Think its safe to say we've squeezed about all we could have so far with our....

[maroonmania]

basketball team. We have 3 double digit losses while we have 4 wins by 6 points or less. Hope we can be that efficient in close games during league play.

[Thick]

I agree, but you have to think the team will continue to improve. Last night in the first half, UNLV hit 9 threes while scoring 40 points. This team will beat no one that hit threes at that pace, plus we have really no serious threat from outside. If I were an opposing coach, I would zone the hell out of MSU. Even if we hit threes, we are not consistent enough to pull anyone out of it for long. Still have to let the season play out though, and if you know basketball, there are 2 things that we are missing....outside presence and a couple of bigs. Hopefully that will be resolved soon with the in-coming class.

[RAYn_Man]

We're pretty much missing a whole team.

[AlmostPositive]

The team isn't at all good, but it's silly to blame Ray. If you're jumping the guy now, you're kind of an asshole.

On the flip side, it's time to stop dog-cussing Stansbury. The guy gave us a lot of high-level basketball for a lot of years, and now he's gone. It's pointless to compare the two. There'll be plenty of time for dog-cussing Ray if we're still bottom tier in the SEC in 2015.

[Political Hack]

The team isn't at all good, but it's silly to blame Ray. If you're jumping the guy now, you're kind of an asshole.

On the flip side, it's time to stop dog-cussing Stansbury. The guy gave us a lot of high-level basketball for a lot of years, and now he's gone. It's pointless to compare the two. There'll be plenty of time for dog-cussing Ray if we're still bottom tier in the SEC in 2015.

yep

[Dawg61]

I blame Ray and his assistants for not developing better shooting. Hire a shooting coach/assistant TODAY!!

[notsofarawaydawg]

I blame Ray and his assistants for not developing better shooting. Hire a shooting coach/assistant TODAY!!

At least we play defense, something no MSU team has done as of late.

[Dawg61]

At least we play defense, something no MSU team has done as of late.

We get steals. I like that but we play poor 3 point defense. I'd trade everyone of those steals if UNLV would of made the same amount of 3's as us. We would of won.

[Schultzy]

Looks to me like we will live or die with FTF's three pint shooting.

[RAYn_Man]

Not blaming Ray for where we are, but he sure has made some questionable decisions that certainly haven't helped (Jalen, Wendell, all those signees that aren't eligible). It's almost as if he wants to lose.

[Dawg61]

Jalen and Wendell couldn't contribute this year. They aren't healthy yet meaning Ray would have to kick two other players off next year just so Steele and Lewis could play. That makes Steele and Lewis expendable. It sucks to be the expendable ones but Ray has zero choice here. I'll take an incoming freshman with 4 years of eligibility over a senior that has contributed minimally and been suspended and recovering from a major knee surgery every single time.

[thf24]

I blame Ray and his assistants for not developing better shooting. Hire a shooting coach/assistant TODAY!!

This dead horse has already been beat, but there is no such thing as a "shooting coach." Shooting is a fundamental that must be established in high school, because there's simply not enough practice time available to dedicate a significant chunk to it in college. In other words, you don't develop shooters, you recruit them. Which brings us back around to Ray's main and only halfway-valid criticism: recruiting, for which he still gets a pass until next season.

[Dawg61]

You sure about that Boss? Andy Enfield says otherwise.

[MarketingBully01]

I claim bullshit on that one. Marcus Grant and Phil Cunningham were both excellent shooting technique coaches. If we could develop Sword into an outside threat or hell even get him up to a 70% FT shooter, we would score 5-10 more points a game alone.

[Dawg61]

Andy Enfield USC's head coach and last year's FGCU head coach got his start in basketball as a "shooting coach". I could fix Sword's shot in 30 seconds. The fact Ray refuses to mess with it shows he knows zero about how to shoot a basketball. It's unbelievable he allows Sword to shoot an uncontested free shot with those mechanics.

[SPMT]

Andy Enfield USC's head coach and last year's FGCU head coach got his start in basketball as a "shooting coach". I could fix Sword's shot in 30 seconds. The fact Ray refuses to mess with it shows he knows zero about how to shoot a basketball. It's unbelievable he allows Sword to shoot an uncontested free shot with those mechanics.

People resort back to what they have learned and practiced for years when under pressure, so you could fix it in 30s during practice but until that new motor pattern is ingrained, during a game he will resort back to what he's always done.

[maroonmania]

I claim bullshit on that one. Marcus Grant and Phil Cunningham were both excellent shooting technique coaches. If we could develop Sword into an outside threat or hell even get him up to a 70% FT shooter, we would score 5-10 more points a game alone.

I never really understood the decision to keep Brooks instead of Grant. I originally thought it was to keep Hood but obviously that was a lost cause regardless. I agree that Ray is going to have to step his recruiting game WAY up to ever be successful. He is very fortunate that Stans left him with the likes of Sword and Ware and to a lesser degree Thomas or we would be in a world of hurt right now. Other than potentially IJ Ready Ray and staff really haven't brought in anyone that gives us anything more than a support role type player.

[MarketingBully01]

The only assistant we have that is worth a shit is Flanigen. He could clean house on assistants keep Flanigen and we would be 100% better. Brooks sucks ass.

[Dawg61]

The only assistant we have that is worth a shit is Flanigen. He could clean house on assistants keep Flanigen and we would be 100% better. Brooks sucks ass.

I also think Ray needs a serious upgrade with his assistants and he has room to add one more as well. What about offering the open spot to Malik Newman's dad?

[Coach34]

I also think Ray needs a serious upgrade with his assistants and he has room to add one more as well. What about offering the open spot to Malik Newman's dad?

I dont think we have an asst spot open. And I can assure you- if an asst spot was all it took to get Newman, Horatio would've already had it.

[Dawg61]

I dont think we have an asst spot open. And I can assure you- if an asst spot was all it took to get Newman, Horatio would've already had it.

There is if you reassign one of the current ones to a different "title". Forget about getting Malik I'm just saying Horatio sounds like he owns Jackson and would bring a lot to the table. Am I wrong?