At some point, a program's history should not dictate it's future, no matter how bad the history of the program is. This is a sign ofcomplacency.For instance, if I told youDan Mullen would take us to a bowl game for the next ten years, your knee-jerk reaction may be that he is the best coach available to us simply based on the lack of success of our football program in the past. But, what if I were to then tell you that he went 6-6 every year for the next ten years, and we went to the worst bowl possible? Would you still be satisfied at the end of those ten years? I wouldhope not.Going to ten straight bowl games is great, but winning 60 games in ten years doesn't soundas great.This is the situation Stans finds himself in. Although the Mississippi State basketball program did not have sustained success before he got here, it appears as though he has reached his full potential as a coach.His success has included5 Western division championships, as well as mediocresuccess in the NCAA tournament (mediocre at best, I should say).If you had told State fans in 1998 that Stans would win 256 games over the next 12 seasons and go to 6 NCAA tourneys, we would have been thrilled. However, this is not 1998 anymore. Mississippi State basketball has advanced far beyond where it was 12 years ago. If we are satisfied to continue the pattern of postseason success, or lack thereof, that we have had under Stansbury with the plethora of talent he has brought in, what does this say about us as an athletic department, a university, and as people in general? That may sound drastic, but it is true.I giveRick a lot ofcredit for his recruiting abilities, andour success over the last 12 years is due in large part to the work of Stansbury.I'm nottrying to say based on pure recordthat he hasn't been arguably the best coach in the history of MSU basketball. WhatI am saying is that this marriage has run its course, and it is time for a new era in the program. What does this mean as far as coaching candidates? Nobody really knows for sure. The only way I can sum it up is this: I'm not sure what direction our program should head in the next decade, but I feel very confident it is 180 degrees differentfrom where Rick Stansbury has it headed right now.