Mississippi State Athletic Director Scott Stricklin was expected to name a new head coach for the men's basketball team sometime this week, but it wasn't expected to be another guy named Rick. Former Clemson assistant coach Rick Ray was announced as the next head coach of Mississippi State's men's basketball team via Twitter by Scott Stricklin. To say the least, Rick Ray's name was not discussed by the media or fans as an expected candidate for the job. But here's the question most people are asking: What did Scott Stricklin see in Rick Ray to name him the next men's head coach at Mississippi State? Here's what I think Stricklin saw.
Note: Everything anyone says at this point, except for facts (i.e. Rick Ray is the next men's basketball coach at MSU) is speculation. And don't let anyone else make you believe any differently.
1. A Fresh Face- Personally, I don't think you can underestimate this factor. Most of the MSU fan base felt like it was time for a change, and the best way to do that was to hire someone "unexpected". I'm not sure I disagree with Stricklin. It has been 30 years since Mississippi State has had a coach from outside of the program (Bob Boyd from the University of Southern California).
2. Someone Respected in the College Basketball Community- I will admit that I had never heard the name Rick Ray until today at about 5:15 pm. But after reading some of the comments that were made tonight by fellow coaches, I will admit that I am impressed. Tennessee head coach believed that "MSU did its homework and reached out to a qualified coach". Purdue head coach Matt Painter, under whom Ray coached for 4 years at Purdue, said of Ray, "Rick Ray is a tireless worker and a fierce competitor." It goes further than that. All-American Robbie Hummel said that coach Ray will "do a great job at Mississippi State". These people are just a few examples of the people that regard Ray highly.
3. A Good Recruiter- Not to be confused with "The Recruiter (AKA Rick Stansbury)". At Purdue, Ray brought in the best recruiting class in school history. Ray helped bring one of the top recruiting classes in 2007, boasting none other than Robbie Hummel.
4. A X's and O's Coach- Personally, I don't believe that Rick Stansbury wasn't a good X's and O's coach. However, it was a common complaint. Here's what current Clemson coach had to say about Ray, "He's an extremely talented guy, a very hard worker, and a really good basketball coach. X's and O's are at a very high level. He knows how to coach the game."
But perhaps the most important thing that Stricklin saw in Ray was something was something that, oddly enough, was something that was not present.
5. "Rick fits the model of head coach we have sought to bring into our program over the last several years"- After reading all of the press release that Mississippi State released this afternoon, the statement above, written by Scott Stricklin, caught my attention. In my interpretation, Stricklin is saying that Ray fits the model for the type of coach he wants at Mississippi State, which apparently Stansbury didn't fit. It's possible that Ray did not have some of the characteristics that other candidates had. (Not really sure what that is at this point though.)
But, like I said, all of this is speculation. But this is not speculation in my mind: Scott Stricklin got his man. Let's see if Ray can get his first win today at the press conference. That would be a start.
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