Fans say Grambling basketball can bounce back, despite recent struggles

GRAMBLING — Supporters insist Grambling State’s new basketball coaches will take over programs with a wealth of potential, despite last season’s slumping records.
That starts with GSU’s sparkling new Assembly Center, a long-awaited hoops facility that opened a year ago. Already, it’s been featured on a national television broadcast, as Grambling faced Southern in February.

A recruiting cornerstone for years to come, it bolsters many boosters’ resolute belief that things can get better in the wake of Grambling’s twin announcements on Tuesday that neither men’s coach Larry Wright nor women’s coach David “Rusty” Ponton would return.

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Photo: Interior of GSU new Assembly Center (GSU vs. JSU 2008).

Grambling should be an expert on how not to recruit a new coach after the FAMU bru-ha-ha with Rod Broadway a few months ago. Before sending up trial balloons in the press, the Grambling power brokers need to pick up the telephone and call Patricia Bibbs, Willis Reed and others, and see if they are first "interested" in the Grambling openings.

Secondly, forget the high school coaches for any head coaching position(s) in the SWAC. That in itself says, Grambling ain't serious about basketball, especially with 8-10 "money games" on the schedule each season.

Reed was a great Grambling and New York Knicks player, but 99.9% of the youth today are clueless and he just as well be Mr. Irrelevant. Few know that Reed coached in the NBA as a head coach with the Knicks and at Creighton University.

If the brand on the building does not read--LSU, Louisiana Tech, UL-Monroe, UL-Lafayette, Tulane, New Orleans, McNeese, Northwestern State or other such mid-major program, Grambling could hire Knicks coach Isaiah Thomas and the results would be nearly the same.

Doug Williams, with all the name recognition, could not change the trend of blue chips going the other direction away from HBCUs, like Grambling. Former coach Larry Wright of NBA Washington Bullets fame, couldn't change that nor compete outside of the SWAC for talent.

It will take more than name recognition and a new facility to build a success basketball program. It's a great START, but you need a great recruiter and teacher at the head of these programs. HBCUs need to find another revenue stream other than "money games" which destroys most programs, the conference RPI, and many head coaching careers in both SWAC and MEAC.

My two cents says, go to the Division II level and select a coach that's proven and committed to building these programs. It's not an overnight project nor should GSU waste time being the training grounds for rookie coaches that should not be at the Division I level. Go for the proven coach that has built NCAA championship level programs with little financial support at the D-II level.

Finally, leave those high school coaches alone. They do a fine job at that level and its necessary to produce good/great college players, but Division I is not high school.

-beepbeep