It's time....

[dawgs]

So, how do you explain Frank Martin?

i'd give frank martin an extra year or 2 over an unknown commodity like rick ray to right the ship since he's done it elsewhere. that said, it doesn't mean a guy with previous success will be successful 100% of the time in a new job, but he's earned a bit more rope to hang himself with. that's my only point with regards to this ray/cohen comparison.

[dawgs]

And that guaranteed us success when we were 6-24 in the SEC?


This is a common misnomer based on an outright lie.

- Why isn't LSU winning big? They signed a 5* SF, a 4* PF, and a 4* PG last year among 6 total signees. Why aren't they lighting the woods on fire? Are we going to pretend Jones took over a worse team there than Ray did at MSU? Probably not, huh?

- Why isn't Arkansas winning big? They signed a 5* PF and high 4* C last year. What gives?

- Why isn't Bama winning big? They signed a high 4* C and high 4* PF last year. What's up with it?

- Why isn't Tennessee winning big? They signed a 5* SG and had a highly-sought transfer from Memphis to go along with all the talent already there. What's their problem?

Do you need me to keep going?


And you base all this on an outright lie.

1) i said that's why people were willing to i've cohen more rope, not that people were content. sure some people were already fed up, but most were willing to wait and see another year or 2. i never once said it guaranteed cohen would turn things around, just that if he's done it before elsewhere, people will put more faith in him to turn it around here even after a slow start.

2) lsu is 16-10 and playing for a NIT bid. arkansas is 18-9 and playing for a NIT bid. bama's coach is a dead man walking and came into the season on the hot seat. that's been known for awhile. he's lost the team. tennessee is 16-11 and playing for a NIT bid. it's also worth noting the SoS here. lsu is 66, arkansas is 79, bama is 3, and tennessee is 12. our SoS is 171. the lowest in the conference by nearly 50 spots. i also never said we'd be setting the world on fire with 1 superstar, i said with 1 superstar and our current players in supporting roles instead of leading roles would make us an NIT team. we'd probably not be that far off from lsu, arkansas, and tennessee, albeit with a much worse schedule so maybe a few more Ws. the fact that you try to use arkansas, tennessee, and lsu to disprove my comment is ****ing laughable really since those are essentially the teams i said we could be on par with with a superstar talent to center our current roster around. sure you aren't guaranteed success, and that's why the coach gets fired, like what's gonna happen in bama in a couple of weeks.

3) how is that a lie? coach34 says the admin is preventing ray from recruiting the AAU circuit like a major conference program should. if the admin is pulling that on ray, then that's too bad for him. he needs to get in there and tell them he's going to start hitting the AAU circuit like his competitors, because if he doesn't he's gonna get his ass fired anyway. if strickland fires him on the spot, then so be it, he was already destined to get fired anyway by signing kids away from usm and unc-wilmington.

[Dawg61]

For me personally I give Ray till the first game of next season to have a roster with 13 scholarship players. That's my due date. He will have had 31 months to complete that task. Bear, Moore and Staley don't count. No excuses. Get it done. Start the season with 13 and I'll then judge Ray on his team's performance and his coaching in year 3 to see if I'd extend him for year 4. Ray wants to play hard-nosed up-tempo basketball yet continues to try and do that with less players than teams that just want to play normal tempo normal toughness whatever basketball. We fired Rick Stansbury to get a better coach. Rick Stansbury always had more players than Rick Ray. Think about that for a second. Rick Ray's whole philosophy on basketball is to play tough, disciplined, creating steals, up-tempo basketball yet the coach that had zero discipline, zero toughness, zero strength & conditioning ALWAYS HAD MORE PLAYERS on his roster. FILL OUT THE ROSTER Rick Ray because until you do that I just think you have no clue what you're doing. I'm not asking something difficult or impossible to achieve. There's like 320 basketball teams and about 319 of them have no problems filling out the alloted 13 scholarships. Get that accomplished Ray and I grant you another season to prove your worth. As of right now he only needs to add 1 player to get there but if he's worried about a player or two not making it to next season he best cut them and get replacements now. May I suggest some shooters.

[Coach34]

3) how is that a lie? coach34 says the admin is preventing ray from recruiting the AAU circuit like a major conference program should. if the admin is pulling that on ray, then that's too bad for him. he needs to get in there and tell them he's going to start hitting the AAU circuit like his competitors, because if he doesn't he's gonna get his ass fired anyway. if strickland fires him on the spot, then so be it, he was already destined to get fired anyway by signing kids away from usm and unc-wilmington.

I didn't say he couldnt recruit AAU....I just said he was brought in to recruit differently

[dawgs]

I didn't say he couldnt recruit AAU....I just said he was brought in to recruit differently

let's not get into a semantics argument. if he was brought in to recruit differently, then that means it's at least implied that strickland doesn't want him getting involved in the big AAU battles.

we have one of the top couple juniors in the country 2 hours from campus, in state, son of a former player at msu, and we can't even get in the discussion because "we are recruiting differently"??? we literally could not be in better potential shape to land arguably the best player in the country and we are going to **** it up because "we are recruiting differently"? that's the most idiotic recruiting philosophy i've ever heard. not every 5* is a sidney-like cancer.

