SMU ushers in ACC era with momentum, renewed push to reach new heights
UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas — Last month, SMU held a reception for new basketball coach Andy Enfield and his staff at Park House, a private social club inside Highland Park Village, one of the most luxurious pieces of properties in the United States.
Gathered inside were Enfield’s staff, former SMU basketball players, SMU donors and supporters as well as athletic department leadership.
After the two-hour event, it’s safe to say the biggest talking point was “momentum.” Athletic director Rick Hart addressed the crowd, referring to the power the university wielded to secure its spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“The Mustangs are coming,” Hart said. It’s now the focal point of the marketing campaign for the university.
Athletic department leaders from other universities might look with envy in windows shopping, if they strolled through Highland Park Village. Window shopping across the country, those same leaders might look at SMU with envy. Most universities are scraping together money through cuts to prepare to navigate the difficult future facing college athletics.
There’s oodles of money pumping into SMU though, both in athletics and initiatives outside of the competition field. One of those initiatives is the consistent buzz of construction around the university.
A Park House event space might be confused with the fancy new digs SMU Football will meet in come August. The Garry Weber EndZone Complex and it’s over $125 million price tag will be one of the top facilities in America.
The Armstrong Fieldhouse glistens overlooking the Boulevard, which now features a new production studio with a price tag in the eight figures. New soccer, pool, tennis and other facilities totaling $250 million since 2013 are completed.
Not to mention, the university raised a record $159 million for athletics in 2023-24, dwarfing what Texas A&M did in 2022-23 at $115 million.
Money is plentiful on the Hilltop. That’s not the only thing the university has going.
SMU enters the ACC after a program-record eight American Athletic Conference championship teams in 2023-24. The football program won 11 games in 2023, including an AAC Championship.
The momentum around the Hilltop could be exhibited in the constant laying of new red brick with facility projects and now the on-field performance is matching those building blocks.
As SMU enters the new league, the football team is trending in the right direction under Rhett Lashlee. Enfield now leads a program in transition in a historic basketball conference.
New fans will also enter SMU’s facilities for the first time. That’s the positive of welcoming the likes of Florida State, Pitt and others to Ford Stadium this season while the ACC’s crew of blue blood programs come to Moody Coliseum.
“It goes without saying, but when you’re competing at the highest level, and you’re competing against the teams that we will now be competing against, it’s just going to broaden the interest and elevate the interest even from maybe someone who’s not an SMU fan,” Hart told On3 on Monday. “Maybe they don’t have a connection to the university, per se, but they love college sports or they’re even looking for quality entertainment in and around Dallas. And now we checked that box for a lot of people.”
As fans old and new hop on the SMU bandwagon, they best be prepared for the ride to new heights. July 1 signified the latest step up the ladder.
The school’s goal is to lead its ACC herd. The Mustangs are coming.
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