In case anyone was wondering...Rick Ray gets it.

[CadaverDawg]

On his call-in show, it was as if he was addressing the fan base and message boards.

He said that we will see more and more zone all year because we haven't proven we can shoot the ball at all, plus we do most of our damage driving and/or dumping it down low to Ware.

He said "I am not against the 3 point shot. I am against taking one too early in the shot clock". He said he has done research that shows that shooting a 3 after the ball is in the paint, leads to a higher 3 point percentage...so he is trying to get his guys to realize that driving and kicking out, or dumping it down low for a kick out, leads to a better opportunity. He said but the bottom line is, with our lack of good shooters we need to try and get our points inside the 3 point line if at all possible.

He said that Chicken knew he was going to have to shoot a lot of free throws with his continuous driving and the new foul rules...so he put in the work to improve his stroke from the line, and will continue to do so.

He said that we are going to get out rebounded in a lot of games due to size, but that he has been all over his guards and wings about playing "down hill" and going after rebounds. He said that he is trying to make it a habit for all 5 guys to box out and crash boards on every shot.

He said he loves to play man-to-man Defense more than zone because "it's easier for me to know who to yell at if we screw up". Then said he likes to mix in the 1-3-1 because it forces guys to make decisions a little bit quicker than normal, which leads to more mistakes at this point in their development.

I know this is all elementary stuff, but it's nice to see a coach admit to where our weak points are, as well as our strengths. That way we know he is working on them and we will improve. If there is one thing that frustrates me about Mullen, it's that sometimes I wonder if he sees things like "we're not getting JRob enough carries" or "why am I throwing a jump ball to Lewis instead of Wilson", etc...

And I'm not complaining, just saying I like that about Rick Ray.

[Todd4State]

Well, we very rarely see the media question Dan about things like that. I don't know why- it might be due to a low football IQ- see Dak is not going to be a Heisman Candidate. So, we don't get a lot of answers.

My guess is that we have players like Perkins that he wants to see do well because they're good team players and good people because of that, he sometimes seems to think that they can do more than they really can do. See Devon Bell and Dan telling that TV guy that he could kick a 65 yard field goal. I don't even think BulldogBacker would be wooly enough to proclaim that about one of our kickers. I guess the best way I could explain it would be like parents that think their kid is all world when they are a .200 hitter. It's obvious to the rest of us that Robinson is better. Well, except for the people who don't buy into football stats and believe that it must be "assignments missed".

[smootness]

Ray is extremely impressive when speaking with the media. He is able to identify and articulate exactly what we're doing and what we need to do better. He's comfortable, funny, but also honest.

I've seen everything I need to see to know I hope he's our coach for a long time. We just need to bring in the talent, and I see no reason why he won't be able to do that.

[Dawg61]

There's never been a doubt that Ray blows you away when he speaks. Just look at how he got the job. He sold himself in 2 interviews and Stricklin was so blown away by him he hired him without a single person in our fanbase knowing who he is. Can he take that same approach and apply it to recruiting though? Ray needs to be impressing recruits the same way he impressed Scott. Get us some elite talent Ray, upgrade your assistants and hire a coach that will develop the players into good shooters. With a title change Ray has room to add another coach.

[Coach34]

I like what I have seen so far- I hope he gets the job done. Recruit, recruit, recruit

[chef dixon]

Well, we very rarely see the media question Dan about things like that. I don't know why- it might be due to a low football IQ- see Dak is not going to be a Heisman Candidate. So, we don't get a lot of answers.

My guess is that we have players like Perkins that he wants to see do well because they're good team players and good people because of that, he sometimes seems to think that they can do more than they really can do. See Devon Bell and Dan telling that TV guy that he could kick a 65 yard field goal. I don't even think BulldogBacker would be wooly enough to proclaim that about one of our kickers. I guess the best way I could explain it would be like parents that think their kid is all world when they are a .200 hitter. It's obvious to the rest of us that Robinson is better. Well, except for the people who don't buy into football stats and believe that it must be "assignments missed".

Are you saying Dan has a low football IQ or the media? Cause I'd have to disagree about Dan, I think he's a great X's and O's guy. He completely revamped MSU football, and it worked whether people want to believe it or not. The loyalty to upperclassmen thing is just a different issue. With Ray, I'm not quite sure how good of a coach he is yet, but he's doing a fairly good job so far.

[Todd4State]

Are you saying Dan has a low football IQ or the media? Cause I'd have to disagree about Dan, I think he's a great X's and O's guy. He completely revamped MSU football, and it worked whether people want to believe it or not. The loyalty to upperclassmen thing is just a different issue. With Ray, I'm not quite sure how good of a coach he is yet, but he's doing a fairly good job so far.

I'm saying the media has a low football IQ. I'm not sure if they know what to ask or are scared to ask something. Dan has given out his share of "go to hell" looks to the media over the years.

[chef dixon]

I'm saying the media has a low football IQ. I'm not sure if they know what to ask or are scared to ask something. Dan has given out his share of "go to hell" looks to the media over the years.

Gotcha. Sorry, misread it.

[Martianlander]

On his call-in show, it was as if he was addressing the fan base and message boards.

He said that we will see more and more zone all year because we haven't proven we can shoot the ball at all, plus we do most of our damage driving and/or dumping it down low to Ware.

He said "I am not against the 3 point shot. I am against taking one too early in the shot clock". He said he has done research that shows that shooting a 3 after the ball is in the paint, leads to a higher 3 point percentage...so he is trying to get his guys to realize that driving and kicking out, or dumping it down low for a kick out, leads to a better opportunity. He said but the bottom line is, with our lack of good shooters we need to try and get our points inside the 3 point line if at all possible.

He said that Chicken knew he was going to have to shoot a lot of free throws with his continuous driving and the new foul rules...so he put in the work to improve his stroke from the line, and will continue to do so.

He said that we are going to get out rebounded in a lot of games due to size, but that he has been all over his guards and wings about playing "down hill" and going after rebounds. He said that he is trying to make it a habit for all 5 guys to box out and crash boards on every shot.

He said he loves to play man-to-man Defense more than zone because "it's easier for me to know who to yell at if we screw up". Then said he likes to mix in the 1-3-1 because it forces guys to make decisions a little bit quicker than normal, which leads to more mistakes at this point in their development.

I know this is all elementary stuff, but it's nice to see a coach admit to where our weak points are, as well as our strengths. That way we know he is working on them and we will improve. If there is one thing that frustrates me about Mullen, it's that sometimes I wonder if he sees things like "we're not getting JRob enough carries" or "why am I throwing a jump ball to Lewis instead of Wilson", etc...

And I'm not complaining, just saying I like that about Rick Ray.

Very good points. It also looked like he was playing some match up zone Saturday, which gives a different look.

[Coach34]

One thing you have to really like about what Ray is doing is how well we attack a zone defense.

It is so easy when facing a zone to just launch 3-balls all day (aka the Rick Standsbury zone offense). You have to have good ball movement and work hard to break down the zone with penetration to get good shots other than from 3. Our guys do a pretty good job of attacking a zone to make sure we get a better shot.

To shoot 40 FT's like we did vs OM when a team is trying to zone you most of the game is pretty amazing.

[RBritt]

Ray and Dan are both great speakers. Dan is a great salesman and Ray is just a good guy. Anytime the tour in the spring is near you, I advise you go and here these guys talk. I would love to hear Cohen talk also.