Wendell Lewis

[Big4Dawg]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/23986766/mississippi-state-dismisses-wendell-lewis-from-program

[BrunswickDawg]

I guess no "Moultrie Knees" this season...

[Dawg61]

Damn down to 18 basketball players now** hope Ware likes playing Center since he's the ONLY one on the team.

[bocfarm]

No more Stands players.....I believe in karma and this is good

[Dawg61]

No more Stands players.....I believe in karma and this is good

Roc Johnson, Ware, Chicken and Flat-Top disagree

[PMDawg]

Steele said one more to go. We will see how this plays out, but I'm skeptical at this point.

[bocfarm]

Roc Johnson, Ware, Chicken and Flat-Top disagree

Stands coached players

[Coach34]

Roc Johnson, Ware, Chicken and Flat-Top disagree

Johnson is the last one....Stands never coached the others for one day. They are 100% Ray

[Coach34]

I'm glad- once again, these guys get multiple chances. They arent dismissed for one failed test. At some point the players have to learn that keeping your scholarship is more important than smoking dope

[Dawg61]

Johnson is the last one....Stands never coached the others for one day. They are 100% Ray

100%? Those three were committed for almost a full year under Stans. They are Ray's players with a hint of Stansbury.**

[Raytoraid83]

I'm glad- once again, these guys get multiple chances. They arent dismissed for one failed test. At some point the players have to learn that keeping your scholarship is more important than smoking dope

This isn't butler/BYU or a mid major this is the SEC. Who the hell runs a marijuana free program in the sec especially basketball? And due to his inability to recruit he has one center on the team. Can't use depth excuses in year two...

[bocfarm]

This isn't butler/BYU or a mid major this is the SEC. Who the hell runs a marijuana free program in the sec especially basketball? And due to his inability to recruit he has one center on the team. Can't use depth excuses in year two...

If Cal and now Pastner can run a successful pot free program in Memphis, trust me it can be done anywhere

[MarketingBully01]

This should be good. Another derp of a year in a sport I loved most of all. Great job Stricklin!

[JOHNHEVESYMADE]

You actually believe that Calipari and Pastner run drug free programs? I really don't see how you can sell no depth in year 2. After signing 4 guys and 1 guy is eligible, we really are back in the same boat as last year. How many chances does Ray get?

[Raytoraid83]

If Cal and now Pastner can run a successful pot free program in Memphis, trust me it can be done anywhere

i understand keeping it under control, probably came across like I didn't care if the whole team is smoking everyday which isn't the case but you have to understand that players, especially in the south are going to do it. Mississippi State is already one of the hardest jobs in the SEC imo and doesn't recruit for itself like UK and Memphis does. Got to take chances on players with character issues to have a realistic shot at competing for championships.

[bocfarm]

You actually believe that Calipari and Pastner run drug free programs? I really don't see how you can sell no depth in year 2. After signing 4 guys and 1 guy is eligible, we really are back in the same boat as last year. How many chances does Ray get?

Yep, know for a fact they did here in Memphis, they both booted numerous guys that had nba potential....one plays for the Lakers

[smootness]

You actually believe that Calipari and Pastner run drug free programs? I really don't see how you can sell no depth in year 2. After signing 4 guys and 1 guy is eligible, we really are back in the same boat as last year. How many chances does Ray get?

First, we are nowhere near the same boat as last year. For much of the season last year, we were down to 5 or 6 scholarship players, and Tyson Cunningham was a big-time contributor for us. This year, we have far more bodies, Lewis or not, and even if we have a couple of guys go down with injuries, we won't be in nearly the situation we were then.

Second, we knew Lewis was already going to miss at least the first semester. So trying to use this as some kind of 'The sky is still falling!' proof just belies an agenda.

Third, even if you want to blame this on Ray or say he should have somehow gone from what he had last year to a deep, talented roster magically in one year, this would still be his first chance. Last year doesn't count as a chance; it doesn't count as anything. It was always going to be a terrible year, and it didn't matter who we hired.

[Dawg61]

You actually believe that Calipari and Pastner run drug free programs? I really don't see how you can sell no depth in year 2. After signing 4 guys and 1 guy is eligible, we really are back in the same boat as last year. How many chances does Ray get?

