Despite already having been enshrined in Springfield, Massachusetts, and despite being 72 years old, Larry Brown is hopeful that he's going to be the head coach at SMU for the "long haul."
Eyebrows were raised when it was decided that SMU will have a coach-in-waiting, ready to take over the reins of the program whenever Brown left. When asked about it, Brown said that he hopes "he waits awhile," and that "when the time's right, [he'll] be able to step right in and be the next head coach."
Brown was asked if fact that there is a coach-in-waiting could be used against him in recruiting.
"I don’t want a guy to go out and recruit and people think I’m only going to be here a couple of days. I would imagine a lot of people might use that against you. I know, living in Pennsylvania, they used to kill Coach Paterno about that. He lasted a pretty long time and did a wonderful job. I’m hopeful that I’m in here for the long haul."
Well, if you're an SMU fan, that's certainly encouraging as the program begins the transition to the Big East. Still, at 72 years old, how many years can one realistically expect Brown to coach at SMU for? Regardless of how long he remains the head coach at SMU, Brown will certainly bring a lot to the table at SMU, and Mustangs fans should enjoy the ride while it lasts -- it might not be as long as Brown leads you to believe.