The SMU Mustangs men's basketball team represents
Southern Methodist University
, mottoeng = " The truth will make you free"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = SACS
, academic_affiliations =
, religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church
, president = R. Gerald Turner
, pr ...
(SMU) in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
and currently competes in the
American Athletic Conference
The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA ...
of
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
. The Mustangs are currently coached by
Rob Lanier. In 104 years of basketball, SMU's record is 1,377–1,237. SMU has reached one Final Four, has made 12 NCAA Tournament Appearances, won 16 Conference Championships, had 11 All-Americans, and 23 NBA Draft selections.
SMU finished the 2016–17 season with a 30–5 record, and won their second conference title in three years. They set the school record for single season wins, and returned to the NCAA Tournament following a postseason ban in the 2015–16 season.
History
1916: The Beginning
1916 was the inaugural season of SMU basketball where it went 12–2. SMU joined the Southwest Conference in the 1918–19 season. SMU won its first two conference titles in 1935 and 1937.
1955-1967: The Doc Hayes Era (Golden Era of Pony Hoops)
Doc Hayes took over as SMU's head coach in 1947. By 1955 Hayes had SMU in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history advancing to the Sweet Sixteen and had won their first conference title in almost 20 years. The four year stretch from 1955–58, SMU went 77–28, won four consecutive Southwest Conference championships, and reached 3 Sweet Sixteen's while also reaching the school's only ever Final Four in the
1955-56 season, led by All-American
Jim Krebs. SMU during the Doc Hayes era won 8 SWC championships and reached the NCAA tournament 6 times including Final Four and Elite Eight appearances. Doc Hayes retired after the 1967 season with a final record of 298–191 (.609) at SMU.
1968-1993: The Fall to Mediocrity
Following Doc Hayes, SMU basketball fell down into a period of mediocrity with some sprinkled success highlighted by SMU greats
Jon Koncak
Jon Francis Koncak (born May 17, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. A 7'0" center (basketball), center from Southern Methodist University (SMU), Koncak was selected with the fifth pick in the 1985 NBA draft by the Atlanta ...
,
Ira Terrell
Ira Edmondson Terrell (born June 19, 1954) is an American retired professional basketball player. Terrell played college basketball for the SMU Mustangs and professionally in the NBA for the Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Jazz, and Portland Trail B ...
, and
Gene Phillips. Though the Bob Prewitt and Sonny Allen eras were largely unsuccessful and only produced one Southwest Conference Championship during a stretch between 1968 and 1980 the program looked to be back on the rise during the Dave Bliss era. Bliss and star big man Jon Koncak led SMU to 3 NCAA tournament appearances and an NIT appearance. The Dave Bliss era was highlighted by his final season where SMU went 28–7 winning the SWC regular season and tournament championships and making it to the Second round of the NCAA Tournament. SMU would win the SWC Championship and reach the NCAA tournament one more time in the 1993 season under John Shumate, however, this was the start of the Dark Ages of SMU basketball.
1994-2012: The Dark Ages
This period was the dark age for SMU basketball. From 1994 to 2012 SMU had just seven winning seasons and did not win any conference titles or reach the NCAA tournament. The Mustangs only reached the NIT and CIT once each during these nineteen years.
2012-2016: The Larry Brown Era
The reemergence of SMU basketball occurred when Hall of Fame coach
Larry Brown took over the Mustangs in the 2012 season, coinciding with the $48 million renovation of
Moody Coliseum
Moody Coliseum is a 7,000-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Texas (an inner suburb of Dallas). The arena opened in 1956. It is home to the Southern Methodist University Mustangs basketball teams and volleyball team. It was also home ...
. By his second season, he had led SMU to a 27–10 record, and to a championship appearance in the
NIT. In his third season, (2014–15) led by
Nic Moore
Nic Moore (born July 1, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Boulazac Basket Dordogne of the LNB Pro B. Moore played college basketball for the SMU Mustangs. He was named American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of ...
, SMU won its first conference title in 22 years (regular season and tournament champions), and returned to the NCAA tournament, losing a controversial game to
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...
on a goaltending call. In the 2015–16 season, SMU was banned from postseason play due to NCAA violations, but still managed to start the season with an unprecedented 18–0 record, peaking at the #8 spot in the AP Poll, and finish the season at 25–5. It was SMU's third straight 25+ win season. In the summer of 2016, Brown stepped down as SMU's basketball coach unexpectedly, finishing with a record of 85–39(.685). He currently holds the third-highest W-L percentage of any head coach in SMU basketball history.
