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Stansbury still bemoaning lack of depth |
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Tuesday, 09 February 2010 |
 Phil Sandlin/The Associated Press Mississippi State’s Head coach Rick Stansbury shouts to his team during an NCAA college basketball game against Florida Saturday. Stansbury needs more production off his bench if MSU hopes to earn a second straight NCAA Tournament bid. By MATTHEW STEVENS
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At 4-4 in Southeastern Conference play with a team that was ranked 18th in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll, Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury was asked by Ron Higgins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal if he was disappointed by the lack of poise in the starters he had coming back from a SEC Tournament champion and NCAA Tournament team one season ago.
Stansbury quickly pointed out again the argument he’s not working the team he thought he’d have with the early season injuries to center Elgin Bailey, guard Twaney Beckham and Shaun Smith along with the ongoing ineligibility of freshman forward Renardo Sidney.
“Here’s the thing that gets missed in this – don’t forget we’re without basically three of those guys we had last year” Stansbury said. “You don’t have your backup center, then you lost your backup point guard. That’s been the challenge for us. I just don’t have the quality depth there. And it’s the depth at two positions – at the five and at the one.”
Stansbury went on to point out why his team is giving up bad stretches especially on the road is their inability to rest starters like point guard Dee Bost, senior guard Barry Stewart and their only post threat down low in senior Wooden Award candidate Jarvis Varnado. All three of those players are among the leaders the conference in minutes played per game this season.
“I don’t have the players I can go to in order to change the flow of the game, change the emotion of the game and that is so important especially when you’re playing 16 games,” Stansbury said. “We just can’t seem to close games out. There’s no question we get worn out and now you’re trying to fight back in the second half when you’re already fatigued.”
Stansbury gave hints that at this point in the season he doesn’t suspect to lengthen the bench minutes drastically because he doesn’t feel confident in the rotation beyond the first two non-starters.
“I take responsibility for their mistakes or lack of productivity just because of that fatigue standpoint and again some things you just can’t change,” Stansbury said. “I just don’t have any options past playing Kodi (Augustus) at the five and I’m grasping for straws when I do that.”
Calipari gives his take on the NCAA one-and-done rule
One of the coaches in the country you could argue has benefited the most from the recruitment of one-and-done player is Kentucky head coach John Calipari. The Wildcats head coach has had back-to-back starting point guards end up as lottery picks in his last two years at Memphis with Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans.
Calipari was asked Monday his take on the NBA rule that makes high school prospects spend at least one year in college saying it hasn’t changed his perspective in recruiting at all.
“What I do is recruit the best players I can recruit and if they’re prepared after a year, I influence them to go (pro),” Calipari said.
Previously, the NBA allowed players to be drafted directly from high school. Since 2006, draftees must be at least 19 years old and one year out of high school.
Calipari, who has Kentucky right now as the third-best team in the country according to the Associated Press poll, would like to see the NCAA adapt a rule similar to what college baseball does with MLB forcing those recruits that sign the national letter of intent to school to stay at least two years.
“I don’t like one and done (because) I think players should be able to go directly out of high school,” Calipari said. “If they go to college, I think they need to stay two years, maybe three.”
Calipari described how he uses the rule to his benefit when in the living room of a high school prospect and how he’s been so successful in recruiting those top one-and-done type players.
“I would hope you can look at my players and say ‘his players get better,” Calipari said. “There are some kids where emotionally I know they’re not ready and I would tell them it doesn’t matter where you’re going to be picked. There are other kids where I’m saying them, ‘you need to go’ and the next year we get a new wave of guys.”
Vols and Vandy meet in primetime matchup
While there may be a lot of mid-week conference games that string together and blend in with each other, tonight’s SEC battle in the Volunteer state is not one of them.
Asked if trying to prepare his guys is easier for tonight’s home matchup against Tennessee in the middle of ESPN’s Rivalry Week coverage, Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings was sure it wouldn’t take a dramatic pre-game speech.
“There are a few games each year where you don’t have to do much to get your guys ready to play and I would think that Tuesday night would qualify as one of those,” Stalling said. “I enjoy those and in games like this I don’t think you have to be concerned with their emotional readiness.”
The 12th-ranked Volunteers (18-4, 6-2) travel to Memorial Gym for the task of being the first team during the 2009-10 season to knock off the 22nd-ranked Commodores (17-5, 6-2) at home.
“If you’re going to be a factor in the race for a championship then taken care of what happens on your home court is extremely important,” Stallings said.
In a 79-53 blowout win over South Carolina this weekend, Tennessee got a relatively unnoticed 11 points and six rebounds from sophomore forward Scotty Hopson.
Hopson, who was a MSU verbal commit before signing with the Volunteers, may have had a night overshadowed by teammate Wayne Chasm’s 30 points but his head coach took notice.
“He’s a better player all around,” Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl said. “He’s stronger, he’s more physical, he’s a better defender. He’s more aggressive getting to the rim. He’s just playing with more confidence.”
The game tonight, which tips at 6 p.m., is a battle for second place in the SEC Eastern Division and that position allows for a bye out of day one of the postseason conference tournament.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 10 February 2010 )
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