Did you miss the practice chart with 15 names on it and 3 more to be added? That's 18 players. Quit your agenda RICKRAYMADE. Wendell was still not healthy and failing more drug tests just reinforces what we all have known about Wendell for a long time now. He DOESN'T GIVE A SHIT about being a basketball player. Good riddance, he had 5 seconds of good basketball in his entire career at Tennessee.

[smootness]

Yep, know for a fact they did here in Memphis, they both booted numerous guys that had nba potential....one plays for the Lakers

Probably because they understand that having talented players doesn't help you win games if those players have bad attitudes and are high 90% of the time.

[DiligenceDawg]

I don't see why we enforce rules in the first place. People need to understand our Basketball team shouldn't be held to the same standards as every. single. other. athlete.

Forget Ray and that "high" horse he rode in on. /sarcasm

Ray has to get some new non-walkon blood into the program but he has at least one more full class before he's proven he can't build solid depth. Do it to it Ray.

[smootness]

Ray has to get some new non-walkon blood into the program but he has at least one more full class before he's proven he can't build solid depth. Do it to it Ray.

We already essentially know what we'll have next year. Our roster should be:

Ready/Davis/Bloodman
Sword/Applewhite/Dunlap
Thomas/Houston
R Johnson/Black
Ware/Ndoye

That's already decent depth, and we still may add somebody in the 2014 class (William Lee?)

That doesn't include a few decent walk-ons and the possibility that Staley and/or Wilson play next year as well.

It's just that a good bit of that depth will still be young. This is what happens when the roster you are left is complete crap.

[C222]

We could go to the Final 4 this year and RICKRAYMADE and Raytoraid83 would find something to complain about.

[Bo Darville]

At some point the players have to learn that keeping your scholarship is more important than smoking dope

Probably one of the best statements I've ever read on a message board. Hard lesson for many unfortunately.

[Raytoraid83]

We could go to the Final 4 this year and RICKRAYMADE and Raytoraid83 would find something to complain about.

probably what suit Rick Ray wore on the sidelines

[Raytoraid83]

We already essentially know what we'll have next year. Our roster should be:

Ready/Davis/Bloodman
Sword/Applewhite/Dunlap
Thomas/Houston
R Johnson/Black
Ware/Ndoye

That's already decent depth, and we still may add somebody in the 2014 class (William Lee?)

That doesn't include a few decent walk-ons and the possibility that Staley and/or Wilson play next year as well.

It's just that a good bit of that depth will still be young. This is what happens when the roster you are left is complete crap.

If your talking about 2013-2014
dunlap didn't qualify, houston and black are 2014, and ndoye cant play this year
misread it youre talking about 2014

[Coach34]

. Can't use depth excuses in year two...

Sure you can when the pieces of shit your former coach recruited wont stop doing drugs- no matter how many times they are warned.

[MarketingBully01]

Final four?? Wow, we will herpy derp our way to another 12 win or so season with a schedule that would have an average Stans led team winning 20+. But I forgot, you can't judge Coach Ray this year either. I guess the clock will start um year 3 or 4? By that time, enough damage will be done to our program that will put us in the Boyd years.

[FreeBoosie]

While Rick Ray is building the Mississippi State Boys Choir, Rodney Hood is a captain for Duke, Deville Smith has the Las Vegas Classic marked on his calender, and Rick Stansbury is laughing his ass off on a boat somewhere.

[Schultzy]

We already essentially know what we'll have next year. Our roster should be:

Ready/Davis/Bloodman
Sword/Applewhite/Dunlap
Thomas/Houston
R Johnson/Black
Ware/Ndoye

That's already decent depth, and we still may add somebody in the 2014 class (William Lee?)

That doesn't include a few decent walk-ons and the possibility that Staley and/or Wilson play next year as well.

It's just that a good bit of that depth will still be young. This is what happens when the roster you are left is complete crap.

I can't understand how people can have such negative opinions of a coach that took over program in such disarray. His teams play so hard and physical, not to mention fast. He's young, has a likeable personality and is a disciplinarian.
Good luck convincing the others Smootness but there are some hard headed stupid asses out there.
When he succeeds I'm going to throw it in some people's faces on here.

[Dawg61]

Final four?? Wow, we will herpy derp our way to another 12 win or so season with a schedule that would have an average Stans led team winning 20+. But I forgot, you can't judge Coach Ray this year either. I guess the clock will start um year 3 or 4? By that time, enough damage will be done to our program that will put us in the Boyd years.

When Ray signs the #1 recruit in the NATION we will have no room for you to jump back on. Ray will win 15+ this year. Book it!

