SMU Basketball: What is Larry Brown's legacy with Mustangs?

SMU basketball will move forward without head coach and Hall of Famer Larry Brown.

During his coaching career, Larry Brown has not stayed anywhere – and I mean anywhere – longer than eight years.

Not with the Philadelphia 76ers, even though they had Allen Iverson. Not with the Kansas Jayhawks, who he won a National Title with. Not with the Denver Nuggets.

Never mind eight years, Larry Brown isn’t staying at SMU for longer than four seasons.

In what was very odd timing, considering the start of the first live recruiting period and the tragedy in Dallas, Brown opted to resign as the Mustangs’ head coach on Friday morning.

According to ESPN, Brown wanted a five-year contract, and decided to move on because SMU only was offering a two-to-three year deal.

First, let me remind you that Brown is 75-years old. What college coach (or any coach in general) has been successful at age 80?

Second, Brown is in the Basketball Hall of Fame and has made millions of dollars in his career. Why is he trying to negotiate a five-year deal after he was lucky to keep his job following his third NCAA scandal at three separate programs?

Brown’s disregard for the rules cost a 25-5 team a chance to make waves in the postseason. He also lost Keith Frazier, a former five-star recruit and high quality talent, and dealt with the agony and frustration of a long drawn out NCAA investigation.

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So what is Brown’s legacy at SMU?

On one hand, Brown was 94-39 in his four year career with the Mustangs and led the team to one NCAA Tournament and an NIT final (where they lost to Minnesota). Brown molded SMU into a nationally relevant program that was able to reel in top recruits and compete with some of the top teams in the nation.

Before their 2015 NCAA Tournament appearance, the Mustangs last made the Big Dance in 1993.

Having the only coach in basketball history to win both an NCAA championship and an NBA title gave the program instant credibility, and regardless of how he departed, that achievement cannot be taken away.

On the flip side, the academic scandal brought embarrassment to not only the program but the entire University, and Brown never was a fan of recruiting (something that is necessary to continue to build a solid program).

But I tend to lean towards the latter.

Why? Because regardless of the postseason ban, Brown’s nine-game suspension, and his utter lack of loyalty, the Mustangs are still an upper-class team in the AAC. They still have talent on their roster. They still will resonate with fans across the country.

Sure, you cannot sell recruits on the chance to play for an all-time great head coach, but Tim Jankovich (the new head man) was an assistant under Brown and was hired to be the eventual leader of the program. This gives the team continuity and respected leadership, something that shows high school prospects that the school is headed in the right direction.

Next: Breaking down North Carolina State's starting lineup

Brown’s overall legacy will always include his short stays, his inability to follow the NCAA’s rules and his unique personality, but there is no doubt that the 75-year old is one heck of a basketball coach.

SMU Basketball: What is Larry Brown’s legacy with Mustangs?

By Carmine Carcieri | Jul 9, 2016

SMU basketball will move forward without head coach and Hall of Famer Larry Brown.

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