Twelve years ago today Rick Ray was hired.

[pseudonym]

Stricklin said he didn't realize how bad State was viewed nationally at that time in coaching circles. I'm guessing he fired Stansbury before he did that research.

"I didn't realize firing a winning coach at a program that didn't do anything from 1963 to 1991 (Stansbury arrived as an assistant in 1990) wouldn't make in-demand coaches want to coach here."

Firing Stansbury and hiring Ray was the only hire Stricklin made in the big three sports. When he became AD, basketball was our best sport of the big three. When Stricklin left, basketball was the worst sport of the big three. The biggest decision of his time at State was a massive failure.

At Florida, he fired McElwain and hired Mullen. In my opinion, this was an obvious and easy hire. At the time, I knew he would be pressured to fire Mullen before he had the success they expected, which is exactly what happened. Then Stricklin hired Napier, who is on the hot seat in year three. The verdict on hiring Todd Golden is still out.

I've never understood why he was ever considered a good AD. The best thing he ever did at State or Florida was hire Vic Schaefer.

 

[L4Dawg]

There are a LOT of myths that have been come to be considered truth about that search. From what I have always been told by someone who was involved at a high level, Ray was about all we could get.

 

[Choctaw Dawg]

To be fair, that team missing the tourney was inconceivable at one point in early February. Then just totally collapsed against the soft part of our schedule. But yes, could not believe he made THAT decision to fire Stansbury with no idea where he was going next.

We lost to a really bad Georgia team at home and if I had to pick a starting point for when State basketball was officially killed.... that would be it. We were ranked two weeks before that.

 

[FlotownDawg]

We lost to a really bad Georgia team at home and if I had to pick a starting point for when State basketball was officially killed.... that would be it. We were ranked two weeks before that.

To me, the day the Stansbury era ended was when we lost the 2010 SEC Tournament championship game in overtime to No. 1 Kentucky after the tip in at the buzzer when the lane violation wasn’t called. That would’ve been our third consecutive NCAA Tournament if we had won that game and our second consecutive SEC Tourney title. Stans then panicked and went out and got Renardo Sidney, and the downfall began in earnest.

 

[Mr. Cook]

Best. Hire. Ever.

"MSU: The Graveyard for Coaching Careers and the Dumping Ground for Everyone Else's Problems"************************************

 

[DAWGSANDSAINTS]

To me, the day the Stansbury era ended was when we lost the 2010 SEC Tournament championship game in overtime to No. 1 Kentucky after the tip in at the buzzer when the lane violation wasn’t called. That would’ve been our third consecutive NCAA Tournament if we had won that game and our second consecutive SEC Tourney title. Stans then panicked and went out and got Renardo Sidney, and the downfall began in earnest.

Not sure that was a “panic” get.
I know a lot of people, including me who thought that was a great get.

 

[DAWGSANDSAINTS]

I have a Rick Ray signed basketball in my attic. What’s something funny I could do with it?

Maybe we can pool my Croom and Morehead signed football’s and get a bid going for worst coaches at one one school.

 

[MSUDC11-2.0]

We lost to a really bad Georgia team at home and if I had to pick a starting point for when State basketball was officially killed.... that would be it. We were ranked two weeks before that.

I remember that whole stretch very well as I was a student worker in the athletic department during that year, and our office was in The Hump. Actually was in the ESPN TV truck for the Georgia game you mentioned (mostly just as a runner, albeit).

The frustrating thing is that loss happened and we still had several chances to rescue it and took advantage of exactly zero of them.

1. We played at LSU the next game and are up something like 18 points at halftime. Totally blew it and lost on basically a buzzer beater in OT.

2. Hosted top ranked Kentucky and led by 13 at the half. Rodney Hood hurt his knee somewhere around the midway point of the game and we didn’t have the depth to hold them off, ended up getting outscored by 20 in the second half.

3. Even after we lost 5 in a row, we won our last two over SC and Arkansas to finish the year. Lunardi had us in the NCAAT going into the SEC tourney. Pretty much just needed one win and we were in. And lo and behold we drew that same sorry Georgia team again…. And lost to them again. And it was officially over for Stans.

 

[MSUDC11-2.0]

To me, the day the Stansbury era ended was when we lost the 2010 SEC Tournament championship game in overtime to No. 1 Kentucky after the tip in at the buzzer when the lane violation wasn’t called. That would’ve been our third consecutive NCAA Tournament if we had won that game and our second consecutive SEC Tourney title. Stans then panicked and went out and got Renardo Sidney, and the downfall began in earnest.

Clarification on the timeline, Sidney was already on campus in 2010 but was suspended the whole year by the NCAA. I do think that affected us as we initially expected him to be available, I believe.

 

[FlotownDawg]

Not sure that was a “panic” get.
I know a lot of people, including me who thought that was a great get.

Maybe panic is the wrong word. But Stans definitely took a chance with Sidney. The red flags were all around him but Stans gambled on his talent and lost big.

 

[MSUDC11-2.0]

Maybe panic is the wrong word. But Stans definitely took a chance with Sidney. The red flags were all around him but Stans gambled on his talent and lost big.

Sidney was clearly a problem but Stans also let other locker room problems run amuck too. That 2010-2011 team was full of head cases. Probably should’ve fired Stans then. His last team started off OK behind the scenes but once a bad loss or two happened they folded.

 

[Dawgs_4_life]

TOO SOON!!!!