Rick Ray's latest tweet

[FreeBoosie]

@RickRay1: This is the 1st time in 20 years that I will miss some of the July AAU period. I'm feeling like Pookie in New Jack City going cold turkey.

It's always great when your head coach is comparing himself to a crack addict. But hey, he's got the 13th ranked recruiting class in the country right!?!?

[MSUDawg4Life]

That's a huge stretch you're trying to make there.

The guy's a movie buff. He's simply saying he misses being a part of AAU basketball.

You're trying really hard to read something negative into it. Too hard.

[Coach34]

I kind of like the fact he is a movie buff myself

[MSUDawg4Life]

I do too. I think it makes him a little more personable and relatable to the fans. It's funny to see the fans interact with him about his movie references. Makes him one of us.

[TexasDawg]

Hey, if he likes crack maybe he'll just stay up later and watch more film. Nothing wrong with that.**

[FreeBoosie]

Cocaine's a hell of a drug

[HancockCountyDog]

@RickRay1: This is the 1st time in 20 years that I will miss some of the July AAU period. I'm feeling like Pookie in New Jack City going cold turkey.

It's always great when your head coach is comparing himself to a crack addict. But hey, he's got the 13th ranked recruiting class in the country right!?!?

I can't tell if you are serious or not. Are you actually complaining about this?

[MSUDawg4Life]

Perhaps.

He's not saying he's a crackhead though. Saying he misses AAU basketball. Big difference.

[War Machine Dawg]

You're trying too hard. Let it go.

[Raytoraid83]

Come on freeboosie he's already better than stands**

[FreeBoosie]

You're trying too hard. Let it go.

I won't rest until I debunk this myth that Slick Rick is "hip" and "funny". Being a hater is a full time job.

[FreeBoosie]

The man is about as cool as Wayne Brady, and probably about as good of a basketball coach.

[fishwater99]

The man is about as cool as Wayne Brady, and probably about as good of a basketball coach.

Hey now, Wayne Brady was a cool dude...Just look at what he wore on the show....

[HancockCountyDog]

The man is about as cool as Wayne Brady, and probably about as good of a basketball coach.

When did Stans decide to join elite dawgs.

Say what you want about cool or not cool, he coached his ass off last year.

[FreeBoosie]

When did Stans decide to join elite dawgs.

Say what you want about cool or not cool, he coached his ass off last year.

I will give credit where credit is due. He surprised me winning 3 of his last 4. The team was having fun, which is always nice. But still, I do not think Rick Ray is the answer. I reserve the right to troll on him just as you reserve the right to praise him as John Wooden Jr.

[Coach34]

I thought he did a helluva job last year considering....this year should answer some questions. A good coach should get us up to 17-18 wins this year.

[Raytoraid83]

Agreed this year we'll have a much better feel on where the program is headed

[Hump4Hoops]

I will give credit where credit is due. He surprised me winning 3 of his last 4. The team was having fun, which is always nice. But still, I do not think Rick Ray is the answer. I reserve the right to troll on him just as you reserve the right to praise him as John Wooden Jr.

What has Ray done that you dislike, disapprove of, or were disappointed by? Surely the man's very existence isn't an affront to your good senses.

[tenureplan]

What has Ray done that you dislike, disapprove of, or were disappointed by? Surely the man's very existence isn't an affront to your good senses.

nm

[I seen it dawg]

Come on freeboosie he's already better than stands**

****ng right he is.

[Raytoraid83]

****ng right he is.

I hope you're kidding

[Coach34]

I hope you're kidding

I can assure you he's not

And on some things- Ray has already proven to be better than Stands- discipline and weight training being 2 of them

eta- make that 3- I'll add installing a work ethic also

[Demdawgs]

I can assure you he's not

And on some things- Ray has already proven to be better than Stands- discipline and weight training being 2 of them

eta- make that 3- I'll add installing a work ethic also

I know I am new to this, but you are kidding.....arent you?

[engie]

Why would he be kidding?

Did you follow our basketball program at all the past 5+ years?

[Demdawgs]

Why would he be kidding?

Did you follow our basketball program at all the past 5+ years?

Yes I did... as well as last year. I kind of feel like this is all a big prank yall play on the new guys.

[Coach34]

I know I am new to this, but you are kidding.....arent you?

Anybody that followed our basketball team the last 5 years of the Stands tenure knows I'm not kidding...the discipline, work ethic, and weight training they have now far surpasses anything under Stands

[TexasDawg]

...the discipline, work ethic, and weight training they have now far surpasses anything under Stands

I agree with that 100%. But to say Ray overall is better than Stansbury is just a tad bit premature.

[Demdawgs]

Anybody that followed our basketball team the last 5 years of the Stands tenure knows I'm not kidding...the discipline, work ethic, and weight training they have now far surpasses anything under Stands

A) Its hard to have discipline issues when he booted half the team
B) Playing hard, sloppy basketball is still bad basketball.
C) I forgot a good weight program translates into a great coach. Lets disqualify Stans wins from 2006-2010 because Jarvis Varnado did not weigh enough.

[Raytoraid83]

Why would he be kidding?

Did you follow our basketball program at all the past 5+ years?

Yes I did, very closely. Did you? things I noticed: 293 wins, an outright SEC championship, 6 NCAA tournaments (4 straight) and only missing the postseason 3 times, 21-8 record against ole miss, pretty much taking whoever he wanted in recruiting out of Mississippi and walking into Alabama and grabbing one of there top recruits in years (Mario Austin), oh and for those saying he was just a recruiter and the players made him he did all of this with ONE FIRST ROUNDER. Did he lose control at the end? Yes. Is he totally to blame? No. Was it time for him to step down? Probably. He took a risk on Sidney who he was told by other coaches it would cost him his job. He thought he had dealt with enough personalities he could handle one more. In the end, it did. But to say that Rick Ray, a man that won 10 GAMES last year, is already a better coach is laughable and unthinkable.

