please post any questions you would like for us to ask. The interview will be done Wednesday night around 8:30.
This Week's Guest on This Is Our Show is head basketball coach Rick Ray...
- Thread starter dawgstudent
- Start date
Ask him to explain the Rodney Hood situation. What reasons did he give us to transfer? What was discussed in their meetings with him and his parents? Did his father play a big role in the transfer or was it Rodney's decision?
1) What the overall situation better or worse than when you first arrived? Then how to you handle mentally all the other bad things that have happened since you took the job - Hood, player dismissals, injuries (if you can get him to talk hood more, that would be really interesting)
2) For each of the young players (specifically Ware, Thomas, Sword), what are their strengths and what area do they really need to improve on over the course of this season and next season.
3) Is recruiting the gulf state area harder since so much of the focus is on football/baseball? Also how much does the HS/AAU coaching need to improve in the area? It seems our freshman are much more deficient in fundamentals than say midwestern kids (he should have a good perspective of this)
4) Talk about each of the recruits you signed in the early signing period
5) How brutal was Hawaii from a fatigue perspective, but what did the young guys learn about themselves from playing top competition?
6) What are the major qualities you look for in a player in recruiting?
7) Has Stans invited you fishing yet?
2) For each of the young players (specifically Ware, Thomas, Sword), what are their strengths and what area do they really need to improve on over the course of this season and next season.
3) Is recruiting the gulf state area harder since so much of the focus is on football/baseball? Also how much does the HS/AAU coaching need to improve in the area? It seems our freshman are much more deficient in fundamentals than say midwestern kids (he should have a good perspective of this)
4) Talk about each of the recruits you signed in the early signing period
5) How brutal was Hawaii from a fatigue perspective, but what did the young guys learn about themselves from playing top competition?
6) What are the major qualities you look for in a player in recruiting?
7) Has Stans invited you fishing yet?
I'd like to know about his strategy regarding recruiting Mississippi talent. Devin Booker in 2014, Malik Newman in 2015.....it's no secret that the key to winning at MSU is to recruit MS players and promote playing for 'Our State'....in any sport. Stans got away from it and it cost him. Plenty of players coming up in the MS ranks in the next few years, I'd like to see how he's going to secure them for MSU. Or if he even plans to.
2004 SEC Champs- Top 7 players:
Marcus Campbell- Georgia
Winsome Frasier- Florida
Lawrence Roberts- transfer from Baylor
Shane Power- transfer from Iowa State
Brandon Vincent- juco from Louisiana
Timmy Bowers- Mississippi coast
Gary Ervin- New York
1 out of 7 from Mississippi
Add in 3 other guys that helped start the NCAA run:
Mario Austin- Alabama
Derrick Zimmerman- Louisiana
Micheal Ignerski- Poland
I dont think stopping recruiting Mississippi kids is what caused Stansbury's downfall
Personally, 17 Hood. I hope he blows you off on that question if you ask it. Why go back and bring up that fiasco? Daddy wanted money and Ray was no Stansbury when it came to padding the pocket. He would have wound up being a problem like Sidney before it was over with so let it go.
Roberts and Power made the teams in 2004/2005.....
How often are you going to be able to count on impact transfers in the exact same year? I think we can agree that it was a little luck involved there. Pretty sure we're not going to be in the mix for any Austins or Zimmermans right now. They were POY in their state. If we can get them, fine, let's do it. At this point, we're fighting to keep our own guys home (Hood, Pollard). JUCOs are something MSU always needs to take advantage of.
What you leave out is that we built up to those years with guys like Tang Hamilton and Markell Patterson. And these guys don't have to be the whole team, they just need to be the CORE......which Timmy Bowers was, by the way.
Let's go back to 1995/1996. Erick Dampier was the constant. A MS JUCO in Jones. Both Wilsons were underrated guys from Alabama. Bullard and Hughes from MS. The programs are built on MS talent, then you build up to talented players from other states.
And besides, the guys that would REALLY have taken us over the hump and maybe won a title for us? Jonathan Bender, Travis Outlaw, Monte Ellis. Top level Mississippi talent, like Dampier.
There's really no discussion needed here.
How often are you going to be able to count on impact transfers in the exact same year? I think we can agree that it was a little luck involved there. Pretty sure we're not going to be in the mix for any Austins or Zimmermans right now. They were POY in their state. If we can get them, fine, let's do it. At this point, we're fighting to keep our own guys home (Hood, Pollard). JUCOs are something MSU always needs to take advantage of.