2016-Present: Maintaining Success (Post Larry Brown)
Tim Jankovich took over in the summer of 2016 following the departure of
Larry Brown. In his first full season as SMU's head coach, SMU achieved a 30–4 overall record, including a 17-1 in-conference record, and finished ranked #11 in the AP Poll. The Mustangs won the 2016–17
American Athletic Conference
The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA ...
regular season and conference tournament titles, and received a bid to the NCAA tournament as a 6 seed, where they were upset by 11th seeded
USC by one point in the opening round. Following the season, Junior standout
Semi Ojeleye announced that he would not be returning for his final year, joining seniors Sterling Brown and
Ben Moore in entering the
NBA draft where both Ojeleye and Brown were selected 37th and 46th overall, respectively. Ben Moore spent 27 games with the
G League team,
Fort Wayne Mad Ants where he averaged 11.4 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game. He was recently signed to a two way contract with the
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first est ...
on January 12, 2018. This marks the first time an SMU player has been drafted since 2001. This is also the first time SMU has ever had 3 players join their first NBA rosters in the same season, topping the previous high of 1.
SMU career records
Season-by-season results
Under Larry Brown and Tim Jankovich:
Postseason
Complete NCAA tournament results
The Mustangs have appeared in 12
NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 10–14.
''The
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...
began seeding the tournament with the
1978 edition.''
NIT results
The Mustangs have appeared in five
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...
s (NIT). Their combined record is 5–5.
CIT results
The Mustangs have appeared in one
CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). Their record is 3–1.
CCA/NCIT results
The Mustangs appeared in one of the two
National Commissioners Invitational Tournaments, in 1974, and went 0-1.
Notable players
Summary
Mustangs and the NBA
NBA draft picks
Notable undrafted players
Mustangs in international leagues
*
Jalen Jones (born 1993), player for
Hapoel Haifa in the
Israeli Basketball Premier League
Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball ...
*
Ike Ofoegbu
Ikechukwu Justin (Yitzhak) "Ike" Ofoegbu (born November 9, 1984) is an American-Nigerian former professional basketball player. He is a 2.05 m (6 ft 8.75) tall power forward-center. He played college basketball with SMU.
Professional car ...
(born 1984), American-Nigerian
Israeli Premier Basketball League
Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball c ...
player
Awards
AAC Player of the Year
AAC Tournament MVP
AAC Sixth Man of the Year
WAC Player of the Year
SWC Player of the Year
All-Americans
SMU has had 12 All-Americans:
2016-2017
Semi Ojeleye (Jr.)(AP All-American Honorable Mention); 2015–16
Nic Moore
Nic Moore (born July 1, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Boulazac Basket Dordogne of the LNB Pro B. Moore played college basketball for the SMU Mustangs. He was named American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of ...
(Sr.) (AP All-American Honorable Mention); 2014–15
Nic Moore
Nic Moore (born July 1, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Boulazac Basket Dordogne of the LNB Pro B. Moore played college basketball for the SMU Mustangs. He was named American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of ...
(Jr.) (AP All-American Honorable Mention); 2002–03
Quinton Ross
Quinton Lenord Ross (born April 30, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player.
High school and college
Ross led Dallas's Justin F. Kimball High School to the state finals, but they lost in the championship game.
He went undraft ...
(Sr.); 1984–85
Jon Koncak
Jon Francis Koncak (born May 17, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. A 7'0" center (basketball), center from Southern Methodist University (SMU), Koncak was selected with the fifth pick in the 1985 NBA draft by the Atlanta ...
(Sr.) (2nd team – Consensus); 1975–76
Ira Terrell
Ira Edmondson Terrell (born June 19, 1954) is an American retired professional basketball player. Terrell played college basketball for the SMU Mustangs and professionally in the NBA for the Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Jazz, and Portland Trail B ...
(Sr.); 1970–71
Gene Phillips (Sr.); 1969–70
Gene Phillips (Jr.); 1959–60
Max Williams (Sr.); 1956–57
Jim Krebs (Sr.) (1st team – Consensus); 1955–56
Jim Krebs (Jr.); 1934–35
Whitey Baccus (Sr.)
References
External links
*
{{American Athletic Conference men's basketball navbox