What does Ray have to do in order to get another year?

[Irondawg]

The termination papers were probably already drafted until he beat FSU.

Not a monumental win, but did stop the bleeding. Can he save his job with an 8-10 SEC season or does it take more? Or can he survive winning only 6 or 7 SEC games?

[Madisonmd]

people that have talked to the AD say that word is he will get both of his remaining 2 yrs. Stricklin gave him an extension of 1 yr after first year.

[Coach34]

With recruiting picking up- I think if he gets to 7 SEC wins he will surely be back. 6 or less and there is going to be some real talk of a change.

That's not based on anything I've heard recently- just my guess.

[Coach34]

people that have talked to the AD say that word is he will get both of his remaining 2 yrs. Stricklin gave him an extension of 1 yr after first year.

I know that's the plan- but a 4-14 SEC finish and people are going to get loud.

[BeardoMSU]

The SEC is so horrendously bad right now, a .500 record shouldn't be unattainable.

[Irondawg]

I agree coach - at some point it becomes apparent when it isn't going to work out. If the team from the losing streak shows up there is no way he stays.

If the team from the Utah State and FSU wins shows up then I think he gets to 7-8 wins and makes it another year. He's got to win a road game though at some point.

[Political Hack]

people that have talked to the AD say that word is he will get both of his remaining 2 yrs. Stricklin gave him an extension of 1 yr after first year.

an extension after that first year is firable offense.

[CadaverDawg]

What does Ray have to do in order to get another year?

Change his name to John Calipari.

I've seen enough. Time to pee on the fire and call the dogs.

[Liverpooldawg]

To me he has to finish at or above .500 overall. I haven't been asked though. ***

[msugolf]

What I'd do is call and threaten to cancel my subscription. They usually will give you at least a few months of free service. Don't know about a year though....that's risky. But hell, worth a try.

[Political Hack]

What I'd do is call and threaten to cancel my subscription. They usually will give you at least a few months of free service. Don't know about a year though....that's risky. But hell, worth a try.

It's hard to get through to Bulldog Junction's customer service department these days...

[msugolf]

It's hard to get through to Bulldog Junction's customer service department these days...

Maybe Ray and Wardlaw are the same person.....hmmmmmm. It's one big Ponzi scheme!

[Eric Nies Grind Time]

The termination papers were probably already drafted until he beat FSU.

Not a monumental win, but did stop the bleeding. Can he save his job with an 8-10 SEC season or does it take more? Or can he survive winning only 6 or 7 SEC games?

For me...he needs to go .500 in SEC play.

[engie]

I think 8-10 in SEC play probably gets him his 4th year. And that's the absolutely worst case scenario for us. It's best for all involved for him to either go 6-12 and take it to the house or 12-6 and start to win over the fanbase.

[Johnson85]

I know that's the plan- but a 4-14 SEC finish and people are going to get loud.

That concerns the hell out of me. Why are they making any plans/expectations for him to be here beyond next year. At the very least, we should be firmly in the judge it year by year phase of Rick Ray's tenure.

[thf24]

a) Make the NIT. Tall order at this point given the four awful losses.

b) Get Malik and at least be in the NIT conversation.

Regardless, the month of December needs to turn out to be a slump that we show TREMENDOUS improvement out of.

[msstate7]

I don't think ray has to go .500 in sec play. If he's 7-11, but we're in close games with all but kentucky, he'll probably be ok.

If he gets malik, he'll be back regardless. To get malik though, he probably has to come close to .500

[coastdoglover]

We will be lucky to win 5 in the league, that would put us at 12-19 overall.



I don't think ray has to go .500 in sec play. If he's 7-11, but we're in close games with all but kentucky, he'll probably be ok.

If he gets malik, he'll be back regardless. To get malik though, he probably has to come close to .500

[msstate7]

We will be lucky to win 5 in the league, that would put us at 12-19 overall.

I think so too. Who knows though? We looked much better with chicken and ware somewhat healthy. We'll have a better idea after tenn game. I think this is a must win for ray

[Goat from MSU]

That was the most dumbass thing I ever heard of we look like shit after that first year ,I don't remember that being in the news about the extension.
people that have talked to the AD say that word is he will get both of his remaining 2 yrs. Stricklin gave him an extension of 1 yr after first year.