[MarketingBully01]

Oh and don't forget, we play UNLV this year as well so we will play against Smith. Should be interesting.

[FreeBoosie]

When he succeeds I'm going to throw it in some people's faces on here.

I'll meet you at Bin 612 and buy you a drink when that day comes.

[Coach34]

Final four?? Wow, we will herpy derp our way to another 12 win or so season with a schedule that would have an average Stans led team winning 20+. But I forgot, you can't judge Coach Ray this year either. I guess the clock will start um year 3 or 4? By that time, enough damage will be done to our program that will put us in the Boyd years.

wow

Im more proud of our program than I have been since 2004. The only drama in it these days still comes from the Stands leftovers.

And this team will win 15+ games this year. Make sure and bookmark that

[MarketingBully01]

He should. The schedule is the easiest one we have had in years to make ole Stans proud. The SEC is the most down it's been in 20 years. If he doesn't win 15+, he is not a good coach period.

[Coach34]

Oh and don't forget, we play UNLV this year as well so we will play against Smith. .

You mean the guy that played for us that had to go to treatment for drugs and have multiple mental evaluations? That Smith???

[C222]

While Rick Ray is building the Mississippi State Boys Choir, Rodney Hood is a captain for Duke, Deville Smith has the Las Vegas Classic marked on his calender, and Rick Stansbury is laughing his ass off on a boat somewhere.

None of the above had anything to do with Rick Ray.

I would love to hear who you would've hired.

[Coach34]

While Rick Ray is building the Mississippi State Boys Choir, Rodney Hood is a captain for Duke, Deville Smith has the Las Vegas Classic marked on his calender, and Rick Stansbury is laughing his ass off on a boat somewhere.

Hood was not a problem child- and Smith was not coming back even if Stands had kept his job.

Why would Stands be laughing at the ****ing mess he made of our program???

[Dawg61]

Oh and don't forget, we play UNLV this year as well so we will play against Smith. Should be interesting.

DeVille Smith is 17ing terrible! Dude went insane for smoking air fresheners. As long as ANYONE steps in front of him by the time he dribbles 90 feet he won't score. He shoots worse than Chicken does left-handed.

[MarketingBully01]

Funny you should ask, I think the best combination would have been Kermit Davis with Butch Pierre as the coach in waiting. I think those two would have been a huge get and would have probably been able to do something with last year's team. Both are MSU grads and I think that combination would have been lethal in Mississippi.

[bocfarm]

DeVille Smith is 17ing terrible! Dude went insane for smoking air fresheners. As long as ANYONE steps in front of him by the time he dribbles 90 feet he won't score. He shoots worse than Chicken does left-handed.

He's ****ing terrible

[CadaverDawg]

Funny you should ask, I think the best combination would have been Kermit Davis with Butch Pierre as the coach in waiting. I think those two would have been a huge get and would have probably been able to do something with last year's team. Both are MSU grads and I think that combination would have been lethal in Mississippi.

Deleted, I was thinking of someone else.

[Raytoraid83]

in his 50s, has a daughter enrolled at state now

[C222]

Funny you should ask, I think the best combination would have been Kermit Davis with Butch Pierre as the coach in waiting. I think those two would have been a huge get and would have probably been able to do something with last year's team. Both are MSU grads and I think that combination would have been lethal in Mississippi.

Kermit has 1 tourney appearance in 10 years at MTSU.

[Raytoraid83]

When he succeeds I'm going to throw it in some people's faces on here.

Please do

[Percho]

people are idiots

[dawgs]

i understand keeping it under control, probably came across like I didn't care if the whole team is smoking everyday which isn't the case but you have to understand that players, especially in the south are going to do it.

especially in the south? pretty sure the numbers show that every other region in the country smokes more weed than the south. not saying the south doesn't ahve plenty of pot smokers, especially among college aged kids, but just don't get the "especially in the south" part.

[MarketingBully01]

But he is an established head coach with a proven track record. My first choice would have been Prohm from Murray State but Stricklin screwed that up so much that he turned us down so we ended up with Ray.

With the mess the head coach would have inherited, you need a proven winner. See Crean at Indiana and Coach Cohen as our baseball coach. A rebuilding job with an unproven head coach usually ends disasterously Coach Croom in football comes to mind. No matter what your opinion is one way or the other you have to objectively give Stricklin an F or a low D for the basketball hire and basketball hiring process. Facts are facts

[Schultzy]

But he is an established head coach with a proven track record. My first choice would have been Prohm from Murray State but Stricklin screwed that up so much that he turned us down so we ended up with Ray.

