Larry Brown to step down as SMU basketball coach

Hall of Famer Larry Brown is resigning as head basketball coach at Southern Methodist University, he told ESPN on Friday.

“I’m stepping down,” he said, adding, “I’ve got nothing else to say right now. I have to text the parents of my players.”

When asked if the decision had anything to do with his health, the 75-year-old Brown said, “I’m OK.”

SMU Athletic Director Rick Hart confirmed to the Associated Press that Brown was leaving. Hart said the university had offered Brown a contract extension through 2020.

“This morning, however, I was notified by his agent that he would be stepping down,” Hart said of Brown, who had one year remaining on his current deal. “Coach Brown was able to accomplish so much in his four years on the Hilltop, including leading us to our first conference title since 1993. He has left his mark on SMU basketball, and we are thankful for what he’s done.”

Brown did not respond to messages left on his cellphone by the Associated Press. He went 94-39 in four seasons with the Mustangs, with one trip to the NCAA tournament.

Last season, SMU went 25-5 overall and 13-5 in the American Athletic Conference but was banned from the postseason after the NCAA determined that the program committed rules violations, including academic fraud and unethical conduct.

As part of those sanctions, Brown was suspended for nine games during the season for a lack of head coach control.

Tim Jankovich will take over as head coach. He has been an associate head coach at SMU since 2012, filling in for Brown during his suspension, and before that went 157-121 as head coach at North Texas and Illinois State.

Brown’s coaching career spans more than four decades and features stints with numerous teams at the college and pro levels, including UCLA and the Clippers. He led Kansas to the NCAA title in 1988 and Detroit to the NBA championship in 2004.

UPDATES:

9:34 a.m.: This post has been updated with remarks from SMU Athletic Director Rick Hart.

This post was originally published at 7:37 a.m.