[Goat from MSU]

Ray got 19 games counting one SEC tour. game ,got to get 9 or there will be a moving truck in front of Ray's house.Really I am done with him now but let see on these last 19 games what they will bring.
I think 8-10 in SEC play probably gets him his 4th year. And that's the absolutely worst case scenario for us. It's best for all involved for him to either go 6-12 and take it to the house or 12-6 and start to win over the fanbase.

[Coach34]

That was the most dumbass thing I ever heard of we look like shit after that first year ,I don't remember that being in the news about the extension.

I've been telling you guys that the Admin didnt even count Year 1. They knew it was a throw away with where the program was. And I'm fine with that- but in Year 3- we should climb into the middle of the Pack of the SEC

[Johnson85]

I think 8-10 in SEC play probably gets him his 4th year. And that's the absolutely worst case scenario for us. It's best for all involved for him to either go 6-12 and take it to the house or 12-6 and start to win over the fanbase.

I would think .500 in SEC play would get the fans onboard if he also has a good recruiting class. That's not setting the world on fire, but it's showing enough improvement for people to have hope and should be enough to get people on board.

[tcdog70]

We are prolonging the misery. if you see a turd on your front porch, do you just let it stay and see if it will turn into a flower or do you scoop that stinker up and throw it away. What is it that Strick sees, that makes Him think His turd will turn into a flower? Now if He was like John Cohen , you could say well He has won every where He has ever Coached,so let's hang in there a while longer---GOOD IDEA. Ray has never won and in my Humble opinion he never will.

Meanwhile while our AD dicks around our once proud Basketball program goes down the toilet (where the turds should go)

[RougeDawg]

If he's granted an extension or lasts past March, Strick needs to go as well. We need to stop the bleeding and cut our looses as soon as we can. The longer we wait, the longer it will take for us to get back to winning.

ETA: Strick is as much to blame for the results as he is the hire in the first place. Him telling Ray he had 4 years guaranteed (no matter the W/L results) has led to Ray's lack of urgency recruiting and developing. Anyone who's watched us and our progress can see our entire program lacks an urgency at the moment, and since Ray took over. It's a joke that needs to end now.

[engie]

I would think .500 in SEC play would get the fans onboard if he also has a good recruiting class. That's not setting the world on fire, but it's showing enough improvement for people to have hope and should be enough to get people on board.

I don't think anyone is getting "on board" at .500 in the SEC. It would probably be enough to quiet a bit of the criticism, but it's certainly not enough to make anyone that thinks he's a mistake change their mind into thinking he's the answer.

It's year 3. The makeup of the team is upperclassmen composed of mainly JRs in their 3rd year under Ray. "Good enough" is having a tournament team, while speculating that the one coming back next year with new pieces coming in be the team to get us back to the sweet 16. That's my expectation for MSU basketball. He doesn't get infinite time to get back to our level of expectations under Stansbury. Granting that to him is just as disingenous as wanting him fired before he truly had a chance to succed here.

I'm not saying that, given everything that's happened, that it was truly logical to expect him to be on that level yet -- but it was the day 1 expectation to compete -- at least on the levels of the last 5 years of Stansbury -- by year 3. If we can't do that, it may be time to go a different direction.

[tcdog70]

Here is the reason Ray shouldn't be compared to Stansbury.
1. Ray has played a pussified OOC schedule, Strick doing His best to Get His Coach some easy wins.
2. Ray is playing in a SEC that is the worst in the History of SEC Basketball.
3. Ray took an Arena with one of the best atmospheres in Basketball and turned it into the 5th st. YMCA gym.
4. All Stans heard was You can't get to the sweet 16. And when he acquired (what He thought) was the piece of the puzzle he needed , Sidney,it cost Him His job.
5. now it is Ray's third Year and I can't see much, if any at all improvement. So lets forget about Stans and just judge Ray on His own Merits.
6. Don't forget Ray has a fine practice arena and Stans did not have one. Also Stans raised the Money to build the one we now have.

