Steve Orsini the Athletic Director at SMU who has orchestrated the move by the Mustangs to the Big East Conference is now faced with the tall challenge of elevating a men’s basketball program to a competitive level in the home of Georgetown, St. John’s, Villanova, Marquette, etc. Over the years the Dallas-based University has never been recognized as a basketball power. With no tradition and no culture of basketball success, how does Orsini find a way for SMU to compete in the super tough Big East?
The answer is easy, find a talented coach who can build a foundation for both the present and the future. While the answer is easy, the implementation is extremely challenging. Yet it appears that he has a plan to hire a coach that most high-level coaches would consider to be as good a basketball coach as there is. It appears that the much travelled Larry Brown, who has grabbed the golden ring as both a college and NBA coach, will be the guy on the bench in Highland Park.
Some may question the wisdom of hiring a 71 year old who has bounced around and had some personal baggage. Yet Brown’s technical basketball knowledge, his ability to teach and his history of getting the most of his players are unquestioned. While many may see negatives with Brown, he is an extremely talented basketball coach and like noted in the leadership book FIRST BREAK ALL THE RULES by Buckingham and Coffman, “Selecting for talent is the leader’s first and most important responsibility. If he fails to find people with talents he needs, then everything else he does to help them (his organization)grow will be wasted as sunshine on barren ground.”
A few years ago I asked many college basketball coaches who in your opinion is the best roundball coach in the country. I was shocked to hear that it was not Coach K, or Roy Williams or Jim Calhoun or Rick Pitino. It was Brown and across the board the responses were that no one was better at getting a team ready to play to its maximum ability than the former UNC Tarheel. Apparently his technical knowledge capacity along with his implementation capability is unparalleled. So for SMU's hiring logic, it comes down to one thing that all leaders have to always keep in mind----talent. As the Wizard of Westwood John Wooden said, “No matter how you total success in the coaching profession, it all comes down to a single factor---talent.”
Additionally Orsini understands continuity is important, so he is also working to hire a top assistant to be the head coach in waiting so he can learn at the feet of the master. It will be interesting to see if SMU can put all the pieces together and make this happen. As all leaders know, there are no absolute certainties but by relying on established talent, your chances for success are greatly enhanced. While this might viewed by some as a big investment by SMU, it gives them the best chance for success. Sounds like a strategic plan that has been looked at from all angles.
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