Jan is the guy we have been looking for since 1996

The 1995 and 1996 basketball teams were the best basketball teams we have had in modern history. We have been looking for that formula ever since and it looks like we finally found it.

Richard Williams was a really good basketball coach. Structured. Disciplined. Preached defense and toughness. His offenses were good when he had players and tough to watch when the talent level decreased. The down side of Williams was that he hated recruiting. Williams had to have a guy that could do the lionshare of that part for him. In the early years of his tenure he had John Brady handling most of that for him and that brought us our first SEC basketball title in 28 years in 1991. Once Brady left he brought in Rick Standsbury as his main recruiting guy along with Robert Kirby. Those guys brought in the bunch that led us to the great teams of 95 and 96

Exit Williams and Stands gets promoted to HC. He and Kirby continue to scour the lands for players and did pretty well. However, losing the quality coaching of Williams hampered the program from achieving previous heights. They were able to add another SEC title to the rafters but unfortunately wilted each March.

It's been another 29 years now since 1996 with us being unable to revive that magic until now. State has found their coaching/recruiting combo this time in one guy. A guy that has the X's and O's game but also has the vision and drive to bring in the players to make that vision happen. Enjoy what we are watching this season fellas. It's been awhile.

Richard would have been around a lot longer if he didn?t literally 17 it up.

I'm not crowning him yet until he produces in March

This is exactly right

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Originally Posted by Coursesuper

Richard would have been around a lot longer if he didn?t literally 17 it up.

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Still the undefeated champ.

96 team was perfection

That?s probably my favorite team, any sport, at State.

Best team since 96' and best coaching we've ever had imo.

If Dontae didn't screw up his ankle and had more drive to get better then he would have played a long time in the NBA.

This is a top 10 team plain and simple. I think we end up a 2-3 seed and I may be underestimating this team.

First time in almost 20 years I'm going to be hoping the 2nd weekend of where MSU could play is somewhere in the South.

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Originally Posted by Coach34

The 1995 and 1996 basketball teams were the best basketball teams we have had in modern history. We have been looking for that formula ever since and it looks like we finally found it.

Richard Williams was a really good basketball coach. Structured. Disciplined. Preached defense and toughness. His offenses were good when he had players and tough to watch when the talent level decreased. The down side of Williams was that he hated recruiting. Williams had to have a guy that could do the lionshare of that part for him. In the early years of his tenure he had John Brady handling most of that for him and that brought us our first SEC basketball title in 28 years in 1991. Once Brady left he brought in Rick Standsbury as his main recruiting guy along with Robert Kirby. Those guys brought in the bunch that led us to the great teams of 95 and 96

Exit Williams and Stands gets promoted to HC. He and Kirby continue to scour the lands for players and did pretty well. However, losing the quality coaching of Williams hampered the program from achieving previous heights. They were able to add another SEC title to the rafters but unfortunately wilted each March.

It's been another 29 years now since 1996 with us being unable to revive that magic until now. State has found their coaching/recruiting combo this time in one guy. A guy that has the X's and O's game but also has the vision and drive to bring in the players to make that vision happen. Enjoy what we are watching this season fellas. It's been awhile.

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Jans also seems like the type of coach who works better with NIL type year to year roster transitions because I do not see him recruiting high school kids and kissing their asses. He picked experienced, tough, defensive minded guys from other teams maybe overlooked and sold a vision. Not easy getting guys to Starkville that is reality.

He would be a great NBA coach in my opinion.

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Originally Posted by Political Hack

Best team since 96' and best coaching we've ever had imo.

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2003-2004 dawgs were as good. They just ran into Xavier.
this team really has the parts. Stay focused boys for 3 months. Take care of your bodies and stay away from the skirts except for the night after the game.

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Originally Posted by Lord McBuckethead

2003-2004 dawgs were as good. They just ran into Xavier.
this team really has the parts. Stay focused boys for 3 months. Take care of your bodies and stay away from the skirts except for the night after the game.

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Yep the Zimmerman Bowers Teams were dam good but they just had a bad seed. Like the time they were the 2 seed in Dallas against Texas.

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Originally Posted by cheewgumm

96 team was perfection

That?s probably my favorite team, any sport, at State.

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Perfection? Naw. They played perfect over about an 8 game stretch at the end of the season which is all you can ask for. But RW squeezed every ounce he could out of that team. Russell Walters had zero offensive presence and there was no bench. We had an academy all star, a freshman center, freshman guard, and a backup center with no knees who did all they could to spell the starters. Whit, Washington and Hyche turned into good players but they were all green, totally inexperienced during that season.

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Originally Posted by RockyDog

Perfection? Naw. They played perfect over about an 8 game stretch at the end of the season which is all you can ask for. But RW squeezed every ounce he could out of that team. Russell Walters had zero offensive presence and there was no bench. We had an academy all star, a freshman center, freshman guard, and a backup center with no knees who did all they could to spell the starters. Whit, Washington and Hyche turned into good players but they were all green, totally inexperienced during that season.

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Youre right, i overdid it a bit.

But, I loved that run. It was great.

My brother and I went to watch Dontae Jones before that year in the JUCO playoffs. They were playing at MC. We were going to see if he was gonna be someone who could help us.

I think he had 35 pts and 20 rebounds.

He was as good a player as we'd seen in person.

So, we were excited for that year before the NCAAs. That team did have some struggles though.

We're going to lose games. Some of them will be a players fault. Some will be on Jans. And there will be 10 meltdown threads between now the final buzzer of the SEC tourney. But this team is going to be an incredibly tough out come NCAA tournament time.

I hope we travel well as a fan base this post-season. It'll make a HUGE difference. If the committee is friendly, we could make a big run.

Political Hack wrote I hope we travel well as a fan base this post-season. It'll make a HUGE difference. If the committee is friendly, we could make a big run.

When has the committee ever been friendly to MSU? Asking for a friend.

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Originally Posted by Political Hack

We're going to lose games. Some of them will be a players fault. Some will be on Jans. And there will be 10 meltdown threads between now the final buzzer of the SEC tourney. But this team is going to be an incredibly tough out come NCAA tournament time.

I hope we travel well as a fan base this post-season. It'll make a HUGE difference. If the committee is friendly, we could make a big run.

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Truth here.

Not quite ready to annoint him at that level yet. We are a much improved team but we have in-game stretches of shifting into low IQ lapses. We're a solid top twenty team but we will have to be better to beat top ten teams more often than not.

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Originally Posted by EdwardDrayton

Not quite ready to annoint him at that level yet. We are a much improved team but we have in-game stretches of shifting into low IQ lapses. We're a solid top twenty team but we will have to be better to beat top ten teams more often than not.

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He hasn't earned it yet. Williams made a Final Four. But we have an elite coach and I think he's about to prove it. We are fundamental and incredibly tough defensively, even against teams that move the ball well. We have bigs that can run the court and play end to end with soft hands and good feet. We understand how to move the ball and play with leverage on offense. And we can shoot. And we don't $?|+ the bed at the free throw line. I really like this squad.