HEAD COACH RICK STANSBURY STATE SUCCESS DURING RICK STANSBURY ERA ✘ Entering his 10th season at the Mississippi State helm with a career head coaching record of 185-104 (.640), Rick Stansbury begins the 2007-08 campaign seven victories shy of surpassing his former mentor Richard Williams (191-163; 1987-98) to become the all-time winningest basketball coach in school history. ✘ The Bulldogs have averaged 20.6 wins per season and have partici- pated in postseason tournament play seven times (4 NCAA & 3 NIT) in the nine seasons since Rick Stansbury became Mississippi State’s head coach in 1998... Prior to Stansbury’s hiring as MSU’s head coach, MSU had made seven total postseason tournament appearances in onsistency is a key ingredient to the recent the school’s 86 previous seasons of basketball competition. success enjoyed by the Mississippi State C University basketball program. It is that ✘ Mississippi State recently made five consecutive postseason tourna- consistencyC stressed in the players’ daily activities on and off the basketball floor that has translated ment appearances (2001-2005) for the first time in school history, into the program’s recent run of national promi- including a streak of four straight NCAA Tournament berths from nence gained under head coach Rick Stansbury. A decade’s worth of consistency is about to be 2002-2005... In addition, the 2003-04 State squad earned an all-time, realized for MSU’s 10th-year head basketball school-best No. 2 seed in the Atlanta Regional of the 2004 NCAA coach, as Stansbury enters the 2007-08 campaign seven wins shy of surpassing his former mentor Tournament after claiming MSU’s first outright SEC overall champi- Richard Williams to become the all-time win- onship since the 1962-63 campaign. ningest basketball coach in school history. With a nine-year coaching record of 185-104 (.640) at the ✘ The Bulldogs have reached the 20-win mark six times in the nine Bulldog helm, Stansbury has guided seven State squads (4 NCAA & 3 NIT) to postseason tourna- previous seasons under Rick Stansbury’s guidance, including State’s ment appearances and six clubs to 20-win cam- recent school-record streak of four consecutive 20-win seasons (2002- paigns. Prior to Stansbury taking over MState’s head coaching duties in 1998, the Bulldogs had 2005) in which they posted 27 and 26 victories during the 2001-02 and totalled seven postseason tournament berths and 2003-04 campaigns, respectively. seven 20-win seasons in the school’s 86 previous years of basketball competition. ✘ Mississippi State has averaged 22.2 wins per season over the last The Bulldogs have averaged 22 wins per sea- son over the last six years (2002-07), including win- six years (2002-2007), including winning an outright Southeastern ning an outright SEC overall championship in Conference overall championship in 2004, back-to-back SEC West 2004, back-to-back SEC West crowns in 2003 and 2004, a third SEC West championship in five years crowns in 2003 and 2004, a third SEC West championship in five years a season ago, and an SEC Tournament title in 2002. a season ago, and an SEC Tournament title in 2002. Most recently, Stansbury piloted last year’s youthful 21-14 State squad to a share of its third ✘ Mississippi State rates as the winningest basketball program in the SEC Western Division crown in the last five years en route to advancing to the national semifinals of SEC’s Western Division (185-104 record) and third-winningest the 2007 MasterCard NIT. Prior to that, MSU Southeastern Conference program overall (behind SEC East foes made five consecutive postseason tournament appearances (2001-05) for the first time in school Kentucky and Florida) spanning back to the 1998-99 campaign. history, including a streak of four straight NCAA Tournament berths from 2002 through 2005. ✘ The Bulldogs made regular-season appearances in the Top 25 MSU’s recent streak of collecting hardwood hardware was highlighted by the 2003-04 State national polls during four consecutive seasons (2002-2005), including squad claiming the school’s first outright SEC title a season-best No. 11 ranking by The Associated Press in 2004-05 and since 1962-63 with a school-best 14-2 league mark and 26-4 overall record. For MSU’s 2003-04 suc- a season-high No. 4 national AP ranking during MSU’s 26-4 SEC cesses, which included an undefeated season (8-0) Championship season of 2003-04. in SEC road play, a No. 4 regular-season national AP ranking and a school-best No. 2 NCAA ✘ Mississippi State ranks tied for second with LSU in the SEC (behind Tournament seeding, Stansbury was named the SEC’s AP Coach of the Year. He also collected dis- Florida’s 32 recipients) with a collective total of 27 SEC Academic trict coaching honors from the NABC and USBWA. Honor Roll recipients in the nine seasons that Rick Stansbury has MState’s recent success string began with the 2001-02 Bulldog team claiming the school’s sec- been at the Bulldog helm… MSU’s 20 total academic honorees over ond SEC Tournament title on the way to establish- the past five seasons combined lead the conference. ing a new single-season standard with 27 victories. 