Both guys mentioned = tremendous personal work ethic guys that succeeded in spite of a lack of coaching. But I'm glad you could name me two players that developed and improved drastically in fifteen seasons.
You asked for one. Now that you've been given two, you want more and they have to be someone YOU think possesses "tremendous personal work ethic that succeeded in spite of lack of coaching". I'll try to do a better job of reading between the lines next time and really give you the answer that you need to fit your agenda.
I didn't say Stans did nothing right. His early teams were fun to watch much like this one is. Still very questionable coaching decisions that constantly burned us at the end of big games, but at least they tried hard. He hadn't done much right for the last 5 years, culminating in keeping Sidney after the fight, while basically running off Bailey, Turner, Osby, and Gardner.
Hadn't done much right in the last 5 years? Won the SECT and dang near won it again the next year, but that's easily done, right? And I suspect that Stansbury now thinks - like you and I - that keeping Sidney around was a huge mistake. If you go back in the archives far enough, I think you will find that I thought it was a bad idea to bring him in in the first place. But what do I know, right?
I don't blame Croom, Stansbury, and Polk when something goes wrong unless it IS their fault. In that way, I'm logical. Was it Cohen's fault his first two teams here sucked? Was it Mullen's fault that Croom chose to not recruit OL for 2 seasons leaving the hole in the depth chart that killed us last year? It IS his fault for not getting JUCOs to fill the gaps, which he tried desperately to do and mostly failed in 2010 and 2011...so in that manner, they share the blame. What part of this team, thusfar, is Ray's fault?
Ray is getting a direct deposit every other week - and twice a year or so from Adidas - so while what is happening now may not be his "fault", it certainly is his responsibility.
Fact is, nothing can be blamed on Croom or Polk anymore, but there is still a crapload of problems that can be squarely blamed on Stansbury. And will continue to be. When will it expire? Ray's third year most likely.
As I've stated a couple of times before, it doesn't take three years anymore in college basketball.
What has Frank Martin done at South Carolina better than Rick Ray has done at MSU thusfar? Situations are similar. When they start really outperforming us, then we can get worried about the hire we made... until then, I'll choose to be optimistic about the path that we are going down.