Stansbury Not Worried about NCAA

It's been a week without MSU athletics and I must admit that I've missed it. Looking forward to the game tonight with George Mason, the only question, outside of the team's ability to defend the three, is what's up with the NCAA being on campus?

Stansbury, in an interview with the Clarion Ledger, said there is no reason for concern.

"(The NCAA) has a right to check into any rumors they want," said Stansbury, whose Bulldogs (9-3) finish their nonconference schedule today when they host George Mason (7-3) at 7 p.m. "We've been here for 16 years and have never had a problem with anything."

The problems Stansbury has faced in his head coaching career are opponents lighting it up from three point range and an offense that has difficulty scoring against a zone. George Mason guard Lamar Butler holds his school record for career 3-pointers, so things could get interesting tonight. We're hoping the team has used the off week to work on their man-to-man defense. Perhaps Slater will turn in a Winsome Frazier like defensive effort on Butler. That would definitely make it a happy holiday.

Buzzer Beater

Nice shot, Jamall.

Delk lead the comeback on the offensive end in the second half, but the senior made the big shot to finally take the lead with 3 seconds left.

This is Holy Cross we're talking about so we'll try not to get too excited. However, it's nice to see that the team never quits. Just like the Santa Clara game, just keep chipping away and be winning at the end; that's all that matters.

I was very pleased to see Delk take more shots in the second half, but (repeating a message from yesterday) Stansbury has to start getting him more involved in the offense early in the game. He reminds me of Frazier, a streaky shooter who can make two or three threes in a row if he gets in a rhythm. The only thing is, it took Frazier until his junior year to be this productive. Delk can do it now.

I like Gordon's confidence, but he needs to develop the understanding of when it's not his night and then involve his teammates more in the offense. There was a point with about 10 minutes left in the game that he was the only player on the team that had missed more than one shot and he was like 3-9. Everyone else was 2-2, 2-3, 4-4, 3-4, from the floor.

Bottom line, it's a big win, not because they beat Holy Cross, but simply because all wins this year are big.

Where was Delk?

Akron 83 - State 72

Gordon had a rough game, going 2-9 from the field, and the Zips lit up the Pups from behind the arc hitting 11 threes. Sharpe had a fairly productive game, getting 16 points on 4-8 shooting and 8-12 from the line, but also picked up a technical foul, during his 22 minutes on the floor. Not sure what happened to Rhodes, he got a whopping 10 minutes and was 0-3 from the floor during that limited time.

But, what I really want to know is, where was Delk? One Delk had 10 points, the other had 3 (all free throws). One Delk (I assume Reginald) was 1-2 from three point range and 4-6 from the field. Why did Reginald not get more shots? We've seen what he can do, note the Santa Clara game. Stansbury has to turn him loose in the future, especially when Gordon is having a bad night.

I figure this team has three more games to act like freshmen, then the gloves come off. No more excuses. Stansbury needs to build their confidence during the rest of this pre-SEC schedule and let them play, shoot and run. And I don't know what's going on with Sharpe and Rhodes, but they both need to grow up fast, or this is going to be a painful year.

The Pups play Holy Cross early this afternoon. Holy Cross has lost to Harvard and Siena this season, but they drubbed UT-Chattanooga by 17.

Different Day, Same Story

Choose your headline:

a. Team Plays to Level of Competition, Wins Late
b. Sharpe Misses Bus, Doesn't Play
c. Gordon Carries Team to Another Tight Victory
d. Rhodes Spends Majority of Close Win on Bench in Foul Trouble
e. All of the Above

Read this article. At least they beat Liberty.

LSU lost to Northern Iowa at home last night. And make no mistake, I'm not comparing Liberty to Northern Iowa, but LSU shouldn't be losing at home to Northern Iowa.

The "Captain Obvious" statement of the week: The SEC West is way down this year.

The University of Akron Zips are today's opponent. Let's hope we're a little more focused.

Johnson Stays at State

Mississippi State defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson isn't going to Maryland.

I hope Johnson, who reportedly makes $190k in Starkville, at least got a little bump for his trouble.

Evans Named AP All-American

Willie Evans was named to the third team Associated Press All-America Team.

Evans led the SEC with 15 sacks and 21 tackles for losses. He was third on the team in total tackles with 55.

He leaves MSU with 24.5 career sacks, which is third best in the program's history.

The picture above is of Evans sacking Chris Leak in 2004.

Norwood Selected for Senior Bowl

Senior Bowl officials announced on Tuesday that Jerious Norwood has been selected for the Senior Bowl game.

Norwood finished his career as the State's rushing leader with 3,222 yards. He had two 200-yard games this season and ranked third in the Southeastern Conference with 103 yards per game.

The Senior Bowl is Jan. 28 in Mobile, Ala.

It should be interesting to see what Norwood can accomplish behind a solid offensive line.

Ellis Johnson

No "real" update on Ellis Johnson and Maryland, however message board rumors have it that he told a group of alumni that he wasn't going anywhere the other night.

I hope Johnson is the first honest coach in the business when it comes to his job outlook.

Johnson Interviews at Maryland

Ellis Johnson interviewed for the defensive coordinator position at Maryland this weekend. Losing Johnson would be a huge blow to the program as the defense has been the lone bright spot the past two years.

Under Johnson, the 2005 State defense forced 22 turnovers — tied for third most in the SEC — and had the conference's sack leader in end Willie Evans. It was ranked eighth in total defense but that had more to do with the offense's ability to stay on the field, than the defense's ability to get a stop.