[dawgs]

So our core now is a bunch of juniors, many of whom are in their 3rd year in the program. Yet we might be worse than ever. If we don't sniff the NIT this year (and we won't), what's the expectations next year? The NIT with a bunch of seniors? Then what? Start the cycle back over in 2 seasons? If it takes 4 seasons to get our core up to hopefully NIT levels, then we have the wrong coach. At the very least this should be an NIT season with next season being one of those darkhorse NCAA teams that makes a run due to a bunch of seniors that know the system and each other. We aren't even close.

[starkvegasdawg]

He needs to go to every fan in every town and apologize for three years of horrendous play and making us a complete embarrassment. Then he needs to present himself to this board, put his head between his legs, and kiss his own arse. Do that and he gets another year. Do it not and he and all his staff shall surely be fired.

[CadaverDawg]

We are prolonging the misery. if you see a turd on your front porch, do you just let it stay and see if it will turn into a flower or do you scoop that stinker up and throw it away. What is it that Strick sees, that makes Him think His turd will turn into a flower? Now if He was like John Cohen , you could say well He has won every where He has ever Coached,so let's hang in there a while longer---GOOD IDEA. Ray has never won and in my Humble opinion he never will.

Meanwhile while our AD dicks around our once proud Basketball program goes down the toilet (where the turds should go)

Haha my thoughts exactly. Bravo

[Acid mouth]

an extension after that first year is firable offense.

I've been wondering about this first year extension. What requirements/goals did Ray accomplish to merit him a contract extension?? Ray may be our coach next year, but surely Scott's not naive enough to just guarantee him next year. That logic could very well cost him a job.

[shannondawg]

What else would he say? How many time have you heard an AD give a vote of confidence one week and fire their ass the next? Not saying that's going to be the case but anyone asking is wasting their breath.


people that have talked to the AD say that word is he will get both of his remaining 2 yrs. Stricklin gave him an extension of 1 yr after first year.

[JOHNHEVESYMADE]

Stricklin not admitting he has made a mistake is the biggest problem. It's time for him to just admit it and move on. Keep in mind there is no guarantee he will make a good hire this time. I'm sorry but you are judged on your Big 3 hires. Right now Stricklin is 0-1. Every time Ray wins it just delays the inevitable. SEC is better, South Carolina has won 6 in a row with wins over Oklahoma State, Clemson, and Iowa State. Auburn is better than last year and are a sleeping giant with Pearl. Arkansas is bubble team. LSU is very talented, and they are recruiting at a high level. A&M is recruiting well and its only a matter of time for them to become a powerhouse. Ole Miss with a new arena will become another force to reckon with. If we don't make a decision after this year then we will be slightly better in year 4 and significantly worse in year 5 losing Gavin, Chicken, Fred, and Daniels.

[Madisonmd]

News didn't report it

[shannondawg]

I wouldn't call it not admitting a mistake, but with Ray either in the first year of a 4 year contract as per the extension (per the post) or whatever the case, he can't be going on record with any comments other than positive ones. He could make us libel for a lawsuit over an above the terms of the contract, that's my personal opinion and certainly not a legal one by any means. And I am not taking up for Scott for the dumbass hire. just that he is keeping it close to the vest.

[HailState39110]

I wouldn't call it not admitting a mistake, but with Ray either in the first year of a 4 year contract as per the extension (per the post) or whatever the case, he can't be going on record with any comments other than positive ones. He could make us libel for a lawsuit over an above the terms of the contract, that's my personal opinion and certainly not a legal one by any means. And I am not taking up for Scott for the dumbass hire. just that he is keeping it close to the vest.

that's what scares me the most is that everyone in the SEC is getting better and we are gradually improving but not enough to keep to up to make a difference.

Lunardi has 5 SEC teams in his latest bractetology. LSU is very good this year and they just had a 5 star commit and one of the best recruiting classes in the country. texas AM is the same way (loaded next year). Auburn has Pearl . Give him one more recruiting cycle. Georgia and South Carolina seem to be good this year as well as Arkansas.

Vandy, Missouri, Florida and Tennessee seem to be down this year but for how long?

[archdog]

I say get in the discussion about the NIT.

[engie]

Here is the reason Ray shouldn't be compared to Stansbury.
He should be compared to Stansbury. That's our benchmark for regular season success here.


1. Ray has played a pussified OOC schedule, Strick doing His best to Get His Coach some easy wins.
This was a staple of the vast majority of Stansbury's tenure as well.