What you leave out is that we built up to those years with guys like Tang Hamilton and Markell Patterson. And these guys don't have to be the whole team, they just need to be the CORE......which Timmy Bowers was, by the way.
Let's go back to 1995/1996. Erick Dampier was the constant. A MS JUCO in Jones. Both Wilsons were underrated guys from Alabama. Bullard and Hughes from MS. The programs are built on MS talent, then you build up to talented players from other states.
And besides, the guys that would REALLY have taken us over the hump and maybe won a title for us? Jonathan Bender, Travis Outlaw, Monte Ellis. Top level Mississippi talent, like Dampier.
There's really no discussion needed here.
Last edited:
Who is the other Wilson from Alabama besides Darryl? My mind is going blank.
"Ray was no Stansbury when it came to padding the pocket"
I guess I should get used to this revisionist history in order to make you feel better about the current leadership. As they say, history is written by the victors.
I guess I should get used to this revisionist history in order to make you feel better about the current leadership. As they say, history is written by the victors.
Russell Wilson, white guy, power forward. I think he was from Alabama, may not have been. I know Bart Hyche was from Winfield.
Bubba Wilson was tall center from Stone County, MS. Russell Walters (not wilson) was white power forward. He was from Mississippi (Myrick maybe). Played a year at Bama before transferring to JUCO.
What are your expectations of the team win/loss record to be this year?
What has been the highlight of the season thus far?
Does the low fan attendance bother you and the team?
Would you consider something like a "6th man" program at State like the 12th man at A&M where a student could try out and walk on to be on the team?
What has been the highlight of the season thus far?
Does the low fan attendance bother you and the team?
Would you consider something like a "6th man" program at State like the 12th man at A&M where a student could try out and walk on to be on the team?
1. Are we recruiting players to walk on the team? Looking at most top 25 programs they all have 15-16 players listed. How are you planning to fill these last 3 spots with walk ons? Football recruits players that don't initially get scholarships.
2. Do we use a shooting coach? Who teaches the players how to shoot and the correct form? Can we please hire a shooting coach.
3. Jarekious Bradley. Really want this guy in Maroon next year.
2. Do we use a shooting coach? Who teaches the players how to shoot and the correct form? Can we please hire a shooting coach.
3. Jarekious Bradley. Really want this guy in Maroon next year.
After you lead us to the Western Division champioshipship in 3 years, are you go to stay and get to the Final Four in 5 years, or will you be with another team by then because of all the sh*t you took your first year when you didn't even have enough players to play an intra squad game?
I want to use any of Railyn Jemmye just to say "This is from sixpack user Railyn Jemmye..." and see if gets the pop culture reference.
Last edited:
No it doesnt- AT ALL
You said Stansbury lost it when he stopped recruiting Mississippi kids- I plainly showed you that from Stansbury's best 4 year run- only one key member of the team was from Mississippi. 1 out of 10.
Hell, let's look at his 2nd run:
Jamont Gordon- Tennessee
Charles Rhodes- Mississippi
Barry Stewart- Tennessee
Jarvis Varnado- Tennessee
Ben Hansbrough- Missouri
Brian Johnson- North Carolina
Riley Benock- Kentucky
Kodi Augustus- Louisiana
Elgin Bailey- Louisiana
Dee Bost- North Carolina
Rayvern Johnson- Mississippi
Phil Turner- Mississippi
Of the 22 guys that got Stansbury to 6 NCAA Tourneys- only 4 were from Mississippi. Four out of 22. It's actually the opposite of what you said. Our most consistent run of basketball from 2001-2009 was primarily because we got away from Mississippi players.
We're a far cry from anything successful right now. We are consistent.....consistently terrible. Ray is going to have to build the program back up like Richard Williams (with Stans), and that's with MS kids or others from the immediate area.
Attitude and controversy defined those teams you listed. That's why we came up short repeatedly during those years. We need guys who want to play for Mississippi State, and those guys are the ones who already have ties to here, or are so underrated that they have a chip on their shoulder. We aren't getting any 5 star guys anytime soon unless they come from MS. All our moron fans will probably judge Ray on that as if he has a choice in the matter.
Attitude and controversy defined those teams you listed. That's why we came up short repeatedly during those years. We need guys who want to play for Mississippi State, and those guys are the ones who already have ties to here, or are so underrated that they have a chip on their shoulder. We aren't getting any 5 star guys anytime soon unless they come from MS. All our moron fans will probably judge Ray on that as if he has a choice in the matter.
How does he feel about recruiting one and done players? How does he feel about the rule? Bet you would et a candid response that would shed light on how he views programs like Kentucky and players like Websters kid.