 21 in the RPI and No. 47 in the Sagarin ratings.
In the Dec. 17 NCAA statistics, SMU is fourth in FG percentage defense at 35.2, sixth in rebound margin at 11.6, 11th in scoring defense at 54.4 points per outing, and 29th in blocks with 5.7. Individually, Bamba Fall is 11th nationally in blocks and Jon Killen is 24th nationally in assists and 30th nationally in steals. In rebounding, Dontanas Rackauskas is 50th nationally and Ike Ofoegbu is 78th.
The Mustangs lead Conference USA in four of 19 statistical categories and are in the top three of four others. The Mustangs are best in the league in scoring defense (55.2), FG percentage defense (36.1), 3FG percentage defense (.276), and rebounding defense (27.6). The Mustangs are second in C-USA in rebound margin (+11.4) after going plus-68 on the glass in the last three games; Prairie View A&M (45-15), at Centenary (45-17), and at TCU (36-26). Individually, Killen lead the league in steals (2.40) and assists (5.90). Bamba Fall is leading the league in FG Percentage (.679).
AN SMU WIN MEANS: SMU would have an eight-game winning streak for the first time since a ten-game stretch to start the 1997-98 season. Mustangs improve to 10-1, which would be the best mark since an 11-1 to start the 1999-2000 season. The Mustangs are currently 5-0 at home, which is the best since starting 10-0 at home in 2000-01. The Mustangs would also get to 5-0 in December for the first time since going 6-0 in December of the 1997-98 campaign.
OFF THE COURT NEWS: DEC. 8 - SMU Breaks ground on Crum Basketball Center The Mustangs broke ground on the Crum Basketball Center on Dec. 8. It is a $13 million, 43,000 sq. ft. training center that will be open in the Fall of 2007. (complete information on page 10 of the game notes) DEC. 19 - SMU Adds George Lynch To Staff George Lynch, a 12-year NBA veteran and NCAA Champion, joined the SMU men's basketball staff as the team's administrative assistant/graduate manager. Lynch averaged 22.8 minutes, 6.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 774 games during his 12 NBA seasons. He was selected in the first round (12th overall) by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1993 NBA draft and played for four franchises: Lakers, Vancouver Grizzlies, Philadelphia 76ers, and New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. He was named All-Atlantic Coast Conference and All-Final Four Tournament in 1993 after helping lead the North Carolina Tar Heels to the NCAA Championship. Lynch also played in the NBA Finals in 2001 when his 76ers won the NBA Eastern Conference. DEC. 20 - Inside College oops With Matt Doherty Begins Jan. 8 SMU men's basketball coach Matt Doherty will have a weekly one-hour radio show beginning Jan. 8. Inside College Hoops with Matt Doherty is hosted by Rich Phillips, the voice of the Mustangs, and will be on KAAM 770 AM, the home of Mustangs' basketball. The weekly event will be held at Ten Sports Grill in downtown Dallas. Fans can also listen to the show at SMUMustangs.com. The show runs from Jan. 8 to March 26 beginning at 7 p.m. The first show on Jan. 8 will begin at 6 p.m. due to the BCS Championship game that evening. The show is a partnership of ISP Sports, SMU Basketball, Ten Sports Grill and KAAM 770 AM. (more information and a complete schedule on page 4 of the notes)
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Mustangs are 5-0 at home this season. The Mustangs defeated Dayton 53-48, Louisiana-Monroe 99-66, Paul Quinn 76-54, Texas College 79-63, and Prairie View A&M 68-51 in the season-long five-game homestand from Nov. 18 to Dec. 13. The 5-0 home start is the best since winning the first 10 home games of the 2000-01 season.