2. Ray is playing in a SEC that is the worst in the History of SEC Basketball.
This SEC is about as good right now as it was any of the last 4 years Stans was here. I agree that it had been worse for Ray's first 2 years.


3. Ray took an Arena with one of the best atmospheres in Basketball and turned it into the 5th st. YMCA gym.
The atmosphere had been dying for years. I agree that Ray has killed it the rest of the way.


4. All Stans heard was You can't get to the sweet 16. And when he acquired (what He thought) was the piece of the puzzle he needed , Sidney,it cost Him His job.
If you stay somewhere for 15 years, you have to get over the hump. Especially when the guy that came directly before you did. Stans was not only a victim of his own success, but also Williams' success.


5. now it is Ray's third Year and I can't see much, if any at all improvement. So lets forget about Stans and just judge Ray on His own Merits.
I didn't see where anyone "made it about Stans" but you? I simply stated that the standards haven't changed.


6. Don't forget Ray has a fine practice arena and Stans did not have one. Also Stans raised the Money to build the one we now have.
And? Mullen has a nice stadium and practice facility Jackie didn't have -- and the next guy will have stuff Mullen didn't have. Such is the nature of the game.

[ScottH]

Here is the reason Ray shouldn't be compared to Stansbury.
3. Ray took an Arena with one of the best atmospheres in Basketball and turned it into the 5th st. YMCA gym.


You have offended YMCA facilities everywhere.

[gravedigger]

Just replicate the defensive tenacity of the fsu game.

Nothing else. Wins and losses will happen.

What he does in this offseason will dictate his job security.

We are missing a shooter. I mean a shooter of the caliber of daryl wilson, jeff malone something like that.

I am going to be in the minority here but chicken is trying too hard to score. He needs board crashers to help if hea going to go in the paint that hard and roc tries. Daniels is special, but this team needs a player to "kick" out to after dribble penetration. They juat dont have it.

We are also missing the michael gholar/ frazier type player that played to deny the other team rebounds. Thos guys knew their roles.

[drunkernhelldawg]

I think 8-10 in SEC play probably gets him his 4th year. And that's the absolutely worst case scenario for us. It's best for all involved for him to either go 6-12 and take it to the house or 12-6 and start to win over the fanbase.

The only thing is that Ray came in with very little experience. He could get better. Maybe not, but getting anything better than 8 SEC wins would exceed my expectations. It's almost a total mess, but then you have the FSU game. Maybe we can build on that. We're at least a season away from lurching into a new coach, so I don't see how we look much beyond Ray now. Right now it might be like it was with Croom after those first terrible seasons. Even a good season and a bowl win the next season didn't assuage the fans' skepticism. So one bad loss at the start of the next season and it was all but over. We got lucky getting Mullen after that. Don't know we'll get lucky twice with the same scenario. That's why I said before editing that we're stupid if we don't support the program after winning 8 in the SEC. That would be well beyond my expectations, and I'd want to have hope that the improvment would continue.

[Dawg61]

K
Just replicate the defensive tenacity of the fsu game.

Nothing else. Wins and losses will happen.

What he does in this offseason will dictate his job security.

We are missing a shooter. I mean a shooter of the caliber of daryl wilson, jeff malone something like that.

I am going to be in the minority here but chicken is trying too hard to score. He needs board crashers to help if hea going to go in the paint that hard and roc tries. Daniels is special, but this team needs a player to "kick" out to after dribble penetration. They juat dont have it.

We are also missing the michael gholar/ frazier type player that played to deny the other team rebounds. Thos guys knew their roles.

I'm done trying to fix this team. Give it up. No doubt we will have an injury or three very shortly. Besides Dunlap missing in action we had a full squad for the first time all season. That's why we won. That and good defense finally. But this is when hope creeps in and we suddenly lose every PG we have or some shit. Till Ray can KEEP a full roster active we are up shit's creek. Btw wasn't there a brief rumor about Dunlap dipping into the girlfriend's ink zone? Now his playing time suddenly evaporates. Look for him to transfer. I like this stance by Ray if I'm reading it right. He layed down the law and the team responded.

[M.Fillmore]

If no changes are made for next year, the girls games may outdraw the guys. I've been to games in the hubcap where the MSU fans were louder than the bowtie boys. Those tables will flip this year.