[Demdawgs]

Yes I did, very closely. Did you? things I noticed: 293 wins, an outright SEC championship, 6 NCAA tournaments (4 straight) and only missing the postseason 3 times, 21-8 record against ole miss, pretty much taking whoever he wanted in recruiting out of Mississippi and walking into Alabama and grabbing one of there top recruits in years (Mario Austin), oh and for those saying he was just a recruiter and the players made him he did all of this with ONE FIRST ROUNDER. Did he lose control at the end? Yes. Is he totally to blame? No. Was it time for him to step down? Probably. He took a risk on Sidney who he was told by other coaches it would cost him his job. He thought he had dealt with enough personalities he could handle one more. In the end, it did. But to say that Rick Ray, a man that won 10 GAMES last year, is already a better coach is laughable and unthinkable.

But what if Rick Ray's team has a higher average bench press and a faster team .40? Doesnt that make him a better coach?

[col. forbin]

The man is about as cool as Wayne Brady, and probably about as good of a basketball coach.

Is Wayne Brady gonna have to choke a bitch?!

[Raytoraid83]

But what if Rick Ray's team has a higher average bench press and a faster team .40? Doesnt that make him a better coach?

#elitedawgslogic

[Coach34]

A) Its hard to have discipline issues when he booted half the team
B) Playing hard, sloppy basketball is still bad basketball.
C) I forgot a good weight program translates into a great coach. Lets disqualify Stans wins from 2006-2010 because Jarvis Varnado did not weigh enough.

A) he only booted 2 players- because they couldnt stop smoking dope. And both were Stands players

B) It was sloppy because they played with a 3rd string PG and bunch of walk-ons

C) No, but a good weight program makes your athletes better- and it also teaches them how hard they can work. It's tougher to quit in games when you have worked extremely hard and paid the price. It gives teams one thing that Stands teams didnt have very often after 2005- heart

[FreeBoosie]

What has Ray done that you dislike, disapprove of, or were disappointed by? Surely the man's very existence isn't an affront to your good senses.

I am glad somebody finally had the wherewithal to ask that question. Let me begin.

Let me go ahead and clear something up. I'm sure a lot of you think I hate Rick Ray because he didnt go 38-0 in his first season as head coach. Not true. The reasons I dislike Rick Ray start far before he even stepped on campus, because I believe he should have never stepped on campus. He did not and does not deserve to be a coach in the SEC. He was a relative unknown coming into a program with a decent bit of prestige within the college hoops rank. I understand the philosophy of Stricklin. "Lets hire an up and coming assistant who will bring a spark to the program." While that was a good thought, Rick Ray was not at all the person for that job. I feel like Scott Stricklin just posted an ad on Craigslist for a new coach and Rick Ray answered it in between screenings of Star Wars and Glory road. There were plenty of better options who were more than interested in the job (Kenny Payne, PHIL CUNNINGHAM, Wayne Brent, Joe Dooley) but no, Scott Stricklin chose the quirky guy who wears three piece polyester suits. He should never have been given a chance, but he was, which leads us to where we are today.

Next, lets look at some gems of wisdom Rick Ray has given us.

"Colin Borchert reminds me of a Robby Hummel type player"- Not even worth going off on.
"Rodney, I want you to be the kind of guy who demands double teams"- He told the player that could have been the best player in MSU history he didnt want him to score.
"This team will win with hustle" Well the 23 other teams won with points.
"There are no 50/50 balls, only 100/0 balls in my program"

Rick Ray did not contact Josh Gray once to keep him. So instead we have Trivante "drive to the right" Bloodman and IJ "The Future" Ready at point guard.

Now lets talk about his presence off the court. The season poster looked great last year with him wearing pre game warm ups, but I'm sure the glare off of his lilac zoot suit would have not showed up in photos. He is a joke on social media. I disagree completely with the statement "I like that he's one of us". I hold him to a higher standard, I dont want to know how Deacon felt about Monsters U or Despicable Me 2.

Now last year. I do understand he went through some of the biggest adversity any coach has ever seen. Losing two freshman before the season and your starting 4 8 games in is tough. He kept fighting and scrounged out 10 games. Good for him. But, we could have avoided the most embarrassing season in MSU history by not hiring Rick Ray. I do believe that a 17-18 win season is possible if 1.) We establish a point guard. 2.) Chicken Sword averages 15-20 points a game. 3.) Fred Thomas becomes a legit finisher at the rim. 4.) Our deep front court can body up against the bigs of the SEC. Right now, I look at us as the deepest team of mediocre talent I have ever seen. If he leads us to the promised land, more power to him. But until then, I will continue to judge his every move. Call me a hater, a troll, blind, naive, whatever you want. I cannot and will not support Rick Ray. I'd much rather support soothsayer, because in two years when Rick Standsbury is coaching Auburn and shames Rick Ray, you all will be posting the same thing.

Long Live Rick 1 (1998-2012)

[Demdawgs]

A) he only booted 2 players- because they couldnt stop smoking dope. And both were Stands players

B) It was sloppy because they played with a 3rd string PG and bunch of walk-ons

C) No, but a good weight program makes your athletes better- and it also teaches them how hard they can work. It's tougher to quit in games when you have worked extremely hard and paid the price. It gives teams one thing that Stands teams didnt have very often after 2005- heart

Let me get this straight, 1 losing with bad players makes you better than the coach with the 293 career wins. Man, i'm in the wrong major.

[engie]

Let me get this straight, 1 losing with bad players makes you better than the coach with the 293 career wins. Man, i'm in the wrong major.

Where in the post you quoted did Coach say that "Rick Ray is better than Rick Stansbury"? Where did he say it period? NICE straw man argument.

He pointed to 3 distinct ways in which we do, in fact, already know that Ray is BETTER than Stansbury. The rest of the stuff will be determined over time. But in all the 3 "first glance" aspects coach listed, he is undeniably better.

Hilarious how everyone wants to compare Stans entire career to what Ray inherited last year anyway. Where was all that talent when Stans took over and was down for 3 years? After all -- he'd been building HIS roster for NINE years at the point he took over as head coach. Today's MSU fans would have wanted him fired after those 3 years...

Apples to apples comparisons are really difficult for people with an agenda though...

[DiligenceDawg]

Dem and Free brought SPS here for a change, Omaha is somewhere around too. Now I'm feeling right at home.

[Coach34]

Let me get this straight, 1 losing with bad players makes you better than the coach with the 293 career wins. Man, i'm in the wrong major.