Croom said Friedgen called last week and asked permission to interview Johnson, which was granted. Croom and Friedgen coached together for the San Diego Chargers under Bobby Ross.

"Some of our young guys are going to be coordinators and some of the other guys are going to be head coaches," Croom said. "Guys are going to be leaving, because they're good coaches. But what I don't want is for them to be leaving to a lateral position because of finances."

We'll be watching this closely....

Most Boring Week Ever...

It's been a slow news week for State fans. Sure, there have been a couple new "verbals" in football recruiting, some potentially quality players, but nothing to scream from the roof tops about.

Lulls in on-the-field news always seem to be broken by negative news. As such, there's a rumor circling the message board circuit about a football coach (hasn't made it to print yet, or it's completely made up - I guess we'll all know soon enough) and Jonathan Lowe has left the team.

We'll miss Lowe for his 73 yard return for a touchdown against Florida in 2004, but our stress will be lower next season not having to worry about his typical 2005 adventures in punt returning. I do wish him luck wherever he goes though as he seems like a solid student athlete. Lowe won't be the last player to exit either, Croom has to cut about 5 more scholarships in order to have room to bring in 25 players next fall.

And it should be interesting to see who suits up for the basketball game tomorrow against Troy. Did Sharpe make his grades and will Slater and Delk be back from injury?

This also makes me wonder how the hell I'm going to be able to find any decent content during the summer.

The Only Color that Matters Here is Purple

Ron Prince, new Head Coach at Kansas State, took a page out of Croom's press conference playbook yesterday.

"People ask what it's like to be a black coach. I've never been any other kind," Prince said at a news conference Monday. "I'm completely aware of the significance of this right now - but hopefully, someday, it won't be significant. Hopefully, the only color they'll be talking about from this day forward is purple."

This reads almost identical to Croom's comments at his press conference announcing his hire at State.

"There ain't but one color that matters here," Croom said, "and that color is maroon."

"I've been an African-American 49 years," Croom replied, when asked if he asked other AA coaches for advice on being a black head coach.

OT Victory - Priceless Experience

The win was great. But the experience may have been even more important.

Stansbury has done a great job with his freshmen this season. He has let them play through mistakes (he really had no choice) and has gone completely to a zone to rest their legs and eliminate easy baskets.

But the freshmen have also stepped up, big. Reginald Delk hit big shot after big shot against Santa Clara Saturday and Gordon added a couple big threes as well. Not only that, but those two are helping Edmundson find his game. Taking some defensive pressure away from the senior point guard, Edmundson seems much more comfortable shooting behind the arc the past couple games as well.

With Slater, Stelmach and Richard Delk on the bench with injuries and Sharpe out for academics during this stretch of seven games in fifteen days, the team has managed to only stumble twice. Stelmach returned against Santa Clara and Slater and Sharpe should both be back by this Saturday, with Richard Delk's return this weekend also a possibility.

If the Dogs can get hot and get through December with one loss or less, I still love the team's chances to be playing in the main show in March.

The picture above of Jamont Gordon driving to the basket is courtesy of Jim Lytle of The Associated Press.

What is Pasquarelli thinking?

I used to respect Pasquarelli’s opinion, but after this column in which he discusses potential off season NFL Head Coaching hires, I may have to reconsider.

The last line of his column reads, "And don't overlook a man like Sylvester Croom, the longtime NFL assistant who took over a mess of a college program at Mississippi State and, while not notching a lot of victories, has restored order and respect."

No offense meant to Coach Croom, but I don't see any NFL teams hiring a head coach who has two three-win seasons under his belt. And perhaps Croom has restored order and respect in the locker room, but I think his football team still has a lot to prove on the field before earning respect from the majority of its opponents.

Basketball Team Ends Two Game Skid

A nice little win over UNO last night ended State's two-game skid at The Hump.

Stansbury tried to instill some fight in his beat up ball club by stamping each players hand with the word "toughness" before the game with UNO. The players said the gimmick worked, but what probably worked even better was a team that shared the ball (12 assists v. 3 on Monday night) and shot better (49 percent v. 23 percent on Monday). Edmundson had 26 points, including six 3-pointers, both career highs, which is hopefully the beginning of a hot streak for a shooter who hasn't produced consistently in his short time on campus. Reginald Delk had a good night too, pouring in 16 points (4/5 threes), while his brother remained on the sideline with a bum foot.

Slater and Stelmach were out of action with injuries as well. Stelmach is hopeful for Saturday.

The picture of Gordon above is couresty of Jim Lytle of The Associated Press.

Norwood Hoists Second Trophy this Week

The Conerly Trophy is awarded to the best college football player in Mississippi by a vote of 60 media members across the state. Norwood beat out fellow finalists Scott Eyster of Delta State and Patrick Willis of Ole Miss.

Norwood, who joined JJ Johnson as the only State players to receive the award, ran for 1,136 yards, set a school single-game record with 257 rushing yards against Houston, went for 204 yards and four touchdowns in his final college game, and finished his career as State's all time leading rusher with 3,222 rushing yards.

"I followed my heart, like my grandmother told me," Norwood said. "It's been good for me at State. We didn't win as much as I'd have liked, but I had some individual success, and it was great to be a part of the Mississippi State family."

Norwood was also named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week for his 204 yard, four touchdown, performance against Mississippi.


The picture above of Norwood holding the Conerly Trophy is courtesy of Rick Guy of The Clarion-Ledger.