LAST GAME: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Dez Willingham's 3-pointer at the buzzer lifted visiting SMU to a 64-62 win over regional rival TCU on Thursday. The bucket, which accounted for Willingham's only points of the game, was the fourth lead change in the final 17 seconds. A 3-pointer by Brett Hackett put TCU ahead 60-59 with 17 seconds left. But the Mustangs (9-1) responded with 14 seconds left when Jon Killen hit two free throws. TCU's Ryan Wall made a pair of free throws with eight seconds left, putting the Horned Frogs (7-4) up 62-61. That set the stage for Willingham's game-winner. Donatas Rackauskas led SMU with 13 points and nine rebounds. Derrick Roberts also scored 13 points, Devon Pearson had 11 points and seven rebounds and Killen added 10 points and seven assists. For TCU, Alvardo Parker finished with 14 points and five rebounds. Wall had 13 points and four assists and Kevin Langford had 11 points and six rebounds. This is the third time in four seasons that the SMU-TCU game has been decided by three points or less.
LAST MEETING WITH OKLAHOMA - Jan. 3, 2006 [12] Oklahoma 50, SMU 47: DALLAS (AP) -- David Godbold, who had missed 16 of 17 shots over the last five games, hit consecutive 3-pointers to jolt Oklahoma's offense out of a second-half slump, then made two free throws with 34 seconds left to help the 12th-ranked Sooners hold off SMU 50-47 on Tuesday night. The Sooners (9-2) failed to score the first 6:40 of the second half, letting the Mustangs go on a 9-0 run and take a 29-26 lead. SMU was still leading 32-31 when Godbold swished a 3 from the top left of the arc. It was his first 3-pointer since Nov. 26, ending a skid of 13 straight misses, and he followed with another the next time down the court. Godbold's late foul shots put Oklahoma up 47-42, but Dez Willingham -- who scored a career-high 20 points -- made a 3-pointer for SMU. The Mustangs (7-5) were within two when Bryan Hopkins made two free throws with 13 seconds left. After Michael Neal missed one of two free throws, Willingham and Hopkins missed long 3s in the closing seconds, preventing SMU from beating a ranked team for the first time since December 2003. Taj Gray led Oklahoma with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Kevin Bookout was held to nine points and seven rebounds. The Sooners shot 39 percent and scored their fewest points since having 52 in an NCAA tournament loss to Michigan State in 2004. Willingham was 5-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-10 on 3s, and Hopkins was 2-of-12 overall and 1-of-7 on 3s. The Mustangs lost for only the second time in six games. The first half was so sloppy that the teams combined for only one more basket (16) than turnovers (15). SMU missed its first seven shots, but was only down by one point after breaking through on a 3 by Hopkins.
ON THE AIR: The Mustangs are on KAAM 770 AM in Dallas/Fort Worth. Rich Phillips, Allen Stone, and Jay Poerner bring you all the SMU basketball action and news from around Conference USA.
W MINUS 1 TO 100: Head coach Matt Doherty has 99 career wins.
