I had a gym teacher in high school who always said this: "excuses are fabricated lies to conceal unacceptable performance". For the most part, I'd have to say that statement holds true...maybe that's why I've remembered it all these years.
Rick Stansbury has an excuse bag like what Tim Allen did in The Santa Clause. He reaches in the bag and pulls one out. It leaves the bag empty but then once he gets to the next game the bag has refilled itself and he's got another excuse. It's getting pathetic. Man up and take your lashes.
This entire episode of miserable underachievement would be a little less sickening if Stans wouldn't make an excuse for every little thing. The LSU game was too tough because it was on the road (a game which included a stadium 1/2 full), the Auburn game was too hard because Sidney didn't play, UK was too hard because Hood got hurt, Alabama was too tough because it was a road game without Hood. Does that make it okay to play with no energy, no heart? Is MSU the only team with injuries?
When the chips are down, when your backs are against the wall, isn't that when your team is supposed to come together to overcome adversity? Not back down like a bunch of worthless pansies.
You can't believe anything Stansbury says anymore. I'm not sure if he thinks he's the king of MSU basketball or what. When he talks it's like he's educating us nimrods about the game of basketball. But we aren't stupid, we know these excuses aren't valid.
For four weeks he pointed to the Georgia game on February 11th as the one game that really hurts, the one they should not have lost. He blamed scheduling for the reasons why State had such a fall. He said they were "close", losing in overtime to UGA and LSU. What a bunch of bologna. He has a chance to make amends for that Georgia game and he completely blows it!
What do these excuses reveal about Rick Stansbury's coaching philosophies? Perhaps that if he has a player who doesn't hustle he won't take him out. Or if a player continually takes bad shots he won't tell them to stop. He doesn't strive for the best, he just settles for what it is and makes an excuse for why it's not better.
After a month of bad basketball (save the Arkansas game and first half vs. Kentucky), Stansbury says State is one of the 68 best teams in the country and deserves to be in the tournament? If that's the case, why did we just lose to Georgia on a neutral floor? When your back is against the wall, you know you have to win, why did your team not come out with more effort? How do you lose to a team that is not on your level twice in one year, and in the most important game of the season? Why aren't you demanding excellence instead of accepting mediocrity?
If you're not sick of this sideshow of a basketball program then I'm pretty sure you'd never change your mind. It's pathetic. I don't care who we bring in to coach this team, so long as it is someone else. I would much rather watch a team representing my school who is led by a guy who is a straight shooter, a disciplinarian. Please, Stricklin, give me something other than this.