http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketb...basketball

Nice job Bowen......now Penny has to go behind you to clean up your mess,,,,,unbelievable - good luck with the interviews

Keelon said athletic director Tom Bowen promised him that he would keep his assistant gig regardless of whom the school hired. Instead, Smith made his son, Saul Smith, an assistant and demoted Keelon to director of player development, a position he created. Both K.J. and Dedric transferred after the season and their father resigned, the beginning of a mass exodus of players who transferred to other programs. Smith struggled without the Lawsons and was fired after the 2017-18 season.

Keelon said he never took the demotion personally, but he also admitted that the program left a scar that could complicate Hardaway's pursuit of Chandler and K.J.

Keelon said he's not sure his younger boys will participate in Hardaway's rebuilding effort because he doesn't trust the school's leadership. But an apology would help heal the wound, he said.

"The boys are open-minded," he said. "My wife, she's real bitter and big about Memphis dropping the ball on the whole situation with us, and Coach Smith and [the Memphis administration] making it seem like we were going after each other. I told Penny that."

Poor Lawsons.
Bowen did the right thing.
Keelon still doesn't get it.

No more lawsons, please.

F Keelon

(06-25-2018 11:32 AM)Pastnerized Wrote:  Poor Lawsons.
Bowen did the right thing.
Keelon still doesn't get it.

No more lawsons, please.

Bowen did the right thing promising Keelon he would keep his job as 3rd assistant and then allowing Smith to kick him off the bench so that Saul Smith of all people could sit there?

Don't see how to spin this one as a Lawson problem. Could they have maybe handled it a little better on their way out the door? Sure, but they didn't tell the lie that got it all started.

Oh, it's a HUGE Lawson prob.
If you don't understand that, there's no hope for you.

(06-25-2018 12:02 PM)Pastnerized Wrote:  Oh, it's a HUGE Lawson prob.
If you don't understand that, there's no hope for you.

Please explain it then.

(06-25-2018 12:04 PM)bluebacker Wrote:  

(06-25-2018 12:02 PM)Pastnerized Wrote:  Oh, it's a HUGE Lawson prob.
If you don't understand that, there's no hope for you.

Please explain it then.

Yes, please explain.

(06-25-2018 11:32 AM)Pastnerized Wrote:  Poor Lawsons.
Bowen did the right thing.
Keelon still doesn't get it.

No more lawsons, please.

Lying is NOT THE RIGHT THING TO DO in case you didn't know that. Common knowledge that Bowen promised that to Keelon and then Tubby had him renege. That reflects on Bowen and the University in the basketball community.

Bowen - it appears - merits blame for lying to Keelon, but Tubby made the move despite knowing or should have known the cataclysmic impact on the program.

And Rudd went on record last week saying the Tubby hire was a mistake. The whole debacle was a HUGE cluster$*#@. Not sure how that comes down to one person. As the AD though, I guess someone needs to take the fall. I'd be shocked if this is how it played out behind closed doors...above AD level (if Keelon was promised something that wasn't already okayed beforehand). More and more, I feel like the Tubby hire was based on the admin belief that a Big 12 invitation was imminent.

(06-25-2018 12:58 PM)gulfcoastgal Wrote:  And Rudd went on record last week saying the Tubby hire was a mistake. The whole debacle was a HUGE cluster$*#@. Not sure how that comes down to one person. As the AD though, I guess someone needs to take the fall. I'd be shocked if this is how it played out behind closed doors...above AD level (if Keelon was promised something that wasn't already okayed beforehand). More and more, I feel like the Tubby hire was based on the admin belief that a Big 12 invitation was imminent.

I think so too

(06-25-2018 11:59 AM)bluebacker Wrote:  

(06-25-2018 11:32 AM)Pastnerized Wrote:  Poor Lawsons.
Bowen did the right thing.
Keelon still doesn't get it.

No more lawsons, please.

Bowen did the right thing promising Keelon he would keep his job as 3rd assistant and then allowing Smith to kick him off the bench so that Saul Smith of all people could sit there?

Don't see how to spin this one as a Lawson problem. Could they have maybe handled it a little better on their way out the door? Sure, but they didn't tell the lie that got it all started.

Bowen made a promise before they hired a coach...

AND that coach likely demanded complete control over his staff so he could hire Saul as an AC whom he was not able to do at TTech.