With the mess the head coach would have inherited, you need a proven winner. See Crean at Indiana and Coach Cohen as our baseball coach. A rebuilding job with an unproven head coach usually ends disasterously Coach Croom in football comes to mind. No matter what your opinion is one way or the other you have to objectively give Stricklin an F or a low D for the basketball hire and basketball hiring process. Facts are facts

We're you aware that in hoops coaching circles rumors were that we were about to get hammered by the NCAA over Sydney? Wasn't true but the administration was taken aback by the feedback we received from potential coaches in the interviews conducted. We were considered toxic from the rumors I heard.
Many can spell the word fact but few use the word correctly in a sentence on message boards.

[C222]

But he is an established head coach with a proven track record. My first choice would have been Prohm from Murray State but Stricklin screwed that up so much that he turned us down so we ended up with Ray.

With the mess the head coach would have inherited, you need a proven winner. See Crean at Indiana and Coach Cohen as our baseball coach. A rebuilding job with an unproven head coach usually ends disasterously Coach Croom in football comes to mind. No matter what your opinion is one way or the other you have to objectively give Stricklin an F or a low D for the basketball hire and basketball hiring process. Facts are facts

Let's say the narrative wasn't that Scott screwed up the hire. Do you know how irate our fan base would've been if we hired a guy who has been to 1 tournament in 10 years?

No one wanted our job. They looked at our roster an didn't want any part of it.

[chef dixon]

Everyone is missing the biggest point of it all: Wendell sucked.

And yes, I realize we need bodies.

[Coach34]

We're you aware that in hoops coaching circles rumors were that we were about to get hammered by the NCAA over Sydney? Wasn't true but the administration was taken aback by the feedback we received from potential coaches in the interviews conducted. We were considered toxic from the rumors I heard.
Many can spell the word fact but few use the word correctly in a sentence on message boards.

Our job was considered extremely toxic. That stench Stands let fester set us back- not hiring Ray

[YazooDawg23]

Robert Kirby is the obvious hire when Ray moves on or is let go. I worked as a counselor at the LSU basketball camp this past summer. Those coaches almost start crying when they talk about Kirb. One of the most respected basketball minds in the country, Charlie Leonard, told me that one thing people don't know about Kirby is that he can COACH. He has 12 brothers and sisters in the Memphis area and he takes care of all of them. So when Memphis offered more money he had to go there. They all talked about the love he still had for Mississippi State. His recruiting speaks for itself.

[JOHNHEVESYMADE]

Do we forget that one of the almighty Rick Ray players has failed a drug test as well? (Colin Borchert) So we don't judge him on year 1 because of injuries (fair), but now we don't judge year 2 because of injuries/kicking guys off the team? When do we finally start to judge Rick Ray's overall coaching job? To address the coaching search, there is no one on this message board that had Rick Ray circled as their number one candidate. No one had even heard of him. To come from a program that went 16-15 is absurd. Yes we have Ray now but fundamentally he isn't recruiting at a level high enough to win. Yes he has the number 3 class in 2015, but only 7 teams even have a guy committed that early.

[bocfarm]

@rickraymade. I'm not gonna sugar coat this. Anyone that has an IQ abive that of the mentally challenged realizes Stands reached his ceiling a long time ago and then sold his soul for questionable national recruits to try and bring him back to relevance. Even when his team was " stacked " bc of his unbelievable recruiting he choked and couldn't win the big games or make it past the 2nd round of the tournament in 14 seasons. What more do you need to see?

[MarketingBully01]

I am sure about as irate as giving the job to a guy that had no previous head coaching experience and came from the basketball power house known as Clemson. AND our job wasn't looked at as toxic as much as we didn't have the right people advising Stricklin on the hire. Hey if anything this process taught me it is deep down our fans really don't care about basketball because if they did more would have been said about the decisions we took here. That is the last I will say on that.

[Irondawg]

The Basketball situation is very simple. It was pretty clear Stans had lost the locker room the past few years. Players didn't practice hard, didn't respect the coach and weren't real interested in strength and condition. Not coincidentally the play on the court suffered as well. Much like Jackie - it was time and 90% of the people knew it even though the program W/L wasn't to the football level at the time the Kang stepped down.