EYE ON THE RPI: The RPI is one of the principal components the NCAA selection committee uses to determine the field for the NCAA Men's Tournament. It has three primary components. It does not include non-Division I opponents in SMU's record (Paul Quinn and Texas College). The Mustangs finished the 2005-06 season at No. 269 in the RPI. Part I (25% of the formula): Team winning percentage. Part II (50%): Average opponents' winning percentage. Part III (25%): Average opponents' opponents' winning percentage. The Mustangs reached No. 7 in the RPI on Dec. 8 As of Dec. 22 1-50 51-100 101-200 201+ Non Conference L10 R/N Rnk Conf W-L SOS W-L W-L W-L W-L W-L RPI SOS W-L W-L 21 SMU CUSA 7-1 100 0-1 2-0 2-0 3-0 7-1 21 115 7-1 4-1 15 Florida St. ACC 10-2 L, 59-52 at FSU on 11/14/06 57 Dayton A-10 10-1 W, 53-48 at SMU on 11/18/06 83 Illinois St. MVC 6-4 W, 57-55 at SMU on 11/12/06
OUR FTM IS MORE THAN YOUR FTA: Head coach Matt Doherty sets a goal for the Mustangs to make more free throws than the opponent attempts. Here is a look at the season to date. SMU Opp Goal Result 11/12 18-25 7-9 vs. Illinois State Yes W, 57-55 11/13 10-17 3-4 vs. McNeese State Yes W, 70-54 11/14 7-9 13-18 at Florida State No L, 59-52 11/18 27-40 12-24 Dayton Yes W, 53-48 11/22 15-22 15-19 Louisiana-Monroe No W, 99-66 11/27 20-24 12-19 Paul Quinn Yes W, 76-54 12/3 13-22 9-10 Texas College Yes W, 79-63 12/13 10-19 2-4 Prairie View A&M Yes W, 68-51 12/16 12-15 7-12 at Centenary No W, 68-40 12/21 16-23 12-19 at TCU No W, 64-62 Season 148-216 92-138 YES Yes 6-0 / No 3-1
BUZZER BEATERS: 11/12 vs. Illinois State - W, 57-55 - Devon Pearson gave the Mustangs an opening-night victory against Illinois State as he tipped in a miss from Derrick Roberts as time expired for the 57-55 triumph. Pearson tipped it in from the right side of the basket after Roberts' 12-foot jumper from the left baseline skipped across the rim. 12/21 at TCU - W, 64-62 - Dez Willingham hit a running 3-pointer from the left wing as time expired to give SMU the 64-62 win. The play started when Derrick Roberts received the inbounds pass and threw it to Donatas Rackauskas at mid-court. Rackauskas took two dribbles and fed Willingham on the left wing for the game-winner. The lead changed hands four times in the final 17 seconds. Brent Hackett gave TCU a 60-59 lead on a 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining. Jon Killen was fouled by Kevin Langford three seconds later and hit both free throws. Killen was then called for a blocking foul against Ryan Wall with 8.9 seconds to go. Wall hit both free throws to give TCU a 62-61 edge that set up the final play.
WHERE THERE IS A "WILL"INGHAM, THERE IS A WAY: Dez Willingham has beat the buzzer with a running 3-pointer twice to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat: Dec. 21, 2006 - W, 64-62 at TCU - Willingham hit a running 3-pointer from the left wing as time expired to give SMU the 64-62 win. He received a pass from Donatas Rackauskas as the Mustangs went the length of the court for the winner in the final 8.9 seconds. The lead changed hands four times in the final 17 seconds. Jan. 21, 2006 - Rice W, 80-69 (ot) - The Mustangs forced overtime after Willingham hit a 25-foot three-pointer to tie the game at 64-64 with a half a second left in regulation. That concluded an SMU rally from seven points down with 1:37 remaining in the second half.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Devon Pearson entered the season with 11 career double-doubles, which was the most by an active player in C-USA. He was the only current Mustang with any entering 2006-07. Pearson had nine in 2005-06. 2006-07 Double-Doubles Player Stats Opponent Season Career Ike Ofoegbu 26 pts, 10 rebs La-Monroe 11/22 1st 1st Devon Pearson 19 pts, 10 rebs Texas College 12/3 1st 12th Ike Ofoegbu 14 pts, 10 rebs Prairie View A&M 12/10 2nd 2nd Ike Ofoegbu 13 pts, 11 rebs at Centenary 12/16 3rd 3rd