Nobody is saying Ray has had a better career- Stands put up some numbers over the years.

But you can watch and see things a coach is doing and tell who the better coach is

I didnt need John Cohen to coach 5 years at State before I knew he was a better coach than Ron Polk. You could see the things he was doing and the ways they were being done. But Cohen is clearly a better baseball coach and will continue to prove it over the next few years.

Ray will do a good job and the program will get better and better. You guys will see that it's not real hard to be a perenniel bubble team

[Demdawgs]

Did you even read the thread?

[Demdawgs]

Where in the post you quoted did Coach say that "Rick Ray is better than Rick Stansbury"? Where did he say it period? NICE straw man argument.

He pointed to 3 distinct ways in which we do, in fact, already know that Ray is BETTER than Stansbury. The rest of the stuff will be determined over time. But in all the 3 "first glance" aspects coach listed, he is undeniably better.

Hilarious how everyone wants to compare Stans entire career to what Ray inherited last year anyway. Where was all that talent when Stans took over and was down for 3 years? After all -- he'd been building HIS roster for NINE years at the point he took over as head coach. Today's MSU fans would have wanted him fired after those 3 years...

Apples to apples comparisons are really difficult for people with an agenda though...

What do you mean where did I find it? I found it on the last page, thats where I found it.

[Coach34]

Rick Ray did not contact Josh Gray once to keep him.

You realize this was done on purpose right? Gray wanted the money to keep coming- and that wasnt happening under Ray

[Raytoraid83]

****ng right he is.

Here it is

[Coach34]

What do you mean where did I find it? I found it on the last page, thats where I found it.

feel free to quote me if you like- I gave you 3 areas where Ray is head and shoulders above Stands. Only the Villiage Idiot would argue those.

We'll see other areas to judge much more clearly this winter

[col. forbin]

The man is about as cool as Wayne Brady, and probably about as good of a basketball coach.

Wayne Brady makes Bryant Gumble look like Malcom X.

[CapitolCityDawg]

This is probably the worst post I have read on this board since it was created...

Stansbury is THE ONLY REASON we are where we are as a basketball program right now. If you want to change the culture of a lazy, heartless, unmotivated basketball program, you sure as hell don't do that by hiring his assistant. As for Kenny Payne... We don't really have to go back over this do we...

Our freshman guard who has never played point in his life should average 15-20 pts/game???
Our other freshman guard who had to play about 37 minutes a game didnt finish strong enough at the rim???
We had a deep front court???

WTF are you talking about!?!?

Who cares what kind of suits he wears? He has instilled discipline into a program that had become the laughing stock of college basketball under stansburys watch. Maybe the reason we hired him was because no other sensible coach wanted to take over the dumpster fire that stansbury left... Did you ever think of that?

[Coach34]

This is probably the worst post I have read on this board since it was created...

Stansbury is THE ONLY REASON we are where we are as a basketball program right now. If you want to change the culture of a lazy, heartless, unmotivated basketball program, you sure as hell don't do that by hiring his assistant. As for Kenny Payne... We don't really have to go back over this do we...

Our freshman guard who has never played point in his life should average 15-20 pts/game???
Our other freshman guard who had to play about 37 minutes a game didnt finish strong enough at the rim???
We had a deep front court???

WTF are you talking about!?!?

Who cares what kind of suits he wears? He has instilled discipline into a program that had become the laughing stock of college basketball under stansburys watch. Maybe the reason we hired him was because no other sensible coach wanted to take over the dumpster fire that stansbury left... Did you ever think of that?

Les Miles called this a damn strong 1st post

[LiterallyPolice]

The reasons I dislike Rick Ray start far before he even stepped on campus, because I believe he should have never stepped on campus. He did not and does not deserve to be a coach in the SEC. I cannot and will not support Rick Ray.

You could have saved everyone alot of reading and just boiled your post down to the three sentences above. When it comes down to it, you're just being a baby about things that have nothing to do with Ray's perfomance or potential. Your complaints are based on fashion, twitter, and your own failure to understand analogies.

[Demdawgs]

feel free to quote me if you like- I gave you 3 areas where Ray is head and shoulders above Stands. Only the Villiage Idiot would argue those.

We'll see other areas to judge much more clearly this winter

I was not quoting you. A poster said he was a better coach than Stans and he did not break it down to strengths and weaknesses he just said overall he was better. I begged, pleaded, for someone to tell me he was kidding and you responded that twice that he wasn't. By doing that you agreed he was a better coach and to that I say lolz

[Demdawgs]

This is probably the worst post I have read on this board since it was created...

Stansbury is THE ONLY REASON we are where we are as a basketball program right now. If you want to change the culture of a lazy, heartless, unmotivated basketball program, you sure as hell don't do that by hiring his assistant. As for Kenny Payne... We don't really have to go back over this do we...

Our freshman guard who has never played point in his life should average 15-20 pts/game???

Our other freshman guard who had to play about 37 minutes a game didnt finish strong enough at the rim???
We had a deep front court???

WTF are you talking about!?!?

Who cares what kind of suits he wears? He has instilled discipline into a program that had become the laughing stock of college basketball under stansburys watch. Maybe the reason we hired him was because no other sensible coach wanted to take over the dumpster fire that stansbury left... Did you ever think of that?

Just curious, who are you arguing with?

[FreeBoosie]

This is probably the worst post I have read on this board since it was created...