Most of us, myself included, thought we'd be able to hire a decent coach. We were a perennial post-season team after all and you had the big-time player building block in Hood on campus. I don't think anyone realized what the coaching community thought of the job for one reason or another. As c34 said, it was shocking to the admin from what I've heard. So basically you weren't going to get name unless it was one that was already somewhat tarnished and I don't think the admin wanted that. So we ended up with a guy out of the blue that surprised people with how well he interviewed. Yes, unless Mullen eventually leaves this is what Strick will be known for. Finding a nice diamond in the rough or setting the program back another 4 years.

Ray comes in with a clean slate b/c he has not reputation one way or the other. But much like Croom he scores some positive points in intial interviews. Then Hood leaves which immeidately makes us pretty bad. The Smith and the big Euro flunk multiple drug test. Then Davis blow out his knee. Now we're really going to be terrible and the only way to have avoided that was to have landed a coach that could have kept Hood somehow and decided to put up with the guys who refused to even try to conform to the rules for a semester. Because of conflicting rumors on Hood, etc Ray has to have gotten a free pass. Given our talent i thought we overachieved last year which to me was a positive sign.

This year he's judged by two things. (1) Improvement shown from last year's players that had signficant fundamental issues. Ware's conditioning and post-offense, chicken's ball-handling and shooting form, Thomas's ball-handling and ability to finish at the hoop and 3 pt %. (2) better recruiting prowess b/c in hindsight he did an even worse job than we though last year.

Honestly I thought he should have not offered Wendell a scholly for this year same as he did to Steele. He's simply not good and multiple sources have said he just doesn't like to work hard. There had to be a JUCO big-man out there that would at least be a effort guy that enjoyed rebounding and laying people out with good picks. But for some reason Ray decided to bring him back and it bit him in the ass. If he was so hard to get rid of Stans players steele and lewis wouldn't have even had a scholly this season so i don't buy that excuse.

[Dawg61]

Ray is also being judged on his ability to fill a full roster. I don't know if the new guys are any good but he does have 16 names practicing and another 2 supposedly joining in January. That's 18 basketball players. That's impressive even if they all suck. At one point during the Alabama game last year Ray almost had a "Hoosiers" moment by having to play only 4 guys. I'm very pleased to know that unless MSU has a party bus of suspensions Cheech & Chong style there will no longer EVER be a moment we have to suffer through the announcers telling everyone "MSU only has 6 players" anymore. Be happy we have a full roster and that Ray seems to be leading in the Malik Newman sweepstakes. This and the obvious emphasis on S&C and improved shooting has me optimistic for the future of MSU basketball.

[smootness]

No matter what your opinion is one way or the other you have to objectively give Stricklin an F or a low D for the basketball hire and basketball hiring process. Facts are facts

No, you don't. Those are far from facts. Many people who know college basketball far better than any of us considered the hire to be a very good one. Name recognition does not equal a good hire. It never has and never will. It does from a fan's perspective, and then those fans end up being wrong more often than not.

So you're telling me that if Ray turns out to be a fantastic coach, this hire will be, at best, a low D because you had never heard of him and he wasn't previously a proven winner? K.

[smootness]

To address the coaching search, there is no one on this message board that had Rick Ray circled as their number one candidate. No one had even heard of him. To come from a program that went 16-15 is absurd. Yes we have Ray now but fundamentally he isn't recruiting at a level high enough to win. Yes he has the number 3 class in 2015, but only 7 teams even have a guy committed that early.

Who. Freaking. Cares. It was a bad hire because fans wanted guys like Kenny Payne? For the record, I believe Payne would have been an absolutely awful hire.

Fans are notoriously stupid when it comes to coaching searches. I certainly don't give Stricklin a bad grade because he didn't do what fans wanted, when you just admitted yourself we hadn't heard of Ray...well, obviously Stricklin had. The fans' list of possible candidates was very short because we just didn't know a lot of coaches. 'Uh...hire somebody from Kentucky!' would be a terrible way for an AD to actually make a hire.

I don't get why fans think certain decisions were bad solely because it wasn't what the fans wanted. It's essentially the same as fans going nuts over recruits like Dylan Favre because he's from Mississippi and they know about him, and being angry if we go after another kid in a different state that they haven't heard of, even if that kid may actually be a far better prospect.