JON "SHOOTER" KILLEN: Coach Matt Doherty called Jon Killen "shooter" during the summer to help him think more aggressively on offense. The mindset is showing. 2004-05 Fr. 46 points in 28 games (1.6 avg) 2005-06 So. 57 points in 29 games (2.0 avg) 2006-07 Jr. 66 points in 10 games (6.6 avg)
I LIKE IKE: Ike Ofoegbu has become a force for the Mustangs this season. In just six games, he has almost matched his totals from last season in scoring, free throws, and field goals while drastically increasing his averages Points Avg. Rebs Avg. FG 3FG FT 2005-06 102 3.8 82 3.0 35-62 0-1 32-50 2006-07 143 14.3 81 8.1 45-77 7-16 46-65
HONORS: Colonial Classic All-Tournament (SMU went 2-1) Jon Killen (10.7 points, 5.4 assists, 3.3 steals) Ike Ofoegbu (14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds)
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDS: Devon Pearson became the 29th player at SMU with 500 career rebounds when he passed the mar against Louisiana-Monroe 11/22. REBOUNDING (CAREER) 1. 1169 - Jon Koncak - 1981-85 2. 1077 - Ira Terrell - 1972-76 3. 976 - Jeryl Sasser - 1997-01 4. 889 - Larry Davis - 1981-85 5. 840 - Jim Krebs - 1954-57 6. 790 - Willie Davis - 1997-01 7. 785 - Jeff Swanson - 1974-78 8. 759 - Patrick Simpson - 2001-05 9. 745 - Joel Krog - 1953-56 10. 690 - Tim Mason - 1989-93 11. 687 - Carroll Hooser - 1963-66 12. 669 - Lynn Phillips - 1966-69 13. 650 - Quinton Ross - 1999-03 14. 634 - Eric Castro - 2001-05 15. 621 - Terry Williams - 1983-87 16. 619 - Steve Strange - 1958-61 17. 615 - Jan Loudermilk - 1959-62 18. 609 - Greg Kinzer - 1989-93 19. 580 - Bill Voight - 1966-69 20. 574 - John Colborne - 1985-90 21. 562 - Mike Wilson - 1990-93 22. 554 - Gene Phillips - 1968-71 23. 550 - Wilbur Marsh - 1957-60 24. 539 - Bob Begert - 1964-67 25. 537 - Devon Pearson - 2003-06
FAMILIAR FOE: The Mustangs have met seven opponents more than 100 times. Rice 182 111-71 Feb. 10@SMU, Feb. 24@RU TCU 182 100-82 W, 64-62 - Dec. 21@TCU Baylor 175 100-75 Texas A&M 175 90-85 Texas 174 71-103 Arkansas 153 59-94 Texas Tech 104 47-57
BLOCK PARTY: Bamba Fall's 2.70 blocks per game are second Conference USA. He was 11th in the Dec. 17 NCAA statistics. In 2005-06, Bamba Fall set the SMU freshman record with 53 blocks last season in just 18 games. (Passed the previous record of 43 by Ira Terrell in 1972-73). He also led C-USA with 3.36 per league contest.
Bamba Fall - Blocks GP 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ 6+ 2005-06 Fr. 18 15 10 8 3 1 2006-07 So. 10 7 5 3 2 1 Total 28 22 15 11 5 2
BLOCKED SHOTS (CAREER) 1. 278 - Jon Koncak - 1981-85 2. 169 - Ira Terrell - 1972-76 3. 151 - Patrick Simpson - 2001-05 4. 129 - Reggie Franklin - 1977-79 5. 88 - James Gatewood - 1990-94 6. 81 - Quinton Ross - 1999-03 7. 80 - Bamba Fall - 2005-07 8. 78 - Brad Branson - 1978-80 9. 69 - Bobby Dimson - 1994-98 10. 67 - Thines Robinson II - 1974-78 67 - Jeryl Sasser - 1997-01 12. 65 - Glenn Puddy - 1984-86,87-89 13. 58 - Willie Davis - 1997-01 58 - Larry Davis - 1981-85 58 - Nigel Smith - 1998-99,00-03 16. 57 - Donatas Rackauskas - 2002-07
MASTERS OF HIS DOMAIN: Fifth-year senior Donatas Rackauskas will have his masters in accounting in May 2007. He finished his bachelor's in accounting in December 2005 (3.5 years). He is in his fifth season because he missed the 2004-05 season due a preseason knee injury.
