I have to make a defense from a post last year... Does anyone remember this?

[drt7891]

http://sixpackspeak.yuku....rs-Stansbury-will-change

Nearly a year ago today, this post was made on SixPackSpeak. Msstatefan88 was reamed pretty hard by the general population for simply saying "winning will not fix our problems for the basketball team at MSU." He even got a tag under his name that says "Hates the NCAA Tournament." I've had this bookmarked because even though he got reamed pretty hard for saying winning won't cure anything, he was pretty spot on. I think it's time I pull this back out and defend his statements and say he was right. We are winning this year... a 19-7 record... 6-5 in the SEC.. had a chance for something special... we were winning. But did it really fix anything?

A year later, and less than a week ago, we were sitting on top of the world. We had knocked off OM at home and were poised to set ourselves up for something special. 6 days later, look at what has changed. We go from talking about 5+ seeds in the tournament to will we even make the tournament and will we win another game? Nothing has changed. This team hasn't learned from their mistakes. They won early on, won some tight games, but did they really learn anything? No... we get embarrassed by Georgia at home... we go on the road and lose in the exact same fashion to LSU.

So back to msstatefan88's "horrible post..." he was pretty spot on with what he said. I don't think anyone will be surprised whether or not we make the NCAA tournament... the taste in everyone's mouth is how we have vastly underachieved this year. How, even though we have won 19 games thus far, we squandered away a special opportunity and didn't give a **** while doing it... and now no one seems to care.

 

[mstatefan88]

I still don't think it would have changed anything, and I think we are seeing right now how poor of a coach Stansbury is, which is really what my post was supposed to drive home. I have just never believed winning is always a cure all. There are so many factors that go into a season that changeit's outcome that you have to look beyond wins and losses.

So I will pose the question again. Does anyone think getting to the NCAA Tournament and losing in the 1st round will change anything? Let's say we lose 3 of our last 5 and are considered to be on the wrong side of the bubble. Would winning the SEC Tournament and getting the auto bidmake you change your opinion of Stansbury? It wouldn't change mine, and I think it's pretty clear we need a change at the top.

By the way, thanks for the post.

 

[drt7891]

Because even last week, we were winning games, but everyone was going apeshit by the WAY we were winning games... extremely close games and we couldn't close them out. Nothing has changed. Discipline is still an issue and winning didn't fix anything... and now, we go into Auburn on Saturday with our entire season on the line.... and I wouldn't be surprised if this team just didn't give a **** and either played them way too close or lost. Winning hasn't changed anyones opinion of Stansbury... it's only pissed everyone off now because of the last 2 games... the situation we are in and were in... and how much we have underachieved. I just thought now is an appropriate time to defend what you said, because even then, I agreed with you.

 

[seshomoru]

He didn't just say winning won't cure the problems, he said it would make them worse. So, we can only assume that he sits around and cheers for losses so the problems can be fixed. We wouldn't have wanted to win these last two games and be 21-5 and 8-3 in the conference would we? That would be an indicator of massive issues and we'd have to face the shame of being around the top 15 and hosting the #1 team in Starkville on national TV. Or would it just mean people would have to find some seriously ridiculous stuff to whine about this year.

For the record: This was sort of a make or break year for me on Stansbury. I can look past the lack of a run in the NCAA tourney. That crap happens. Getting to the tourney consistently and placing high in the conference was were we always needed to be so in case lightning struck, we could make a deep run. I've actually been impressed with some of his player development over the years as well. He's seriously slipped over the last few years on both of those, but this year showed some promise. I was willing to see if he still had it, but the last two games seem to indicate otherwise. Bottom line for me is this... I don't think we are as talented as some of you say we are, and I don't think Stansbury is as terrible as some of you say he is. However, things are not improving. We're a stale program at the moment. And it's a shame, because taken on the entirety of his career, he's been very, very good for MSU basketball.

 

[drt7891]

keeping our coach around to make problems worse. We are very talented this year... we had the chance to do something very special... no team in MSU has done this decade, but now, in a matter of 6 days, we've gone from a great setup to do something special to having to save our season in a near trap game at Auburn.

Stansbury obviously has been unable to fix the biggest problems with this team. We don't manage games well, we have a slow, apathetic offense, and now, our defense and rebounding are really struggling. We still are having off the court issues because we lack any kind of team chemistry right now. Our players don't respect eachother and they don't respect the coach. Granted, we haven't had any Hawaiian punches this year, none of the issues from last year have improved except wins.

Ultimately, Stansbury's downfall will be traced back to Sidney. The guy was hyped to be a true difference maker... a big man loaded with skills that not many possess... and here we are in year 2, and it's the same ****. He's had 13 points last night, but 3 of those points were from a last second 3 pointer. I believe his attitude is cancerous. He is so up and down, he brings everyone up and down with him... and since it took so much time and effort from Rick to get him here in the first place, he is in the drivers seat of this team... and his emotions control what everyone else does. Since Rick doesn't seem to want to control our emotions throughout the season, I really believe it's Sidney who is the fuel for this team.

Problems are much harder to address when you are winning games... therefore, they get worse. It's easy to dismiss them when things are going well. Problems are much easier to correct when a team is losing or not doing well because there is a big incentive to fix them.

 

[Tds & Beer]

Winning some games doesn't change the fact that the guy is terrible at coaching basketball players. He is just awful at it and it is very obvious, even when we win games. The only way to correct our problems is to get a new guy in there. Even if we get hot and make the sweet 16 this year, Stansbury still sucks. I promise. He will be the same coach he is right now.

 

[seshomoru]

So if we had won three more games this year, were in the top 10, and behind only Kentucky in league play, you'd be worried that we had a lot of team issues that weren't going to get addressed? To me that would imply they had been dealt with. Losing games (like the last two) means they haven't been dealt with.

It seems that simple to me. I can't be the only one that thinks it sounds completely insane when you claim that winning will make the MSU basketball situation worse. Winning is the result of a good program, not something thatmasks a bad one.</p>

 

[dawgstudent]

I feel like we wouldn't be having this discussion if we were 21-5(8-3) right now. I would be wondering if we can get a 3 seed.

 

[drt7891]

does not mean problems are being corrected. The entire year, we have struggled to play well against mediocre teams... Akron, Detroit, Utah State, Fla. Atlantic, Tennessee, @OM, Auburn, LSU, UGA, @LSU... every single one of these games was too close for comfort and we either won or lost in the final minute of the game. The problems still exist that we play stagnant, uninspired basketball, yet we are winning... we still have no team chemistry, very little discipline and respect, and give just enough effort on the court. These are all problems that Stansbury has had for years, yet have only gotten worse. Therefore, winning is only making these problems worse because no one, including Stans or the players, has bothered to fix them. Since no one is fixing them, that just means down the road, they will continue to get worse until a breaking point has been reached... which I have a feeling is this stretch we are in now. Hell, Dee Bost said after the LSU game in Starkville that he is tired of these games being close and wants to fix it... yet minus Ole Miss, every one of them since then has been close. No one has bothered to fix the problems we have. Nothing has pushed this team to get better and make improvements.

I'm just not sold on the idea that winning is the only thing that matters... which, ultimately, it is... but winning is born from a competitive spirit and a drive to do the best you can do. This team doesn't have either one of those. I want to consistently win, particularly against teams that we should beat. I'm tired of watching this team give just enough effort to beat someone instead of giving the effort I, as a fan, know they are capable of giving every single time they step on the floor.