It's hard to respond to your post with a dignified response, but I will try. For starters, longtime reader, first time poster, welcome. Glad to have you out of the shadows. Did Stands give negative shits by the end. Definitely. Was it time to go? Yes. The choices. Dont act like this was a program fresh off the death penalty. It was still known enough to hire someone better than Rick Ray. Joe Dooley, the long time assistant at Kansas, was VERY VERY interested in the job. He made this known, but did Scott "White-Out" Stricklin contact him? No. Now he's the head coach at FGCU, who coincidentally, is coming to Starkville fresh off of a Sweet 16 birth. Since we were obviously reaching for anybody with a smart phone, why not give Wayne Brent a try? He is very well known around the Jackson basketball scene, has coached and trained many great players, and would have given us a direct pipeline to whoever we wanted out of that area. But no, lets get the guy who built a fence around Montgomery, Alabama. Did I ever say Craig Sword would play point guard, No. He average 10.5 points last year, so I dont think with Rick Ray's rigorous work outs a 5 point bump is too much to ask. What does the amount of minutes Fred Thomas (Who actually averaged 28 minutes, nice try though), have to do with his ability to drive to the lane? Okay though. I know we have a deep front court, which is why I want them to be able to perform well against Johnny O'Bryant, Jarnell Stokes, Patric Young, and the dream team Kentucky has compiled. The reason I went off about his personal appearance is because its embarrassing he cant find a good median between his Starter brand warm ups and his Geralds House of Fashion olive colored suit. Whether you like it or not, a well dressed coach is a well respected coach.

That was not a strong first post. That was a first post with wrong stats, childish outbursts, and a total troll demeanor. I think your better suited to keep reading bud.

[Raytoraid83]

It's hard to respond to your post with a dignified response, but I will try. For starters, longtime reader, first time poster, welcome. Glad to have you out of the shadows. Did Stands give negative shits by the end. Definitely. Was it time to go? Yes. The choices. Dont act like this was a program fresh off the death penalty. It was still known enough to hire someone better than Rick Ray. Joe Dooley, the long time assistant at Kansas, was VERY VERY interested in the job. He made this known, but did Scott "White-Out" Stricklin contact him? No. Now he's the head coach at FGCU, who coincidentally, is coming to Starkville fresh off of a Sweet 16 birth. Since we were obviously reaching for anybody with a smart phone, why not give Wayne Brent a try? He is very well known around the Jackson basketball scene, has coached and trained many great players, and would have given us a direct pipeline to whoever we wanted out of that area. But no, lets get the guy who built a fence around Montgomery, Alabama. Did I ever say Craig Sword would play point guard, No. He average 10.5 points last year, so I dont think with Rick Ray's rigorous work outs a 5 point bump is too much to ask. What does the amount of minutes Fred Thomas (Who actually averaged 28 minutes, nice try though), have to do with his ability to drive to the lane? Okay though. I know we have a deep front court, which is why I want them to be able to perform well against Johnny O'Bryant, Jarnell Stokes, Patric Young, and the dream team Kentucky has compiled. The reason I went off about his personal appearance is because its embarrassing he cant find a good median between his Starter brand warm ups and his Geralds House of Fashion olive colored suit. Whether you like it or not, a well dressed coach is a well respected coach.

That was not a strong first post. That was a first post with wrong stats, childish outbursts, and a total troll demeanor. I think your better suited to keep reading bud.

Haymaker

[The Croom Diaries]

What sport is this again?

[FreeBoosie]

What sport is this again?

The one where a 45 point loss to Vanderbilt is swept under the rug because of the "hustle points"

[LiterallyPolice]

I'd like to get this thread back on track, because I think it is an interesting discussion.

My serious questions to FreeBoosie, DemDawgs, and Raytoraid is this: What happened ON THE COURT last year that makes you think Rick Ray isn't capable of being our coach? If Rick Ray didn't meet your expectations.... what were those expectations? Did he meet ANY of the expectations you have for an MSU coach?

[War Machine Dawg]

It's hard to respond to your post with a dignified response, but I will try. For starters, longtime reader, first time poster, welcome. Glad to have you out of the shadows. Did Stands give negative shits by the end. Definitely. Was it time to go? Yes. The choices. Dont act like this was a program fresh off the death penalty. It was still known enough to hire someone better than Rick Ray. Joe Dooley, the long time assistant at Kansas, was VERY VERY interested in the job. He made this known, but did Scott "White-Out" Stricklin contact him? No. Now he's the head coach at FGCU, who coincidentally, is coming to Starkville fresh off of a Sweet 16 birth. Since we were obviously reaching for anybody with a smart phone, why not give Wayne Brent a try? He is very well known around the Jackson basketball scene, has coached and trained many great players, and would have given us a direct pipeline to whoever we wanted out of that area. But no, lets get the guy who built a fence around Montgomery, Alabama. Did I ever say Craig Sword would play point guard, No. He average 10.5 points last year, so I dont think with Rick Ray's rigorous work outs a 5 point bump is too much to ask. What does the amount of minutes Fred Thomas (Who actually averaged 28 minutes, nice try though), have to do with his ability to drive to the lane? Okay though. I know we have a deep front court, which is why I want them to be able to perform well against Johnny O'Bryant, Jarnell Stokes, Patric Young, and the dream team Kentucky has compiled. The reason I went off about his personal appearance is because its embarrassing he cant find a good median between his Starter brand warm ups and his Geralds House of Fashion olive colored suit. Whether you like it or not, a well dressed coach is a well respected coach.

That was not a strong first post. That was a first post with wrong stats, childish outbursts, and a total troll demeanor. I think your better suited to keep reading bud.

Way to double down on the full retard. Epic FAIL.

[CapitolCityDawg]

I don't think the guy that refuses to acknowledge the job that Ray has done thus far and whose seemingly biggest complaint is that his suits aren't sharp enough, is in any position to call somebody out for "childish posts and troll demeanor"... Especially when the general consensus is that most here don't agree with your logic.

Sorry I don't have time to look up official stats to support my argument, but the point I was trying to convey is that if you didn't see a more driven and motivated team (with far inferior talent) last season, then you were too busy whining about a washed up coach whose only play was "motion" to actually support our program...

Ray has done nothing to make me (or anyone else for that matter) not support our new style of play, so why would you refuse to give him your support? I'm sure you can compile a long list of reasons why you don't like him but I'll just chalk it up to mostly ignorance.

And I'm not your "bud"

[Coach34]

We certainly had more coaching going on with our team last season than we had in a long time- that's for sure

[I seen it dawg]

I agree with that 100%. But to say Ray overall is better than Stansbury is just a tad bit premature.

I'm not kidding at all. And one, just ONE, yr of seeing how different our basketball program is now versus the Stains (I'm re instituting Stains, tough shit for some) program has reaffirmed that our coach is better. Now. Stains was a good recruiter as an assistant but a shitty head coach. No need in listing all the reasons why you may think Stains was great because I have as many if not more reasons why he sucked ass so the debate is probably useless. I'm sure he was a nice guy and its nothing personal but he was shitty as a coach.