SMU MILESTONES: - The Mustangs swept a homestand of five or more games for the first time since a six-game stretch in 1997-98 - The Mustangs won a school-record five games in November, finishing the month 5-1. The Mustangs had previously gone 4-0 in November to start the 1997-98 and 2000-01 seasons. - SMU had its first 2-0 start against Div. I opponents since a 4-0 start to the 2000-01 season. The 2-0 starts in 2004-05 and 2001-02 included non-Div. I victories. (Savannah St. in 2001-02 and UT-Tyler in 2004-05)
LONG TIME, NO SEE: SMU has had a few numbers in the boxscore that have not seen in a while - SMU scored 99 points against La.-Monroe 11/22 - last time was 101 at Puerto Rico - Mayaguez 12/20/2000 (W 101-72) - Jon Killen had 10 assists against La-Monroe 11/22 - last time was Bryan Hopkins with 10 against TCU on 11/24/2002 (W ot, 87-84)
SMU RECORD UPDATES: Additions or changes to the SMU record book during the 2006-07 season. SMU Single-Game - Team 3FGM T-5th - 12 vs. McNeese State 11/13 T-5th - 12 La-Monroe 11/22 SMU Single-Game - Individual FTA T-7th - 17 by Ike Ofoegbu vs. Illinois State 11/12
COACHING EXPERIENCE: Head Coach Matt Doherty has assembled a coaching staff of Associate Head Coach Mike Garland, Assistant Coach Lance Irvin, Assistant Coach Steve Lutz, and Director of Operations Malcolm Farmer. The coaching staff entered the season with totals of 49 years of collegiate coaching with 16 conference crowns and 12 conference tournament championships. They have earned 26 postseason appearances, including 18 bids to the NCAA Tournament with 14 trips to the Sweet 16, nine Elite Eights, six Final Fours and two National Championships. The coaching staff has also guided 32 players to the NBA.
MUSTANG HOOPS BLOG: SMU Mustangs' head coach Matt Doherty has his own blog at www.MustangHoopsBlog.com.
SMU RECORD FOR NATIONAL TV EXPOSURE: The SMU Men's Basketball team has a school record five nationally televised games during the 2006-07 regular season. The Mustangs play four games on CSTV and one game, at Memphis, on ESPN. The Mustangs' games on CSTV include TCU, both match-ups with Houston and the home game against Memphis. The Mustangs play the first three televised games on the road before playing the final two at home in Moody Coliseum. Thu, Dec. 21, at TCU (CSTV) - W, 64-62 on Dez Willingham 3-pointer at buzzer (Tom Hart, Steve Lappas) Saturday, Jan. 13, at Houston - 5 p.m. (CSTV) Saturday, Feb. 3, at Memphis - 11 a.m. (ESPN) Wednesday, Feb. 7, vs. Houston - 7 p.m. (CSTV) Saturday, March 3, vs. Memphis - 8:30 p.m. (CSTV)
R-T-C: Head Coach Matt Doherty uses the initials RTC to represent his vision for the Mustangs. They are Respect, Trust and Commitment. The red wristbands the players wear have RTC as well as several signs around the Mustangs' locker room and offices.
QUOTABLE: Quotes by and about SMU from the 2006-07 season.
Dec. 21 - Postgame - at TCU (W, 64-62) Dez Willingham (on what he was thinking before he hit the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer) "It happened so fast. ... All I was thinking was, 'It's going to be on me. I can miss it, or I can win it.' "
Dez Willingham (on adjusting to his role of coming off the bench this season) "It's been a different role for me, but I've accepted it. I just want to win."
Matt Doherty (on Dez Willingham hitting the game-winner) "Christmas came early. I talked about how our guys have accepted roles, and no one has done it better than him. He's not complained. Does he like it? Probably not. But he hasn't let it affect his play."
Neil Dougherty, TCU head coach (on Dez Willingham's 3-point game winner) "It's a very, very tough shot. He just knocked it in."
Dec. 20 - Announcemnet of Inside College Hoops With Matt Doherty Matt Doherty (on the weekly one-hour opportunity to talk college hoops in DFW) "I am fired up to talk SMU basketball with college basketball fans all throughout Dallas and Ft. Worth. Ten Sports Grill is an awesome spot for basketball fans to gather and talk hoops!"
