The start to the Mustangs’ season isn’t what people may have expected, but overall it isn’t too surprising.
Yes, double-digit losses to teams like Southern and Alabama State weren’t the way SMU was looking to start the season. But with seven freshmen on the team, the non-conference schedule may be more about getting players used to college basketball, and less about getting wins.
“I think it may be more beneficial that we didn’t come out and get a blow-out win,” said Jon Killen. “I think this is going to be beneficial to help us understand that you can get beat on any day, and it’s not so much about talent level as it is playing together and playing smart.”
Last year’s team went 11-3 during the non-conference schedule, and then went on to win just three conference games.
Leading the Mustangs in the first game were freshmen Alex Malone with 19 points and Papa Dia who had 11 points and 13 rebounds.
“Alex [Malone] looked really comfortable out there. It was exciting to see a freshman come out there and play really well,” head coach Matt Doherty said. “Papa is very talented, to have a double-double in his first outing, and yet both of them can play better and they will, because they are so young.”
And youth was a common theme in both games.
At several points in the game out of the five players on the court for SMU, four would be freshmen, either joined by seniors Killen or Derrick Roberts.
Doherty said that Robert Nyakundi will red shirt the season, and after the first game against Southern he went on to say that he gave Rhodes and Thomasz Kwiatkowski the option to red shirt if they wanted to.
But in the next game against Alabama State, they each got playing time, showing their decision to play this season.
Learning how to play together was a common theme in discussions prior to and following the games.
The players have been working out together since the summer, either in the weight room or playing pick-up games. But they have been running game-situation plays with the SMU coaching staff for less than 30 practices.
“I can’t measure our team on wins and losses,” Doherty said, “I have to measure it on our effort and are they getting better, and I think they got better.”
Some things get better with age: wine, cheese and hopefully SMU basketball.