[engie]

What do you mean where did I find it? I found it on the last page, thats where I found it.

Show it to me... If you can...

[engie]

Here it is

I didn't realize that "I seen it dawg" and "coach34" were the same person?**

[Coach34]

I'm not kidding at all. And one, just ONE, yr of seeing how different our basketball program is now versus the Stains (I'm re instituting Stains, tough shit for some) program has reaffirmed that our coach is better. Now. Stains was a good recruiter as an assistant but a shitty head coach. No need in listing all the reasons why you may think Stains was great because I have as many if not more reasons why he sucked ass so the debate is probably useless. I'm sure he was a nice guy and its nothing personal but he was shitty as a coach.

this will add another page to this thread

[Raytoraid83]

I'd like to get this thread back on track, because I think it is an interesting discussion.

My serious questions to FreeBoosie, DemDawgs, and Raytoraid is this: What happened ON THE COURT last year that makes you think Rick Ray isn't capable of being our coach? If Rick Ray didn't meet your expectations.... what were those expectations? Did he meet ANY of the expectations you have for an MSU coach?

Thank you for getting this back on track and away from the childish bitching. Here's the things for me and the timeline of Rick Ray. First off the hiring, I blame Stricklin for hiring an unknown assistant (at a school where our previous coach TURNED DOWN the head coaching job) he put Ray in a no win situation. Second off the way the Hood situation was handled, you can argue he was gone no matter what but hey that's another discussion, ill give him a pass on recruiting that year since he didn't have time to adjust but I think at a program like Mississippi State you have to take chances on players with a little baggage but with upside as playmakers. Those are the main issues. Now during the season we had our ups and downs due to injuries and suspensions and we can't really judge him as a coach yet. Like we established, next year will give us more information into that. Just take a seat back and type into YouTube 2004 mississippi state basketball team and reminisce on the good things stansbury did for our program. People remember Stansbury too much from his last couple of seasons and forget that stansbury had our basketball program as the most consistent winner of the big 3 sports, only Kentucky and Florida had more wins in 10 seasons, that's just facts. Lets sit back let Ray have next season to improve and see where we stand after that.

[TexasDawg]

I'm not kidding at all. And one, just ONE, yr of seeing how different our basketball program is now versus the Stains (I'm re instituting Stains, tough shit for some) program has reaffirmed that our coach is better. Now. Stains was a good recruiter as an assistant but a shitty head coach. No need in listing all the reasons why you may think Stains was great because I have as many if not more reasons why he sucked ass so the debate is probably useless. I'm sure he was a nice guy and its nothing personal but he was shitty as a coach.


You saying right now Ray is a better coach than Stansbury is idiotic. Rick Ray has not proven anything yet. Will he? Who knows, we won't be able to judge that for another 2 years. Croom seemed to have discipline and things going in the right direction early on, he didn't exactly pan out. So will Rick Ray be a successful coach, we simply do not know after only one season that saw 10 wins. I am on the fence with the man, I haven't decided how I feel about him yet as I have stated in a previous thread. But to say Rick Ray right now is better than Stansbury was in his prime is absolutely stupid.

[CapitolCityDawg]

Thank you for getting this back on track and away from the childish bitching. Here's the things for me and the timeline of Rick Ray. First off the hiring, I blame Stricklin for hiring an unknown assistant (at a school where our previous coach TURNED DOWN the head coaching job) he put Ray in a no win situation. Second off the way the Hood situation was handled, you can argue he was gone no matter what but hey that's another discussion, ill give him a pass on recruiting that year since he didn't have time to adjust but I think at a program like Mississippi State you have to take chances on players with a little baggage but with upside as playmakers. Those are the main issues. Now during the season we had our ups and downs due to injuries and suspensions and we can't really judge him as a coach yet. Like we established, next year will give us more information into that. Just take a seat back and type into YouTube 2004 mississippi state basketball team and reminisce on the good things stansbury did for our program. People remember Stansbury too much from his last couple of seasons and forget that stansbury had our basketball program as the most consistent winner of the big 3 sports, only Kentucky and Florida had more wins in 10 seasons, that's just facts. Lets sit back let Ray have next season to improve and see where we stand after that.

Agreed... Stansbury had some great years but it was time to move on. I think Ray will bring a much needed youthful energy to our program and we can once again return to being one of the best in the league. We owe him our support

[FreeBoosie]

Maybe Rick Ray is just my scape goat for my arch nemesis Scott Stricklin

[CapitolCityDawg]

Maybe Rick Ray is just my scape goat for my arch nemesis Scott Stricklin

Something we CAN agree on...

[FreeBoosie]

When the team was playing well and having fun, it was entertaining to watch. Maybe I will be wrong he is the answer. But, at the end of the day Texas hit it right with comparing him to Croom. He's a transition guy, never had a chance from day one.

[Todd4State]

If Ray doesn't succeed, it's because WE as fans/alumni/boosters didn't fully support him. And I don't understand that. Was he the big name that everyone wanted? No. But that doesn't mean he can't be successful. Based on what I have seen, I think he will win at least as well as Stansbury did. You can't judge him on last year's team- and I don't think Stansbury would have done any better.

This exact same thing happened to Cohen- on a bigger scale in my opinion- and things worked out OK.

The Stansbury people need to understand that he did well overall, but his time is now over. And in the sports world it is extremely rare that a coach goes out on top. It's just the nature of the beast. Heck, my uncle was fired at least 2-3 times as a minor league baseball coach- usually because the orgaization changed front officies or ownership- and he simply found another coaching job with someone else. So, I know how that industry works.

[Todd4State]

When the team was playing well and having fun, it was entertaining to watch. Maybe I will be wrong he is the answer. But, at the end of the day Texas hit it right with comparing him to Croom. He's a transition guy, never had a chance from day one.

Croom wasn't a "transition guy". He was a bad coach. I guarantee you that when LT hired him, he was hoping that he would be here for 20 years. It just didn't work out because he was stubborn and lacked head coaching experience.

