At most institutions with a Division I athletic department, athletes are admired and respected campus wide. They are the face of the student body when it comes to athletic achievements. Their demanding schedules and impressive athletic abilities are remarkable and students look up to them.
However, according to head coach Larry Brown, that didn’t seem to be the case when he first came to SMU.
The men’s basketball team didn’t feel appreciated — or even accepted — by the
SMU community.
The Mustangs don’t have much to worry about anymore, as the overall attitude of the student body is quickly changing.
With a packed house chanting “Moody Madness” as the final seconds ticked down Saturday night, smiles of victory swept across the faces of the Mustangs.
Hundreds of fans rushed the court joining together in celebration. The entire team was embraced with love and adoration from the student body as the mob of screaming students engulfed them in seconds.
The feeling of isolation suddenly vanished.
Brown made his team’s high performance aspirations clear, but he also has high hopes for SMU students as well.
“I want you to look at [the player] and be proud of them and have them as friends,” he said.
A sense of pride overcame the entire Mustang family Saturday night as history was made. The 76-55 conference win over No. 7 Cincinnati marked the first win over a Top-10 team in 27 years.
After a performance like Saturday night, students have a new level of respect for Mustang basketball. The enthusiasm extended past the heat of the moment storming of the court. Students lined up Monday morning at 5 o’clock in near freezing temperatures to collect their tickets for the next set of games.
This didn’t go unnoticed by Brown. He showed his appreciation by bringing the dedicated fans donuts at the crack of dawn.
This kind of devotion is something the men’s basketball program hasn’t seen in years and one thing is for sure: the culture on campus is changing.
“I want kids at SMU to be proud of our team and have an environment like KU. We could be like North Carolina and Kansas,” Brown said emphatically. If last Saturday night’s Moody Madness was any indication, SMU is on the right track to create a KU
like environment.
In a class following Saturday’s monumental win, students erupted in applause when the professor said Cannen Cunningham’s name. Cunningham looked around the room smiling at his proud classmates.
That’s not how unappreciated members of a community are treated.
The proof is there, things are changing. Let the Moody Madness continue.