Give Ray time. Of course, that would require not having a blatant agenda to get the guy fired. Well, I hate to say it, but you're going to have to stick with him for a little while, and I'm right about him, hopefully for a long, long time.

[Schultzy]

Everyone is missing the biggest point of it all: Wendell sucked.

And yes, I realize we need bodies.

Chef Dixon says more in fewer words than any poster on any message board.

[Schultzy]

Who. Freaking. Cares. It was a bad hire because fans wanted guys like Kenny Payne? For the record, I believe Payne would have been an absolutely awful hire.

Fans are notoriously stupid when it comes to coaching searches. I certainly don't give Stricklin a bad grade because he didn't do what fans wanted, when you just admitted yourself we hadn't heard of Ray...well, obviously Stricklin had. The fans' list of possible candidates was very short because we just didn't know a lot of coaches. 'Uh...hire somebody from Kentucky!' would be a terrible way for an AD to actually make a hire.

I don't get why fans think certain decisions were bad solely because it wasn't what the fans wanted. It's essentially the same as fans going nuts over recruits like Dylan Favre because he's from Mississippi and they know about him, and being angry if we go after another kid in a different state that they haven't heard of, even if that kid may actually be a far better prospect.

Give Ray time. Of course, that would require not having a blatant agenda to get the guy fired. Well, I hate to say it, but you're going to have to stick with him for a little while, and I'm right about him, hopefully for a long, long time.

No one in the country had heard of Mike Kryschescki when Duke hired him and they had National Championships hanging from the ceiling at the time. Everyone in the country wanted that job but he got hired because the best friend of the guy who hired him dared him to after he told him "I wish I could hire this asst coach from Army who interviewed so well but they'd run me out on a rail if he fails".
That's from a Feinstein book. I'm not saying Ray is Kryscheski but I get do tired of MSU fans sounding so damn insecure about everything all the time.

[dawgs]

No, you don't. Those are far from facts. Many people who know college basketball far better than any of us considered the hire to be a very good one. Name recognition does not equal a good hire. It never has and never will. It does from a fan's perspective, and then those fans end up being wrong more often than not.

So you're telling me that if Ray turns out to be a fantastic coach, this hire will be, at best, a low D because you had never heard of him and he wasn't previously a proven winner? K.

just because you hit 00 on the roulette wheel doesn't mean it was a good bet. sometimes you get lucky and hit the lottery, but more often than not you are just throwing you $$ away.

i think the worst part of all this is that we couldn't really take much away from ray's coaching ability for an entire season last year because the roster was so depleted. i THINK he maximized the potential of the roster, but i'm not sure. i don't think coach K could have done more than a couple of Ws better with that roster, but we just don't know. so that's almost a lost season from an evaluation stand point, and if ray is a bust, that's just another year we aren't looking for the right guy.

[bocfarm]

I think its fair to point out that Phil Jackson or any other hall of fame coach would have won more games than Ray did last yr. None of the injuries, attrition were his fault. Some of you guys are assuming the worst before the first game is played of his 2nd yr.

[smootness]

just because you hit 00 on the roulette wheel doesn't mean it was a good bet. sometimes you get lucky and hit the lottery, but more often than not you are just throwing you $$ away.

But it wasn't at all the same as playing roulette. Stricklin had knowledge of Ray and consulted with others who had better knowledge. He did the same, I would assume, with other candidates as well. And he felt that what Ray brought to the table was more than what the other candidates brought to the table.

Fans act like the fact that we didn't know anything about him means no one knew anything about him, and that isn't true.

It wasn't a blind gamble. It was a knowledgeable hire. Ray has a lot of the traits you want in a coach. No, he hadn't been a head coach before. But some success at School A never equals success at School B, especially when School B is a step up from School A. We've seen it time and time again.

You have to hire the guy you think is the best fit for the job. I assume Stricklin did this. Again, just because fans didn't know him does not in any way make it a bad hire or a bad bet.

[TheRef]

Look...you can tell just from watching the games that he legitimately cares about the well-being of the players. When they get off the floor, you have him and the assistant coaches talking and coaching the players for many minutes. This shows that he is a good coach. The players respect him. They listen to him. They know that he has their best intentions in mind. He's not a bad guy. He knows what he's talking about. He is recruiting for the system he wants to run. Remember, he's wanting to run a very fast-paced game. He wants us sprinting up and down the floor. With the players that Stansbury recruited, he simply could not run his system. This year or next year we will see a team that will run his style of offense where we are basically making the other team gassed and we are still standing ready to go. That's my two cents. I'm ready for the season. Hail State. I'll be in my usual spot.