Sean Johnson, Assistant Vice President, General Manager Mustang ISP Sports Network (on the show) "The Mustang ISP Sports Network is very excited to be able to grow the broadcast opportunities for SMU Athletics by working with Coach Doherty on this unique show. Through our partnership with SMU, we will continue to create new opportunities that fans and alumni will find enjoyable and informative. We look forward to the success of this new venture and building on our partnership with SMU Athletics."
Chad Lewis, Owner of Ten Sports Grill (on hosting the show at Ten Sports Grill each week) "Ten Sports Grill is looking forward to hosting Inside College Hoops with Matt Doherty. We are excited about the new dynamic that he brings not only to SMU basketball, but also to the Dallas community. I think Ten Sports Grill and Matt Doherty are the perfect fit as we are a part of the new growth of downtown Dallas; Coach Doherty will be a part of the success of the SMU basketball program."
Dec. 19 - George Lynch Joins SMU Staff As Administrative Assistant/Graduate Manager Matt Doherty (on George Lynch joining the Mustangs) "I am excited to announce the addition of George Lynch to our staff. His background speaks volumes, but it is George's character that sets him apart. He will help our program with day-to-day operations, along with mentoring our young men. Our players couldn't find a better role model than George."
George Lynch (on the opportunity to join Matt Doherty's staff at SMU) "I'm excited about the opportunities and challenges that Coach Matt Doherty has awarded me in working with SMU, his staff, and his players. Coach Doherty has established a good foundation for building something special here at SMU."
Dec. 16 Postgame - at Centenary (W, 68-40) Matt Doherty (on the Mustangs 63.6 percent shooting in the first half) "That first half was our best of the year with the possible exception of the UL-Monroe game. We're playing smarter and executing right now."
Matt Doherty (on the Mustangs 45-17 rebound advantage) "With our size advantage we should dominate anyone we play inside. We'd be stupid not to pound the ball inside and then crash the boards. That's our strong point."
Matt Doherty (on the Mustangs 22 turnovers) "We just can't continue to turn the ball over as much as we did tonight."
Matt Doherty (on playing well on the road after a five-game homestand) "We talked before the game about this being a business meal. Even though I'm still trying to find the personality of this team, we played well, especially defensively, tonight."
Dec. 13 Postgame - Prairie View A&M (W, 68-51) Donatas Rackauskas (on his feeling about the team's 7-1 start) "We're all happy being 7-1. But we all see how much more we need to improve to take it to the level Coach Doherty wants us to play."
Matt Doherty (on Prairie View A&M making frequent defensive changes) "That really prevented us from getting in any sort of flow. As a result, we settled for 3-point shots."
Dec. 11 - On Jon Killen's Expanding Role As Team Leader Matt Doherty (on what he likes most about Jon Killen) "You don't want him going to a competitor. You want him on your team. He's a winner.
Jon Killen (on his role as point guard/floor manager) "You can learn a lot about how to direct things and how to allocate resources and how to keep people happy," Killen said. "You always have to think of yourself as a manager. I can really focus and understand what I'm doing and how to get better."
Jon Killen (on if the four-game winning streak shows the team's improvement) "Since I've been here, we haven't been on a four-game winning streak. Some people say the competition is not that great, but it doesn't matter. We have to work on us getting better. I think overall, we have."
Dec. 8 - On the Groundbreaking for the Crum Basketball Center Steve Orsini, SMU Director of Athletics (on the Crum Basketball Center) "SMU has a reputation for excellence. We will have the same goal and drive on the fields as in the classroom. With great coaches and enhanced facilities, our students and fans can expect success in athletics."
Matt Doherty (on the Crum Basketball Center) "The SMU Basketball Center will allow us to attract and develop the very best student-athletes from across the country and help return Mustang basketball to national prominence."
