Larry Brown shocks nobody with abrupt SMU departure

With 12 departures already under his belt in his professional career, one would think Larry Brown would have nailed his exit from SMU, but that wasn't the case Friday.

The 75-year-old coach slipped into the night silently, leaving his 13th head coaching position during a 47-year career with the abruptness we've come to expect from this basketball transient.

A contract dispute is reportedly the reason for Brown's decision to retire, with the school balking at his demands for a five-year extension. Such an agreement would see Brown into his 80s, which is hardly the ideal age to be vying for services of players 60 years his junior. It's also never been done before in the history of Division I college basketball.

Brown's impact on the Mustangs program certainly won't be forgotten anytime soon. The school has fielded a basketball program for 100 years, with Brown leading the last four. In the 96 years prior to his arrival, the Mustangs topped the 25-win mark three times. Brown has accomplished that feat in three of his four campaigns.

The ability to win games has followed him throughout his coaching career:

Despite the impressive performance of Brown's club on the court, it was once again an off-court scandal that overshadowed the amount of baskets scored. A nine-game suspension for the coach and a self-imposed postseason ban last year due to academic improprieties involving former player Keith Frazier will likely be the memory we have of Brown's time in Dallas.

All three of the legendary coach's stops in the college game have brought triumph, followed immediately by scandal. During a successful stint at UCLA from 1979-81, Brown bolted for the NBA, as the Bruins were placed on a postseason ban for the 1982 NCAA tournament. His next job at Kansas, from 1983-88, saw him win a national championship in his final season. Like clockwork, Brown's departure was again tied to a postseason ban for Kansas in the 1989 season.

Will SMU return to the middling program it was for the majority of the 96 years before Brown took over, or can it sustain the success he brought going forward?

That's a question that will be answered in the coming years. One thing was clear yet again on Friday, though: Regardless of the situation, Larry Brown will always do what's best for Larry Brown.