Andy Enfield is taking the reins of the team and introducing himself to the ACC. Under previous head coach Rob Lanier the Mustangs were mediocre, going 30-35 in two seasons. As the new sheriff in town, Enfield will look to turn around the program. As the portal giveth, the portal taketh away. Enfield has brought in a good haul of transfers following the exodus of last year’s roster. So, just how quickly can Enfield get this squad into shape? Let’s dive into an SMU Basketball preview as the 2024-25 season approaches.
SMU Basketball Preview: Enfield Takes The Reins
SMU’s 2023-24 season was not bad per se. The team had a winning record and finished fifth in a gritty AAC. In their last regular season game the ‘Stangs lost by four points to the eventual AAC tournament champion UAB. However, SMU mostly beat weak competition while failing to get many meaningful victories. They had 17 wins between quads three and four. In quads one and two the team accumulated 9 losses with just two wins, both coming against quad two opponents. If they plan on getting a better NET rating this year Enfield will have to make sure the team can secure a couple of quad one and two wins.
Several SMU Basketball Transfers
Kevin Miller, Matt Cross, Kario Oquendo, Jerrell Colbert, Tibet Görener, and Yohan Traore will all join Enfield in his first year at SMU. Kevin “Boopie” Miller is no stranger to the ACC, as he comes from Wake Forest where he was second on the team in scoring with 15.6 points per game. Cross is transferring to the hilltop from Umass. Last season the former minuteman led the A-10 Conference in effective field goal percentage averaging 58.7%.
Oquendo is heading south after one year at Oregon where he significantly improved his three-point shot. Traore joins the Mustangs after his sophomore year at UC Santa Barbara. Originally from France, he led the Big West in effective field goal percentage in 2023-24 with 58.3%. Görener comes from San Jose State and hopes to join a winning program after the Spartans’ disappointing 9-23 record last year.
Incoming Mustang Freshmen
Mitchell Holmes and Chance Puryear have both signed their letters of intent to attend SMU in the fall. Holmes is ranked 235th nationally and 49th at his position. Standing at six-foot-11 and weighing 215 lbs the Texas native has the height, but may need to add some weight to his frame to handle the college game. Puryear will be staying close to home as the 52nd-ranked small forward is from Dallas. Notably, he held offers from Texas A&M and Texas Tech. The fact that Puryear chose SMU over those programs shows Enfield’s ability to get local talent. Turkish prospect Samet Yigitoglu is a “hard commit” as he has yet to sign his letter of intent, but is not actively considering other schools besides SMU. Yigitoglu is the 63rd ranked recruit nationally and would be a huge addition for the Mustangs, literally and figuratively.
SMU 2024-25 Schedule Preview
For non-conference games the Mustangs have scheduled Tarleton State, Florida A&M, Longwood, UNC Greensboro, Prairie View A&M, Butler, Mississippi State, Alabama State, and LSU. The team will be participating in the Acrisure Holiday Invitational where they’ll take on Cal Baptist and then either Washington State or Fresno State.
Then, for their ACC portion of the schedule, SMU will host Pitt, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Duke, Louisville, and Syracuse. The team will be visiting Florida State, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, and Boston College. The only in-conference foes they’ll play home and away games against are Cal, Stanford, and Virginia. The ‘Stang’s have a nice mix of opponents before ACC play begins, and with three new teams, the conference is more dangerous than ever.