[Coach34]

Preaching g to the choir- I'd have a posse of former players and any booster I cod find to make it happen

[shannondawg]

I don't mind losing Newmann to Kentucky or UNC or some history rich tradition school . I somewhat understand why a player would pass up an opportunity to play in state for that type of exposure. But if he signs with LSU that would really just piss me off. Why go to another SEC school that we have been just as competitive as the past 20 years?

I think Coach34 has all but spelled it out for you...

[Political Hack]

Cohen went 6-24 in the SEC baseball in his 2nd season. We were "going nowhere fast" then also.

Engie and I make the comparision because both programs were in need of much bigger rebuilds than the fans realized. And it took longer than we hoped. People get impatient- it's human nature.

Cohen was successful in his. We wont know if Ray will be until next season. LET IT PLAY OUT

Comparing a State grad who has been a head coach elsewhere and been successful as a player at State and a coach in the SEC is a tad bit different than an out of state guy with no relationship to the sec or State being given extra time to rebuild. not to mention rebuilding in basketball is BY FAR the easiest sport to rebuild in. Kentucky does it every single year but we need 3-4 years. Bullshit. If you're not on your way to winning by year 3, it's not happening. And we are not on our way to winning in year three.

[Coach34]

It's take longer when you have to rebuild the whole roster. Comparing us to Kentucky is stupid- they are Elite and recruit nationwide. Kentucky has 4-star players walk-on just to be part of their program

Hell, even Indiana had to take 3 years to rebuild when they went on probation- and they are Indiana

We'll see what Year 3 has in store this November

[shannondawg]

A man gotta do what he gotta do..

[Political Hack]

Probation cost Indiana. We aren't caparable to UK, but Ray isn't comparable to Cohen either.

he's got to build a roster and he's in a great state to do it with the Jucos.

[engie]

Probation cost Indiana. We aren't caparable to UK, but Ray isn't comparable to Cohen either.

he's got to build a roster and he's in a great state to do it with the Jucos.

Billy Donovan went 14-15(6-10) in year 2 at Florida in a MUCH more talent-rich state than Mississippi... Did that make him an imminent failure?

I'm not saying Rick Ray is Billy Donovan -- and I didn't say he was John Cohen either -- just that it's ridiculous to define Ray on what's happened so far.

[Coach34]

Billy Donovan went 14-15(6-10) in year 2 at Florida in a MUCH more talent-rich state than Mississippi... Did that make him an imminent failure?

I'm not saying Rick Ray is Billy Donovan -- and I didn't say he was John Cohen either -- just that it's ridiculous to define Ray on what's happened so far.

This just gets lost on so many people. And Hell, Hack has half a brain and he is still missing it. All we can do is wait for November and all the C34 threads making fun of all the people that raised so much Hell. Then they get mad at me for patting myself on the back when it comes to fruition. Lather, rinse, repeat

[Political Hack]

I actually have a big ol' full brain and I did see it... until I saw his team quit on him. that concerns me. if his guys either 1) quit the program and leave or 2) quit on the court, we will not win under him. Right now I've seen a lot of both. He can be Bobby Knight as a floor coach, but if he can't build and manage a roster he's screwed. When I saw the guys on his roster quit the 2nd half of this season, it changed my opinion on the matter.

Another thing that gets me is that y'all blamed Rick for the BS in the stands, the weed smoking, etc... but Ray isn't responsible for that now. BS. they were and are both responsible for it. I bitched about it with Stans and I'm going to bitch about it with Ray. The only difference is that we're bleeding players now.

Also, basketball was my sport. I know the game better than I know any other. I understand X's and O's and floor coaching and game management. It was so piss poor under Stans that some people are just happy to see competence. I get that. But competence doesn't mean "greatness." Our bar has been set extremely low on expectations for what constitutes a "great floor coach." it's a little absurd IMO. Ray is an average floor coach based on what I've seen and I'm not sure he can identify and recruit talent.

[Bully13]

This just gets lost on so many people. And Hell, Hack has half a brain and he is still missing it. All we can do is wait for November and all the C34 threads making fun of all the people that raised so much Hell. Then they get mad at me for patting myself on the back when it comes to fruition. Lather, rinse, repeat

your complaints about stans were legit coach. you did not have any sayso as to who would be replacing him. you and all of us are right to give the one chosen a right to right the ship. the question at this point as to whether or not the selection process went through the best channels. did they? at this point it is legit as to whether that process was done in the matter it should have been done.

things suck worse than we were expecting at this point and that is worth debate..

[Coach34]

things suck worse than we were expecting at this point and that is worth debate..

But as long as we are honest about WHY they are worse I'm ok with.