[Coach34]

You saying right now Ray is a better coach than Stansbury is idiotic. Rick Ray has not proven anything yet. Will he? Who knows, we won't be able to judge that for another 2 years. Croom seemed to have discipline and things going in the right direction early on, he didn't exactly pan out. So will Rick Ray be a successful coach, we simply do not know after only one season that saw 10 wins. I am on the fence with the man, I haven't decided how I feel about him yet as I have stated in a previous thread. But to say Rick Ray right now is better than Stansbury was in his prime is absolutely stupid.

first of all- to your Croom comment- No, Croom never seemed to have things going in the right direction early on. The Maine loss...the terrible offense, the worst game I've ever watched when we played Tulane in Shreveport....It was evident to me Croom was never going to be a good SEC coach.

Now then to Ray vs Stands- I can't speak for I Seen It- but after knowing him for 25 years I have a good idea what he is talking about. You most certainly can say Ray is a better coach than Stands. But you have to actually pay attention to see it. You cant just compare 14 years vs 1 roster depleted season. How ddo you compare then?

You compare the way their teams set screens? Advantage Ray
You compare the way their teams blocked out? Advantage Ray
You compare the way their teams ran an offense? Advantage Ray
You compare the way their teams knew their assignments? Advantage Ray
You compare their ability to change defenses? Advantage Ray
You compare their ability to execute different inbounds plays? Advantage Ray

If you get past your allegiances, talent level, wins/losses and just simply watched the things that a coach can control- Ray's bunch looked much more well-coached than just about any Stands ever had.

[fishwater99]

Yes I did, very closely. Did you? things I noticed: 293 wins, an outright SEC championship, 6 NCAA tournaments (4 straight) and only missing the postseason 3 times, 21-8 record against ole miss, pretty much taking whoever he wanted in recruiting out of Mississippi and walking into Alabama and grabbing one of there top recruits in years (Mario Austin), oh and for those saying he was just a recruiter and the players made him he did all of this with ONE FIRST ROUNDER. Did he lose control at the end? Yes. Is he totally to blame? No. Was it time for him to step down? Probably. He took a risk on Sidney who he was told by other coaches it would cost him his job. He thought he had dealt with enough personalities he could handle one more. In the end, it did. But to say that Rick Ray, a man that won 10 GAMES last year, is already a better coach is laughable and unthinkable.



Stans was a good recruiter and evaluator of talent, but he was a horrible floor coach.
He could not win the big game outside of the SEC. Stans problem with the Sweet 16 was that he could not scout two teams on two days notice and make a game-plan because he could not institute a half court offense.
Stans found the 4 guard gimmick and decided to live and die by the 3 pointer, instead of actually instituting a half court offense.
The “Motion” offense was just an excuse for Stans to cover up his lack of having a half court offense.
If we didn't score in offensive transition we looked just like a church-league team standing around and jacking three's.
He always let the other team dictate the tempo of the game. Why?

Stans lost control of the team when he let J-Money do whatever he wanted without consequences, it just got worse every year after J-Money came to campus. Not sure what he had on Stans, but it was more than enough. This was the start of his downfall and the RSS Saga was just the icing on the cake.. The inmates were running the asylum, not coach Stans..

[Quaoarsking]

Does anyone actually think we would have been a better team last year had Stans stayed? Did you really want to see more of Renardo and the druggie squad half-assing their way through another long year, probably spreading the laziness onto Ware, Sword, Thomas, etc.? I'll take 10-22 and a bright future over 13-19 and more of the same any day...

[Coach34]

Maybe Rick Ray is just my scape goat for my arch nemesis Scott Stricklin

I wasnt overly happy with the Rick Ray choice myself. I severely underestimated the stench of our program that was out there though in the coaching community...

Ray deserves 4 years to see what he can do- and so far I'm on board. It was certainly better than expected to this point

Changed culture of program
Installed work ethic
Team plays its ass off
No DRAMA

Not bad for a first year...but now it's time to see some wins...team is still extremely young, but should get to 17-18 wins

[I seen it dawg]

When we were "playing well" we had good players that underachieved bc our coach had a low ceiling for discipline, heart, hard work, and floor coaching. Recruiting great- coaching shit.

At no time in his tenure did he outcoach another, did our team outwork another, nor did we have talent really develop and get better but we damn sure had head scratching losses, physical weakness, discipline issues, and a shitpile of "wth just happened".

When we won it was because he got some good players together and when he did he always ****ed it up in the end. I don't give a shit about his record versus Ole Miss, whose head coach was always worse than ours, or his 293 wins that were gained against our perennially pussified OOC schedule because he never beat anyone he had to outcoach or wait for it....got to the Sweet 16. With all his greatness and recruiting prowess he could never muster enough coaching acumen to get the talent we had to win big games.

We had an opportunity while he was in his "prime" to truly compete for a national title because the landscape of college basketball allowed it. He recruited the talent to do it. He never made them work or get any better and when he had to really coach he ALWAYS failed. To me that's a shitty coach no matter how many times he beats the Belhavens of the world.

[mic]

I am glad somebody finally had the wherewithal to ask that question. Let me begin.

Let me go ahead and clear something up. I'm sure a lot of you think I hate Rick Ray because he didnt go 38-0 in his first season as head coach. Not true. The reasons I dislike Rick Ray start far before he even stepped on campus, because I believe he should have never stepped on campus. He did not and does not deserve to be a coach in the SEC. He was a relative unknown coming into a program with a decent bit of prestige within the college hoops rank. I understand the philosophy of Stricklin. "Lets hire an up and coming assistant who will bring a spark to the program." While that was a good thought, Rick Ray was not at all the person for that job. I feel like Scott Stricklin just posted an ad on Craigslist for a new coach and Rick Ray answered it in between screenings of Star Wars and Glory road. There were plenty of better options who were more than interested in the job (Kenny Payne, PHIL CUNNINGHAM, Wayne Brent, Joe Dooley) but no, Scott Stricklin chose the quirky guy who wears three piece polyester suits. He should never have been given a chance, but he was, which leads us to where we are today.

Next, lets look at some gems of wisdom Rick Ray has given us.

