The hiring of Rick Ray

[smootness]

Someone please clarify what you mean when you say 'no more AAU'. Because as of now, it sounds like a whole lot of conjecture considering that essentially every D1 basketball recruit, including all of ours, play AAU basketball.

[engie]

It basically meant that we were going to do what we could to stop the paying of players in basketball. Not that we were going going to stop recruiting from AAU -- but we were going to stop playing the AAU "game" so to speak.

[DoinItDoggyStyle]

You people realize Maurice Dunlap plays on the AAU Jackson Tigers team with Malik right?

[codeDawg]

Someone please clarify what you mean when you say 'no more AAU'. Because as of now, it sounds like a whole lot of conjecture considering that essentially every D1 basketball recruit, including all of ours, play AAU basketball.

Most football recruits have high school coaches that can help guide them through the recruitment process and because these guys are employed by the state and school system usually don't take influential benefits to help sway players. Basketball is all about AAU and a large percentage of those coaches only do what they do to get paid. They also funnel a huge amount of money directly to the families of kids or influencers of kids. If you don't take care of the coaches, you don't get the players. Every team (or boosters for a team) that isn't losing is ass off in America plays the game.

We'll get some players, but we won't get enough to be worth a damn as long as we don't play the game. Ray is screwed, but it's going to take 4 more years to realize it.

Read "Play Their Hearts Out" if you are interested in taking a look at AAU basketball, although it's a much bigger deal now than it was when the events in that book were happening.

[Quaoarsking]

Hey, lets regurgitate the "no more AAU!" myth again! We'll just ignore the fact that all of his recruits have been AAU players and all that...

[Coach34]

Someone please clarify what you mean when you say 'no more AAU'. Because as of now, it sounds like a whole lot of conjecture considering that essentially every D1 basketball recruit, including all of ours, play AAU basketball.

Not all AAU programs are run the same

In it's simplistic form- boosters can donate money to AAU programs. Those programs then funnel money to specific recruits the funds were earmarked for- with the Coach getting his cut. That's how coaches of certain AAU programs do that as their one and only job.

[Dawg61]

It's not sad at all. Ray has a million+ salary for an SEC school with a good history in basketball. He doesn't have to go without a fight. Hire 3 new assistants with one being a great teacher of shooting and get 4 new better players with one being Pollard. Do that and he'll be in the NIT next year. Don't do that and he'll end up fired. It's that simple. Does Ray want his job or not? We'll all know the answer to that soon enough.

[drunkernhelldawg]

I don't think Ray has any shot if SS thinks he has to micromanage the basketball program. We've got to trust our coach to do his job, and we've got to make sure that everyone knows that he has the authority to do it. SS, keep yourself and your minions out of the basketball locker room. Let our coach rule the roost and see what he can do with our team.

[MadDawg]

almost???

Yes. Almost as much as the Stansbury haters wanted to see us lose. And not quite as much as the Croom haters wanted us to lose. But definitely more than the Mullen haters wanted us to lose - they haven't had as much practice. Yet.

[MadDawg]

If you want to play Division 1 basketball

I think a lot of our fans decided they don't really want to play D1 basketball anymore. We don't have the stomach for it.

[notsofarawaydawg]

Renardo Sydney = Play the AAU game

Don't want no more of that shit on board for sure.

[rabbitthedawg]

This hire is 100% on Strick .. And I agree my confident level in SS as our AD isn't very high..
But saying that we are still better off with RR as our head coach than Stands..

Better off? Let's see. Stans averaged around 20 wins per season, had us in one of the tournaments most every year, we battled with Florida and Kentucky for the SEC championship many times and now we can't draw 2,000 fans to the Hump, nor has RR recruited any quality players for the future. Better off? Sounds as if you're getting exactly what you wished for!

[Coach34]

Better off? Let's see. Stans averaged around 20 wins per season, had us in one of the tournaments most every year, we battled with Florida and Kentucky for the SEC championship many times !

Stands also was cussed by players in public
Ignored during time-outs
Hawaiian Punch
Renardo Sidney on TV walking up and down the court
Ridiculous amounts of drug use
Suspensions

Ray inherited the program at rock bottom- he deserves a little time to bring it back

[MarketingBully01]

Renardo was gone after that year anyway so the point would have been moot. He was the biggest cancer on that team. He single handedly IMO brought Coach Stansbury down. Drug use runs rampent at every university. It was not just an "MSU" problem. When Ray isn't successful, how long until you jump on him like you did Stans?

[Coach34]

Renardo was gone after that year anyway so the point would have been moot. He was the biggest cancer on that team. He single handedly IMO brought Coach Stansbury down. Drug use runs rampent at every university. It was not just an "MSU" problem. When Ray isn't successful, how long until you jump on him like you did Stans?

Ray gets 4 years from me. Last year showed me alot and was reason for optimism, but so far this season has been underwhelming. I expected to be better on defense and a little better offensively. But there is also a long way to go- and the SEC is weak as usual. Got to let it play out and remember this is still a very young basketball team.

[engie]

Renardo was gone after that year anyway so the point would have been moot. He was the biggest cancer on that team. He single handedly IMO brought Coach Stansbury down. Drug use runs rampent at every university. It was not just an "MSU" problem. When Ray isn't successful, how long until you jump on him like you did Stans?

And Kodi was gone 2 years before that -- and that was going to fix the damn attitude problem on the team too**

Ray gets this year as a free pass. Next year, the expectations are Stansbury levels -- and it will be make-or-break time for him.

[tcdog70]

Stands also was cussed by players in public
Ignored during time-outs
Hawaiian Punch
Renardo Sidney on TV walking up and down the court
Ridiculous amounts of drug use
Suspensions

Ray inherited the program at rock bottom- he deserves a little time to bring it back

We all know Sidney was a cancer. But "Ridiculous amounts of drug use" come on. Any team in the USA had players that smoke weed. Can you document your claim. What is Ridiculous drug use? it seems like Ray has had more suspensions that Stansbury.. Sidney could walk up and down the court and score more and rebound more that our current Big men. Why was our program at rock bottom? Rock Bottom is Auburn, South Carolina, Georgia and our Rick Ray coached team. A bad Stans team was never rock bottom.

[fishwater99]

It's really sad to see Ray put in this shitty position. It's going to ruin his career and he appears to be a pretty good coach. You just can't win without players and it's almost impossible to get players without playing the AAU game. Sad for everybody involved and I hope it catches up with Strickland.

SS will just blame Rick Ray for his failures and hire another coach in 2 years. Maybe next time we will get a coach that plays the AAU game with connections.
I have no confidence in our former High School cheerleader and Basketball manager AD...

[Coach34]

Why was our program at rock bottom? .

Because Stands let it get that way. The Sporting News didnt label us "the most dysfunctional program in America" for no reason. That is pathetic. That is embarrassing. You Stands-Lovers always gloss over that for some reason. "The most dysfunctional program in America"- that's how we were being viewed by outsiders.

You guys are defending that shit because Stands won 1 NCAA Tourney game in his last 7 seasons. 1 Tourney win in 7 years.

[engie]

We all know Sidney was a cancer. But "Ridiculous amounts of drug use" come on. Any team in the USA had players that smoke weed. Can you document your claim. What is Ridiculous drug use? it seems like Ray has had more suspensions that Stansbury..

Is this a frigging joke?

We've had FOUR players dismissed for reasons related to drug abuse in the last year and a half. We had at least 2 more guys serve suspensions for it. We've literally got ONE Stansbury player left on this team period.