So after that contract was signed Bowen could do nothing. Bad deal all around but I don't understand why Keelon is talking...I just don't see how this benefits him...

This one isn't on the Lawsons, it falls directly on Bowen and his inaction to nix Saul from Tubbys staff. Oh and Tubby is a horrible coach. He lost all his recruiting mojo hiring his son over Keelon, not to mention losing his two best players. What a train wreck. Bowen definitely screwed this one up cowering down to the almighty Tubby.

With or without the 2 Lawson kids, we will be ok.

Believe we are better off without the Lawson dad.

(06-25-2018 01:23 PM)MemphisTigerPawr Wrote:  This one isn't on the Lawsons, it falls directly on Bowen and his inaction to nix Saul from Tubbys staff. Oh and Tubby is a horrible coach. He lost all his recruiting mojo hiring his son over Keelon, not to mention losing his two best players. What a train wreck. Bowen definitely screwed this one up cowering down to the almighty Tubby.

Bowen made two opposing promises...

One to Keelon and the other to entice Tubby to come to Memphis which likely gave Tubby complete staff control.

I agree in hindsight his biggest mistake was to get into a bidding war for Tubby.

(06-25-2018 01:25 PM)macgar32 Wrote:  

(06-25-2018 01:23 PM)MemphisTigerPawr Wrote:  This one isn't on the Lawsons, it falls directly on Bowen and his inaction to nix Saul from Tubbys staff. Oh and Tubby is a horrible coach. He lost all his recruiting mojo hiring his son over Keelon, not to mention losing his two best players. What a train wreck. Bowen definitely screwed this one up cowering down to the almighty Tubby.

Bowen made two opposing promises...

One to Keelon and the other to entice Tubby to come to Memphis which likely gave Tubby complete staff control.

I agree in hindsight his biggest mistake was to get into a bidding war for Tubby.

Saul should have been nixed for the same reasons he wasn't on the TT staff.

(06-25-2018 01:27 PM)MemphisTigerPawr Wrote:  

(06-25-2018 01:25 PM)macgar32 Wrote:  

(06-25-2018 01:23 PM)MemphisTigerPawr Wrote:  This one isn't on the Lawsons, it falls directly on Bowen and his inaction to nix Saul from Tubbys staff. Oh and Tubby is a horrible coach. He lost all his recruiting mojo hiring his son over Keelon, not to mention losing his two best players. What a train wreck. Bowen definitely screwed this one up cowering down to the almighty Tubby.

Bowen made two opposing promises...

One to Keelon and the other to entice Tubby to come to Memphis which likely gave Tubby complete staff control.

I agree in hindsight his biggest mistake was to get into a bidding war for Tubby.

Saul should have been nixed for the same reasons he wasn't on the TT staff.

I would have bet that Tech said he couldn't hire Saul and it was in the contract that admin had final say on staff...We gave him whatever he wanted in his contract because we got into a bidding war with Tech.

(06-25-2018 01:30 PM)macgar32 Wrote:  

(06-25-2018 01:27 PM)MemphisTigerPawr Wrote:  

(06-25-2018 01:25 PM)macgar32 Wrote:  

(06-25-2018 01:23 PM)MemphisTigerPawr Wrote:  This one isn't on the Lawsons, it falls directly on Bowen and his inaction to nix Saul from Tubbys staff. Oh and Tubby is a horrible coach. He lost all his recruiting mojo hiring his son over Keelon, not to mention losing his two best players. What a train wreck. Bowen definitely screwed this one up cowering down to the almighty Tubby.

Bowen made two opposing promises...

One to Keelon and the other to entice Tubby to come to Memphis which likely gave Tubby complete staff control.

I agree in hindsight his biggest mistake was to get into a bidding war for Tubby.

Saul should have been nixed for the same reasons he wasn't on the TT staff.

I would have bet that Tech said he couldn't hire Saul and it was in the contract that admin had final say on staff...We gave him whatever he wanted in his contract because we got into a bidding war with Tech.

Definitely buyers remorse. I guess nobody knew Tubby was ready to ride the gravy train and had completely lost his fire when we hired him. He wont ever get another big contract, nor should he need one.

between over-reacting to USoCal's interest in Pastner and making a cataclysmic failure of a hire in Tubby, I hope Bowen finds a place where he can serve all major sports equally, cause he sure hasn't done that here