"Colin Borchert reminds me of a Robby Hummel type player"- Not even worth going off on.
"Rodney, I want you to be the kind of guy who demands double teams"- He told the player that could have been the best player in MSU history he didnt want him to score.
"This team will win with hustle" Well the 23 other teams won with points.
"There are no 50/50 balls, only 100/0 balls in my program"

Rick Ray did not contact Josh Gray once to keep him. So instead we have Trivante "drive to the right" Bloodman and IJ "The Future" Ready at point guard.

Now lets talk about his presence off the court. The season poster looked great last year with him wearing pre game warm ups, but I'm sure the glare off of his lilac zoot suit would have not showed up in photos. He is a joke on social media. I disagree completely with the statement "I like that he's one of us". I hold him to a higher standard, I dont want to know how Deacon felt about Monsters U or Despicable Me 2.

Now last year. I do understand he went through some of the biggest adversity any coach has ever seen. Losing two freshman before the season and your starting 4 8 games in is tough. He kept fighting and scrounged out 10 games. Good for him. But, we could have avoided the most embarrassing season in MSU history by not hiring Rick Ray. I do believe that a 17-18 win season is possible if 1.) We establish a point guard. 2.) Chicken Sword averages 15-20 points a game. 3.) Fred Thomas becomes a legit finisher at the rim. 4.) Our deep front court can body up against the bigs of the SEC. Right now, I look at us as the deepest team of mediocre talent I have ever seen. If he leads us to the promised land, more power to him. But until then, I will continue to judge his every move. Call me a hater, a troll, blind, naive, whatever you want. I cannot and will not support Rick Ray. I'd much rather support soothsayer, because in two years when Rick Standsbury is coaching Auburn and shames Rick Ray, you all will be posting the same thing.

Long Live Rick 1 (1998-2012)

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE hire Stands Auburn.. please...

[TexasDawg]

first of all- to your Croom comment- No, Croom never seemed to have things going in the right direction early on. The Maine loss...the terrible offense, the worst game I've ever watched when we played Tulane in Shreveport....It was evident to me Croom was never going to be a good SEC coach.

Now then to Ray vs Stands- I can't speak for I Seen It- but after knowing him for 25 years I have a good idea what he is talking about. You most certainly can say Ray is a better coach than Stands. But you have to actually pay attention to see it. You cant just compare 14 years vs 1 roster depleted season. How ddo you compare then?

You compare the way their teams set screens? Advantage Ray
You compare the way their teams blocked out? Advantage Ray
You compare the way their teams ran an offense? Advantage Ray
You compare the way their teams knew their assignments? Advantage Ray
You compare their ability to change defenses? Advantage Ray
You compare their ability to execute different inbounds plays? Advantage Ray

If you get past your allegiances, talent level, wins/losses and just simply watched the things that a coach can control- Ray's bunch looked much more well-coached than just about any Stands ever had.

For the 441st time, I am on the fence with Ray. I don't consider myself to have allegiances to Stansbury or Ray.

And if we are really gonna play this game :
You compare their ability to win over 10 games? Advantage Stansbury

See? That is stupid to do. Why? Because he has coached for one ****ing year. He could be the greatest hire we ever made, or he could end up being a complete clown. Who knows. This is why in my opinion, it is extremely premature to say that Ray is a better basketball coach than someone who won 2 SEC titles.

[I seen it dawg]

Ok texas dawg are you a ****ing idiot. He compared things that actually occur during games that you can see. Can you dispute those things?? If so I'd like to hear how because its painfully evident that our intramural team we fielded out of the Stains dumpster fire that Ray had to coach was infinitely better coached than the talent that was coached by the intramural coach we had.

[FelkerFanatic53]

Ray may be the better coach, but if he can't get the players here like Stansbury did...then we will never reach "17-18" games in a year

[fishwater99]

Some Stans fans just won't give up their allegiance to him. They are too blind to see all of his faults.
It makes we wonder if they ever watch other College basketball teams play besides MSU.

[Todd4State]

Ray may be the better coach, but if he can't get the players here like Stansbury did...then we will never reach "17-18" games in a year

We have the 13th ranked recruiting class right now. I know it's early, but a top 25 class isn't a stretch for this year.

[TexasDawg]

Ok texas dawg are you a ****ing idiot. He compared things that actually occur during games that you can see. Can you dispute those things?? If so I'd like to hear how because its painfully evident that our intramural team we fielded out of the Stains dumpster fire that Ray had to coach was infinitely better coached than the talent that was coached by the intramural coach we had.

I said the argument is stupid, that was the point the over 10 win thing meant to accomplish. I hope Rick Ray is a great coach, I truly do. There is nothing I want more than our basketball program to succeed. All I am saying is I'm not ready to jump the gun and proclaim Ray as better than Stansbury. If I am a ****ing idiot for not admitting that a HC with 10 careers victories is better than a former HC with 293 victories, then lock me away I suppose.

[MSUDawg4Life]

If Ray doesn't succeed, it's because WE as fans/alumni/boosters didn't fully support him. And I don't understand that. Was he the big name that everyone wanted? No. But that doesn't mean he can't be successful. Based on what I have seen, I think he will win at least as well as Stansbury did. You can't judge him on last year's team- and I don't think Stansbury would have done any better.

If Ray doesn't succeed, it'll be because he couldn't recruit the talent needed to win at a high level. From what I've seen, I think he's a good basketball coach and can win if he has the talent.

The fans will support a winner. If Ray starts to win, the Hump will be packed again in no time. MSU fans will be there.

Ray just needs to win. And the key is getting the talent to win with.

[Coach34]

For the 441st time, I am on the fence with Ray. I don't consider myself to have allegiances to Stansbury or Ray.

And if we are really gonna play this game :
You compare their ability to win over 10 games? Advantage Stansbury

See? That is stupid to do. Why? Because he has coached for one ****ing year. He could be the greatest hire we ever made, or he could end up being a complete clown. Who knows. This is why in my opinion, it is extremely premature to say that Ray is a better basketball coach than someone who won 2 SEC titles.

We dont have a complete clown- and it's for those reasons I mentioned. If you watched the games and paid attention to what they were doing- and didnt just watch the basketball being passed around- you know we have a good coach.

