DALLAS (AP) – Larry Brown turned down his first head coaching offer while a young assistant on coach Dean Smith’s staff at North Carolina in the mid-1960s.

When Smith asked him where he wanted to coach one day, Brown mentioned schools like Stanford, Northwestern, Princeton and Vanderbilt. Brown explained those schools were known for their academics while being in great conferences and in great areas to live.

The 72-year-old Brown has found just such a fit at SMU after a record nine NBA jobs, and a quarter century after leading Kansas to the 1988 NCAA title in his previous college stop.

SMU is off to a 9-4 start under Brown, who says he took the job because he still loves to coach and teach.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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