38 HEAD COACH RICK STANSBURY With four NCAA Tournament appearances a berth in the 1999 National Invitation (2002-05), three National Invitation Tournament Tournament. Two years later, Stansbury’s MSU COACHING LEADERS showings (2007, 2001 & 1999), as well as an overall Bulldogs set the table for their subsequent run Southeastern Conference championship (2004), of three consecutive Southeastern Conference VERALL OACHING INS three SEC Western Division crowns (2007, 2004 & championships - regular season, divisional or O C W 2003) and an SEC Tournament title (2002) in his tournament - by advancing to the quarterfinals Coach (Tenure) Record prior nine seasons at the Mississippi State helm, of the 2001 TiVo NIT before being eliminated by 1. Richard Williams (1987-98) . 191-163 Stansbury has become the first coach in the eventual tournament champion Tulsa. 2. Rick Stansbury (1999-present) . 185-104 school’s 95-year basketball history to record four Having originally joined the Mississippi State 3. Babe McCarthy (1956-65) . 169-85 consecutive 20-win seasons (2002-05) as well as University basketball family as an assistant coach 4. E.C. Hayes (1912-24) . 124-54 establishing school firsts with five straight post- on June 12, 1990, Stansbury immediately helped 5. Kermit Davis (1971-77) . 91-91 season tournament appearances (2001-05) and direct a senior-laden 1990-91 Bulldog ballclub to four successive NCAA Tournament berths. both the school’s first Southeastern Conference 6. Stanfield Hitt (1940-47) . 68-69 As an eight-year assistant coach on Richard basketball title and subsequent NCAA 7. Paul Gregory (1948-55) . 58-100 Williams’ MSU staff, Stansbury previously played Tournament appearance in 28 years with a 20-9 8. Bob Boyd (1982-86). 55-87 an instrumental role in helping Mississippi State overall record and 13-5 SEC mark. 9. Joe Dan Gold (1966-70) . 51-74 secure the talent that enabled the Bulldogs to All in all during his 17 prior seasons on the 10. Frank Carideo (1936-39) . 43-39 enjoy their most successful decade ever on the Mississippi State campus, including his previous hardwood. Stansbury’s proven track record as a eight-year stint as an MSU assistant coach (the OVERALL WINNING PERCENTAGE tireless recruiter and knowledgeable tactician last four seasons as associate head coach) under Coach (Tenure) Pct W-L made him the obvious choice to replace Williams Williams’ tutelage, Stansbury has been a part of as the school’s 18th head basketball coach. Just 326 State victories and 11 postseason tourna- 1. E.C. Hayes (1912-24) . .697 124-54 one day following the retirement of Mississippi ment teams. Highlighting his days as an MSU 2. Bernie Bierman (1926-27) . .674 31-15 State’s all-time winningest basketball coach, assistant coach, the Bulldogs exploded onto the 3. Ron Greene (1978) . .667 18-9 Stansbury succeeded his former mentor on March national college basketball scene by advancing 4. Babe McCarthy (1956-65) . .665 169-85 13, 1998. to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1995 and then making 5. Rick Stansbury (1999-present) .640 185-104 Following a 16-year collegiate stint in the assis- a school-first appearance in the NCAA Final Four 6. K.P. Gatchell (1925) . .609 14-9 tant coaching ranks, Stansbury immediately made a year later in 1996. Since Stansbury’s arrival on his presence felt as a head man by becoming the the State scene in 1990, the Bulldogs have also 7. Edwin Hale (1934-35) . .541 20-17 most successful first-year basketball coach in claimed the school’s lone pair of SEC 8. Richard Williams (1987-98) . .540 191-163 school history. His 1998-99 Bulldog club capped a Tournament titles (2002 & 1996), two overall SEC 9. Frank Carideo (1936-39) . .524 43-39 successful 20-13 rookie campaign by advancing to championships (2004 & 1991) as well as five SEC 10. Kermit Davis (1971-77) . .500 91-91 the semifinals of the SEC Tournament and earning West crowns (2007, 2004, 2003, 1996 & 1995). T.H. Werner (1909) . .500 5-5 RICK STANSBURY’S CAREER RECORD AS AN ASSISTANT BASKETBALL COACH OVERALL GAMES COACHED Season (School) W-L Pct Postseason Highlights Conference Highlights Coach (Tenure) GC Record 1981-82 (C’ville) 12-13 .480 1. Richard Williams (1987-98) . .354 191-163 1983-84 (C’land) 31-5 .861 NAIA tourney (2nd Round) Won KIAC tourney title 2.