Rhonda Rompola, SMU Head Women's Basketball Coach (on the Crum Basketball Center) "The strong commitment SMU has made to basketball will be evident in this new facility. The SMU Basketball Center will provide a definite edge in our recruiting the best players to SMU." - Rhonda Rompola, SMU Head Women's Basketball Coach
Dec. 8 - On the Mustangs Reaching No. 7 in the RPI Matt Doherty (on the RPI rating) "We are excited to see SMU in the top 25 of the RPI as it is a key component for being selected for the NCAA Tournament. With that said, we have a lot of work to do as we prepare for our upcoming games and the tough C-USA schedule."
Dec. 3 Postgame - Texas College (W, 79-63) Matt Doherty (on Jon Killen's communication skills on the floor) "He is a smart player. He knows where everyone should be. A little thing that is big is his communication. You think that most people should be able to do that, but we have a relatively quiet team. It is nice when he dribbles down and he is talking to guys."
Matt Doherty (on Bamba Fall's development) "It's rewarding when you see a young man put in the time. He loves to shoot foul shots, and he is mad when he misses. And his jump-hook; he has developed confidence in it. In the second half, when he got the ball in the low-post he was patient. He looked and looked and found Ike Ofoegbu for a lay-up. He has become a good passer. He has a lot of pride and he wants to do well."
Nov. 27 Postgame - Paul Quinn (W, 76-54) Matt Doherty (on the Mustangs' overall performance) "Really disappointed. With all due respect to Paul Quinn, we did not play a good basketball game. It was probably our worst performance of the year. We talk about being a championship caliber team, and championship caliber teams perform better in situations like this. If we would have played a Conference USA team tonight, we would have lost."
Matt Doherty (on Ike Ofoegbu's ability and conditioning) "The guy can score, because he can catch and shoot from the perimeter. He would have started for me at North Carolina or Notre Dame, now you see why."
Matt Doherty (on the Mustangs hitting 20-of-24 free throws) "That's probably the thing we did best was get fouled and make our foul shots. To shoot 83 percent from the foul line was terrific."
Nov. 22 Postgame - Louisiana-Monroe (W, 99-66) Matt Doherty (on his overall felling about SMU's performance) "We try to brand our style as Mustang Basketball, and I thought that was it tonight. We had a lot of guys playing a lot of minutes, sharing the ball, good balanced scoring, high-percentage shots, positive assist to turnover ratio, and very aggressive defense. It was a fun game to witness."
Matt Doherty (on working the ball inside with Ike Ofoegbu scoring 26 and Bamba Fall scoring 17) "We worked a lot on execution. We really emphasized pounding the ball inside after the Dayton game because we missed a lot of opportunities to get it inside. Monroe doubles in the post quite often, so that left the other four-five man free to cut to the basket. If they guarded him, then we skipped it to the weak side. I thought we knew our looks and made good decisions with the basketball."
Matt Doherty (on if getting the ball inside was the key to SMU shooting 63.2 percent) "Yes, no question. One, you will get easier shots inside. But the defense collapses, so the guys outside are more open. They are also receiving the ball from the basket-area, so you are catching the ball you are stepping into your shot. You are catching the ball with the basket in your vision versus catching and then having to turn and find the goal, so it is a lot easier to shoot the ball that way."
Nov. 18 Postgame - Dayton (W, 53-48) Matt Doherty (on grinding out the win) "There's just going to be games like this. To gut it out showed a lot of character of our team."
Matt Doherty (on holding Dayton to 28.8% FG shooting) "I thought our man-to-man defense was really good. We really got in passing lanes, got deflections, got critical turnovers."
Matt Doherty (on the improvement of his team early in the season) "They are very thirsty and hungry to be successful. They're very smart. Whatever I ask them to do, they want to please. You can see it in their eyes. So, I can't ask anything more in terms of their attitude."
Derrick Roberts (on what he sees as the biggest improvement so far) "Now, we're more poised. When we first came out, we were moving at a hundred miles per hour. Now we're more settled down."
