Maybe I'm wrong but I can't help but feel our basketball team...

[Barking 13]

basketball is about players guys. always has been. always will be.

do people talk about the greatness of Jordan or the Bulls? Magic and Kareem or the lakers? bird or the celtics in the 80's? the Heat or Lebron?

Hell, even in college it's all about the superstars at Duke and UK. I can gauran-damn-tee you more people can name a team's best player than they can their W/L record.

I see your point, but what I'm saying is, the AVERAGE seat filler won't even know anything but we are (supposedly) good and should beat the opponent, and this is a cool atmosphere... same with football... chicks follow dudes, and dudes follow chicks, just because they are going to the game.... same thing when they leave at halftime, etc. The recognizeable names are just because they are hearing the ones in the know repeat them. Now you and I would know Chicken from Ware, but most wouldn't know them from Sidney and if he was even still on the team or not.. catch my drift?

[Raytoraid83]

Exactly, he does not feel a sense of urgency to win. Another coach who started at the same time Ray did was Haase. Haase just got his first big signature win in year two at UAB with their win against UNC. Shit, even UAB had a better hire then us. Very sad. And before you say that UAB has more talent blah blah blah. He inherited a bigger shit show from an even worse head coach in Mike Davis.

^^^^

[Coach34]

Exactly, he does not feel a sense of urgency to win. Another coach who started at the same time Ray did was Haase. Haase just got his first big signature win in year two at UAB with their win against UNC. Shit, even UAB had a better hire then us. Very sad. And before you say that UAB has more talent blah blah blah. He inherited a bigger shit show from an even worse head coach in Mike Davis.

I just don't understand these types of comments. People said the same stupid shit about Mullen.

Ray feels the same pressure Coach K does to win. And as a coach and competitor, Ray wants to win every ****ing game he plays. But what he doesn't feel is that he has "to win at any cost". Our Administration saw what that mentality did to the previous regime and doesn't want to make those mistakes again

[MarketingBully01]

I didn't. Mullen to me was an exciting hire. He was basically mentored by at that time a coach who had won two national championships and excelled everywhere he went. The Mullen hire would be the equivelant of Haase. In fact, it is a mirror image of if we had hired Haase. The Ray hire is NOT close at all to the Mullen hire. Let's at least agree to that. Your hate for Stansbury has completely blinded you to what that hire was comparable to...

[Coach34]

I'm not talking about the hire- Ray was a nobody. Mullen was one of the top OC's in the nation

I'm talking about the pressure that Ray feels to win. He feels it- he wants to win just like the rest of us. His name is one the line.

[smootness]

I just don't understand these types of comments. People said the same stupid shit about Mullen.

Ray feels the same pressure Coach K does to win. And as a coach and competitor, Ray wants to win every ****ing game he plays. But what he doesn't feel is that he has "to win at any cost". Our Administration saw what that mentality did to the previous regime and doesn't want to make those mistakes again

Thank you. He not only wants to win now, he also wants to win in the future and be able to sustain it. You don't do that by taking a chance on every kid just because they have some basketball talent. And you don't do that by letting kids slide when they mess up because they can help you on the court right now.

Real life isn't a video game. There are other factors to weigh besides simply, how well does this kid shoot, and can that guy rebound?

[NewTweederEndzoneDance]

I didn't. Mullen to me was an exciting hire. He was basically mentored by at that time a coach who had won two national championships and excelled everywhere he went. The Mullen hire would be the equivelant of Haase. In fact, it is a mirror image of if we had hired Haase. The Ray hire is NOT close at all to the Mullen hire. Let's at least agree to that. Your hate for Stansbury has completely blinded you to what that hire was comparable to...

Why are we still talking about the hire? It's over, Ray was hired and is the coach. Get over it. The fact that Ray was not who you wanted us to hire as the coach has nothing to do with whether he feels pressure to win, wants to win, can win, or whether he read the newspaper versus a magazine while taking his morning dump.

[tcdog70]

firing Stans suxed, hiring Ray suxed and our team sux. We will be no better in 5 years than 4 years. if Ray passes on Pollard then He is worse that I think.

[NewTweederEndzoneDance]

firing Stans suxed, hiring Ray suxed and our team sux. We will be no better in 5 years than 4 years. if Ray passes on Pollard then He is worse that I think.

Ah, at least you're honest about hating on Ray just because you miss Stans.

[MarketingBully01]

I miss actually competing in basketball and being really competitive. Having a chance at the NCAA and making the NIT is better then getting beat by 50+ points on our own home floor to Vanderbilt. And judging by our horrible ability to shoot the ball, that will happen several times this year as well when we play Kentucky. We barely escaped dead last in one of the worst conferences in the country last year. Let that sink in. I think we were picked what 13 out of 14 this year? Hey but here is a positive spin on this. We got nowhere to go but up...

[engie]

I miss actually competing in basketball and being really competitive.

You and I have a very different definition of "competing".

Having a chance at the NCAA and making the NIT is better then getting beat by 50+ points on our own home floor to Vanderbilt.

The one down-year crutch...

And judging by our horrible ability to shoot the ball, that will happen several times this year as well when we play Kentucky.

We are going to win 16-18 games this year. We're a pretty damn decent squad when I.J. is ready.

We barely escaped dead last in one of the worst conferences in the country last year. Let that sink in. I think we were picked what 13 out of 14 this year? Hey but here is a positive spin on this. We got nowhere to go but up..

.
Ah... Yeah -- I hate it when that happens. Obviously, when a coach can't step in and have IMMEDIATE success -- he's doomed to be a failure and terrible hire. All kinds of recent examples of this around MSU right now**

[smootness]

We are going to win 16-18 games this year. We're a pretty damn decent squad

But when?

when I.J. is ready.

BOOM!

[Coach34]

I'd rather watch Ray's teams win 16-17 games playing their ass off than Stands teams winning 20 and pulling the shit they pulled.

Last season was on Stands- not Ray. I cant understand how people dont see that. Not to mention- had Stands been allowed to stay one more year- we would have been a 16-17 win team at best last year

[maroonmania]

Daniels is taking up Pollard's spot. I'd use Bloodman and Ndoye's spots for two others though. Like the 7'1 guy in Texas Juco leading the nation for the 2nd year in a row in blocks and a deadly 3-point shooter with the other.

Can someone explain to me why we are so interested in hanging onto Daniels?? The dude's JUCO stats were LESS than pedestrian and he couldn't even graduate from his JUCO on time. I mean we are talking JUCO here. If Pollard wants to come I would give him Daniels spot in a heartbeat.

[tcdog70]

Boy , halftime and Rick Ray really has these guys ready to play a pitiful ass TCU. Please someone tell me again what a great job he is doing.