Spring Break
Busy offseason continues for men's basketball
Jordan Hofeditz, Editor in Chief, jhofedit@smu.edu
Issue date: 7/1/08 Section: Sports
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Within the last few months the men's basketball team has traveled and returned to Africa, appointed an assistant coach, hired a director of basketball operations and is still in a dispute with NLI signee Jarred DuBois.
SMU teamed up with Adidas and the SEEDS Academy in Senegal to travel to Africa.
While in Africa the Mustangs played games against the Senegalese National team, the South African National team and the South African Club team as well as running clinics.
The Mustangs traveled to the hometown of Bamba Fall and Papa Dia while in Africa. Both Fall and Dia come from St. Louis, Senegal, and along with Mouhammad Faye are products of the SEEDS Academy.
"We got to bond as a team," SMU head coach Matt Doherty said. "Being in a foreign country without cell phone usage forced us to rely on each other for fun and communication. It forged a bond that will help the chemistry of this team."
That bond was built as the Mustangs spent 12 days touring the continent. But before they could go they were required to take a class.
"Our players took a formal anthropology class taught by Professor Joci Edwards," Doherty said. "Dr. Edwards traveled with us, as did Dr. Vicki Hill. The players had about eight days of class leading up to the trip and they met in Africa on a regular basis. We toured Goree Island in Senegal and the Civil Rights Museum in "Joburg". Informally, our players saw another culture unlike their own, a culture of poverty, a culture where people have a lot less than we have here in the U.S. They saw how another country lives without the luxury items we take for granted."
Malcolm Farmer
Malcolm Farmer had spent the previous two seasons as the Director of Operations for the men's basketball team at SMU, and was instrumental in coordinating the team's trip to Africa. On April 15, Farmer was named assistant coach to replace Lance Irvin who accepted a job at Southern Illinois University.
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