Devon Pearson (on the Mustangs' defensive performance) "We were good in man-to-man. We kind of struggled in some areas when we were in the zone."
Nov. 14 Postgame - at Florida State (L, 59-52) Matt Doherty (on slowing the game down against Florida State) "They like to play 6000 rpm. We wanted to make it a 2000 rpm game, and I think we did that. As a result, we had a chance to win."
Matt Doherty (on having a chance to win in the final minute at Florida State) "Most people didn't think we had a chance, but the guys in the locker room did. It hurts to lose. We were in a position to win the basketball game."
Matt Doherty (on what he takes from the close game against Florida State) "To come in against a good ACC team and have a chance to win in the last few minutes of the ballgame. I think it will give them confidence that we can be a very good basketball team."
Jon Killen (on SMU executing its plan to slow the game) "We believed in our game plan from the start. We knew if we executed, we'd be in it until the final minutes."
Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton (on facing the SMU zone) "Going against this much zone defense was a little bit of a challenge for us. Obviously, we are going to have to find a way to attack the interior part of our opponents' defense. We're not going to grow or get any bigger and stronger, so we've got to find a way to score baskets inside."
Nov. 13 Postgame - vs. McNeese State (W, 70-54) Jon Killen (on the Mustangs going 9-for-11 from 3-point range in the second half) "We hit one after another, and it was demoralizing for them. I used to be more concerned with getting everybody else in the right spot. My mentality definitely has changed."
Nov. 12 Postgame - vs. Illinois State (W, 57-55) Matt Doherty (on winning the game at the buzzer) "We were very fortunate to win against a team that's much improved. They're going to be a good team in a very good conference (Missouri Valley). It's a fine line. If that ball doesn't go in and we go into overtime, you have a whole different set of emotions after the game."
Matt Doherty (on his reaction to Devon Pearson's buzzer-beating tip-in) "I was cool, calm and collected, wasn't I? This was kind of exciting. Granted there weren't a lot of people in the stands, but when you coach, you don't care. I'd love it to be 15,000, but you don't coach for that."
Devon Pearson (on getting the winning tip-in at the buzzer) "I was praying all night for the Lord to get me something going. I guess that's what he blessed me with."
Preseason Matt Doherty (on SMU have a school-record five national TV games) "It is exciting that SMU has five nationally televised games this season. This shows that the nation recognizes that SMU basketball is on the rise."
Matt Doherty (on the growing relationship between the players and the staff) "When I got the job, I didn't know what to expect from the players, but I have been very pleased. They've been a pleasure to work with. They have great attitudes and are fine young men that are willing to embrace this new philosophy."
Matt Doherty (on his points of emphasis entering the season) "I think we're more talented than I thought we were. I think our biggest challenges are going to be taking care of the basketball. We had too many turnovers last year; more turnovers than assists, and we want to have more assists than turnovers. The shooting percentages last year were very low; we shot 43-percent from the field. We need to shoot 50-percent."
Matt Doherty (on Brian Epps) "Epps is a young man that is battling conditioning issues that coincides with a sore hamstring. He is a very bright player who has a beautiful jump shot. He's getting better, and we need him to get healthy so he can get in shape."
Matt Doherty (on Bamba Fall) "Bamba is one of the most talented players I've coached, athletically. He is seven-one, can run and jump. He's a great shot blocker. The thing that has impressed me about Bamba is his toughness. I didn't think a kid who is that thin; could be that aggressive, but he's a pretty aggressive kid who likes physical play who wants to get better. He really is improving right before our eyes, and I think has a chance to be one of the better players in Conference USA."
Matt Doherty (on Jon Killen) "Jon Killen has been one of the biggest surprises to me since I've taken over the job. He is a tremendous leader, hard worker, and is dedicated to being a good player. He is also a very committed defender. Jon really has improved his shot in a month and a half. I've never seen a young man improve in such a short period of time. He understands the concepts when you explain something to him and has the ability
