The SMU men’s basketball team welcomed in the new season on Wednesday night with the first annual Tip-off Dinner.

The night began with the voice of SMU basketball, Rich Phillips, announcing the players and assistant coaches as they entered from the back of the dining room. The first speaker of the night was Athletic Director Steve Orsini.

Orsini touched on the basketball team, but focused on the athletic program as a whole. Stating two purposes of the athletic department. The first is to “develop future leaders in our society,” and the second is “to get results in athletics.”

“Its time, things are in place,” said Orsini.

He went on to discuss the facility improvements being made for the basketball program at SMU. The groundbreaking of the new practice facility is scheduled for Nov. 8, and there is going to be a video board put into Moody Coliseum over the holiday break.

But the most important aspect of the Mustang basketball program, according to Orsini, is attendance continually stating that we’ve “got to fill Moody.”

Then head coach Matt Doherty was introduced. Doherty spoke of what brought him to SMU and the its leadership, “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t feel these people were committed to men’s basketball.”

Doherty has big plans for the program and has no problems challenging his players. Doherty wants the Mustangs to be regular season Conference-USA champions, C-USA tournament champions, and to get into the NCAA tournament. As far as his players go, Doherty “dares [them] to be great, invest [their] whole self into the season.”

The keynote speaker for the night was former Mustang All-American Jon Koncak. Koncak led SMU to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, where the Mustangs reached the second round each year. Koncak was also a member of the 1984 gold medal winning USA Olympic team.

Koncak focused on the role of the players at each position, but also said there are five keys to winning – talent, dedication, goal setting, teamwork and sacrifice, with that the Mustangs will be just fine.