Nobody expected Smith and Zedakis to smoke their way out of college basketball
Nobody expected Wendell Lewis to smoke his way out of college basketball as a 5th yr Sr....i mean wtf'ing ****????
Nobody expected our SR guard to refuse to play this year- after recruiting season was over mind you- and cripple this team and program even further

Now Ray gets a little blame for Daniels not getting eligible for this year...no doubt, but Ray is at the NCAA's mercy on N'Doye. The thing is, as much as it sucks now- I think we will be glad in the long run we get Daniels for 2015 and 2016.

[engie]

Another thing that gets me is that y'all blamed Rick for the BS in the stands, the weed smoking, etc... but Ray isn't responsible for that now. BS. they were and are both responsible for it. I bitched about it with Stans and I'm going to bitch about it with Ray. The only difference is that we're bleeding players now.

I respect you alot as a poster Hack, but you completely and totally lost me on this to a greater extent than anything you've ever posted before...

So, we are giving Ray a "pass" for discipline problems? What discipline problems? When did the players fight in the stands under him? When was there rampant drug abuse that went unpunished under him? So, you are mad at him for his lack of accountability -- while also being mad at him because we are cutting lose unaccountable players that are failing drug tests that then hurts our team? Which is it? Seems an awful lot like that statement is trying to have the cake and eat it too. I've seen NOTHING to imply the inmates are running the asylum under Ray.

[tcdog70]

I actually have a big ol' full brain and I did see it... until I saw his team quit on him. that concerns me. if his guys either 1) quit the program and leave or 2) quit on the court, we will not win under him. Right now I've seen a lot of both. He can be Bobby Knight as a floor coach, but if he can't build and manage a roster he's screwed. When I saw the guys on his roster quit the 2nd half of this season, it changed my opinion on the matter.

Another thing that gets me is that y'all blamed Rick for the BS in the stands, the weed smoking, etc... but Ray isn't responsible for that now. BS. they were and are both responsible for it. I bitched about it with Stans and I'm going to bitch about it with Ray. The only difference is that we're bleeding players now.

Also, basketball was my sport. I know the game better than I know any other. I understand X's and O's and floor coaching and game management. It was so piss poor under Stans that some people are just happy to see competence. I get that. But competence doesn't mean "greatness." Our bar has been set extremely low on expectations for what constitutes a "great floor coach." it's a little absurd IMO. Ray is an average floor coach based on what I've seen and I'm not sure he can identify and recruit talent.

Good job for keeping an open mind. You are correct in seeing that Ray is not a x and o genius. In fact he is lost. Is it not pretty clear He can't recruit. The average players he recruits then in turn can't get qualified . His first recruit was a felon.
He was reputed to have this awesome pressure defense with all this hustle, but instead we have smurf guards who can't stop dribble penetration or stop a jump shot. We have no one that can defend the post, thus an endless Stream of lay ups and dunks. Then this brilliant x and o coach doesn't have enough basketball IQ to foul at the end of the Ark. Game. They were shooting 50% from the free throw line.

[state66]

I actually have a big ol' full brain and I did see it... until I saw his team quit on him. that concerns me. if his guys either 1) quit the program and leave or 2) quit on the court, we will not win under him. Right now I've seen a lot of both. He can be Bobby Knight as a floor coach, but if he can't build and manage a roster he's screwed. When I saw the guys on his roster quit the 2nd half of this season, it changed my opinion on the matter.

Another thing that gets me is that y'all blamed Rick for the BS in the stands, the weed smoking, etc... but Ray isn't responsible for that now. BS. they were and are both responsible for it. I bitched about it with Stans and I'm going to bitch about it with Ray. The only difference is that we're bleeding players now.

Also, basketball was my sport. I know the game better than I know any other. I understand X's and O's and floor coaching and game management. It was so piss poor under Stans that some people are just happy to see competence. I get that. But competence doesn't mean "greatness." Our bar has been set extremely low on expectations for what constitutes a "great floor coach." it's a little absurd IMO. Ray is an average floor coach based on what I've seen and I'm not sure he can identify and recruit talent.

I watched a state team play pretty damn hard against arkansas man and would not ever say they quit on ray. To be honest Ive only seen one game where that argument is even relevant. Im at the damn games where are you? And if your there what others games have they quit besides that one blowout where everyone said the team quit? I see a competitive team thats just outmanned

[Coach34]

I respect you alot as a poster Hack, but you completely and totally lost me on this to a greater extent than anything you've ever posted before...

So, we are giving Ray a "pass" for discipline problems? What discipline problems? When did the players fight in the stands under him? When was there rampant drug abuse that went unpunished under him? So, you are mad at him for his lack of accountability -- while also being mad at him because we are cutting lose unaccountable players that are failing drug tests that then hurts our team? Which is it? Seems an awful lot like that statement is trying to have the cake and eat it too. I've seen NOTHING to imply the inmates are running the asylum under Ray.

good post

Hack has become a friend of mine- so let me take a stab at this

Hack loves basketball- its his fav sport
Hack hates losing
Hack is human, so as with any human, patience is not always at the forefront
Hack is going to be pissed at me come next January if Ray delivers like I think he can- cause I rub salt like no other