[BrunswickDawg]

Ray's style reminds me a lot of Nolan Richardson and the "40 minutes of Hell". Interestingly... from wikipedia: "He inherited a team and program that was used to Sutton's halfcourt-oriented, walk-it-up-the-court style. Richardson's frenetic, up-tempo system was something new to Arkansas fans, and people questioned it after finishing 12-16 his first season. However, by year two he had Arkansas back in the post season with an NIT berth. By year three he had Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament. The Hogs would stay there for 13 of the next 15 seasons." Now, I'm not saying Ray is the next Nolan Richardson, but that quote says a lot about what we saw last year - an undermanned team struggling with a high octane system, but as the players adjusted the wins came.

[C222]

Who. Freaking. Cares. It was a bad hire because fans wanted guys like Kenny Payne? For the record, I believe Payne would have been an absolutely awful hire.

Fans are notoriously stupid when it comes to coaching searches. I certainly don't give Stricklin a bad grade because he didn't do what fans wanted, when you just admitted yourself we hadn't heard of Ray...well, obviously Stricklin had. The fans' list of possible candidates was very short because we just didn't know a lot of coaches. 'Uh...hire somebody from Kentucky!' would be a terrible way for an AD to actually make a hire.

I don't get why fans think certain decisions were bad solely because it wasn't what the fans wanted. It's essentially the same as fans going nuts over recruits like Dylan Favre because he's from Mississippi and they know about him, and being angry if we go after another kid in a different state that they haven't heard of, even if that kid may actually be a far better prospect.

Give Ray time. Of course, that would require not having a blatant agenda to get the guy fired. Well, I hate to say it, but you're going to have to stick with him for a little while, and I'm right about him, hopefully for a long, long time.

Payne would've been such a terrible, terrible hire.

[smootness]

Look...you can tell just from watching the games that he legitimately cares about the well-being of the players. When they get off the floor, you have him and the assistant coaches talking and coaching the players for many minutes. This shows that he is a good coach. The players respect him. They listen to him. They know that he has their best intentions in mind. He's not a bad guy. He knows what he's talking about. He is recruiting for the system he wants to run. Remember, he's wanting to run a very fast-paced game. He wants us sprinting up and down the floor. With the players that Stansbury recruited, he simply could not run his system. This year or next year we will see a team that will run his style of offense where we are basically making the other team gassed and we are still standing ready to go. That's my two cents. I'm ready for the season. Hail State. I'll be in my usual spot.

All of this.

Ray has a few things that I believe are big advantages:
1) He gets his players to buy in. Our team bought in fully last year, and Sword himself stated at the end of the year that all the players were just trying to win for Ray personally. That is a huge attribute for a coach to have.
2) His system, if run properly, is extremely effective in college basketball. And it's a style that I love to see. It is an offense that can essentially run itself, where the players can run anything from any set in any situation, and defensively it wears the other team out. And he seems to be able to teach well.
3) He seems to be very relatable. Obviously you have to get the right players to be able to run his system to have success, and he seems to have a pretty good mix of relating to players while remaining firm in discipline, in a way that players believe in the system without disliking the coach implementing it.

I have not seen a single thing yet from Ray that is a sign of a potential problem. That doesn't mean they don't exist or that he isn't learning himself, I just haven't seen anything yet to cause me concern.

His recruiting doesn't bother me, because I knew this is what the first couple of years would be like. He does need to pick it up some in order to really have a lot of success, but we won't really know about that until the 2015 class and beyond.

[smootness]

Ray's style reminds me a lot of Nolan Richardson and the "40 minutes of Hell". Interestingly... from wikipedia: "He inherited a team and program that was used to Sutton's halfcourt-oriented, walk-it-up-the-court style. Richardson's frenetic, up-tempo system was something new to Arkansas fans, and people questioned it after finishing 12-16 his first season. However, by year two he had Arkansas back in the post season with an NIT berth. By year three he had Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament. The Hogs would stay there for 13 of the next 15 seasons." Now, I'm not saying Ray is the next Nolan Richardson, but that quote says a lot about what we saw last year - an undermanned team struggling with a high octane system, but as the players adjusted the wins came.

Good post, and I doubt Richardson also had to deal with the same dearth of bodies/experience/talent that Ray did, either.