I dont know if he can recruit as well as Stands- and that will eventually decide his fate- but one year is plenty to see that he actually coaches the ****ing game of basketball better than Stands did.

P.S. Stands only won 1 SEC Title- not 2 (which is still good though...an SEC Title is an SEC Title)

[TexasDawg]

We dont have a complete clown- and it's for those reasons I mentioned. If you watched the games and paid attention to what they were doing- and didnt just watch the basketball being passed around- you know we have a good coach.

I dont know if he can recruit as well as Stands- and that will eventually decide his fate- but one year is plenty to see that he actually coaches the ****ing game of basketball better than Stands did.

P.S. Stands only one 1 SEC Title- not 2 (which is still good though...an SEC Title is an SEC Title)

For the record, I have never said Rick Ray was a bad basketball coach. I said I am not ready to call him better than Stansbury. I don't see the wrong in that. Coach he won the conference tournament in 2002 and 2009. So please elaborate on 1 SEC title

[mic]

I could really go off on the Stands topic but Im not. You cant fix stupid when it comes to the Stands cult.
Was RR may first choice .. No..
Was I shocked we hired him... Yes
Was everyone that thought they were "In the know" shocked.. Yes
Yes I was told k Payne was basically a done deal and SS pulled the rug over a lot of peoples eyes and it pissed some people off.
After it went down a good friend of mine an ex hoops player at MSU (on the final $ team and played for both stands and Williams) told me who we hired what went down and he said that we were f*cked.
After the UGA game we won ( which Stands lost to the same UGA team twice the following year once at home) my boy said and I quote ."this Cat can flat out coach, if he can recruit our program will be leaps and bounds better than it was under Stands."
He also said there was NO WAY we were getting Mailk Newman with stands here.
Another thing about Stands is how many assistant coaches under him got head jobs at other schools ???
He never hired really good assistants because he didn't want guys under him that we actually smarter than him. I didn't say that , came from a ex player.
and about his character. he 'resigned' right. It is amazing to me that we NEVER once recognized the Final Four team. Not the 10 year anniversary or 15 yr .. And this past year when we recognized all the ex players. One man was missing. Yep good ole Stands. I guess he was busy that day. Sounds lot like another ex msu coach to me...
Anything that was accomplished Pre Stands he didn't want to acknowledge. was told again by a player that a lot of the final four memorabilia wasn't displayed in the hallway or locker room area.. I saw and heard Coach Williams was back at more than a few games this year I don't remember seeing him much at all during Stands time at State.
One last thing that I was actually shocked at. Stands only won SEC coach of the year ONCE... one time that's it... I think Andy katz who isn't pro MSU by any means said Rick Ray should have won it last year with the job he did...

[Coach34]

Coach he won the conference tournament in 2002 and 2009. So please elaborate on 1 SEC title

He won an SEC Title in 2004
He won the SEC Tournament Titles in 2002 and 2009

There's a difference

[mic]

Ray may be the better coach, but if he can't get the players here like Stansbury did...then we will never reach "17-18" games in a year

Basketball "stars" and recruiting are a TOTALLY different animal than football or baseball.

[Coach34]

whoa Mic- I dont remember Stands winning SEC Coach of the Year...I know he didnt on the coaches vote

[mic]

whoa Mic- I dont remember Stands winning SEC Coach of the Year...I know he didnt on the coaches vote

I was guessing it had to be in 2004.. when we went like 14-2 .. if he didn't that year then ur right he never did.

[CapitolCityDawg]

whoa Mic- I dont remember Stands winning SEC Coach of the Year...I know he didnt on the coaches vote

That's another thing... Every other coach in the league despised Stansbury. The lack of respect from his colleagues tells you all you need to know IMO

[Coach34]

I was guessing it had to be in 2004.. when we went like 14-2 .. if he didn't that year then ur right he never did.

He didnt win it in 2004 from the coaches vote I know- was a bigtime point I made early in my Sixpack days...he may have won the media vote or a Better Homes and Gardens vote

[theloungeinleft]

I do too. I think it makes him a little more personable and relatable to the fans. It's funny to see the fans interact with him about his movie references. Makes him one of us.

I prefer using IMDB.com.

[theloungeinleft]

If Ray doesn't succeed, it's because WE as fans/alumni/boosters didn't fully support him. And I don't understand that. Was he the big name that everyone wanted? No. But that doesn't mean he can't be successful. Based on what I have seen, I think he will win at least as well as Stansbury did. You can't judge him on last year's team- and I don't think Stansbury would have done any better.

This exact same thing happened to Cohen- on a bigger scale in my opinion- and things worked out OK.

The Stansbury people need to understand that he did well overall, but his time is now over. And in the sports world it is extremely rare that a coach goes out on top. It's just the nature of the beast. Heck, my uncle was fired at least 2-3 times as a minor league baseball coach- usually because the orgaization changed front officies or ownership- and he simply found another coaching job with someone else. So, I know how that industry works.

Man, that's bold...

[Demdawgs]

If Ray doesn't succeed, it's because WE as fans/alumni/boosters didn't fully support him. And I don't understand that. Was he the big name that everyone wanted? No. But that doesn't mean he can't be successful. Based on what I have seen, I think he will win at least as well as Stansbury did. You can't judge him on last year's team- and I don't think Stansbury would have done any better.

This exact same thing happened to Cohen- on a bigger scale in my opinion- and things worked out OK.

The Stansbury people need to understand that he did well overall, but his time is now over. And in the sports world it is extremely rare that a coach goes out on top. It's just the nature of the beast. Heck, my uncle was fired at least 2-3 times as a minor league baseball coach- usually because the orgaization changed front officies or ownership- and he simply found another coaching job with someone else. So, I know how that industry works.

lol on the first one
second one i completely agree, tell your friends.

[cheat2win]

Any one know what events Ray is missing? Really hope he didnt skip Peach Jam

[mic]

That's another thing... Every other coach in the league despised Stansbury. The lack of respect from his colleagues tells you all you need to know IMO

AGREE 100%

[Dawgpile]

feeling like Pookie

Anybody wanna buy a turkey?

http://hulkhatetimetravel.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/pookie-thanks.jpg