Rick Stansbury

Rick Stansbury
Sport(s) Basketball
Current position
Title Assistant coach
Team Texas A&M
Biographical details
Born December 23, 1959
United States Battletown, Kentucky
Playing career
1977–1981 Campbellsville
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1981–1982
1983–1984
1984–1990
1990–1998
1998–2012
2014–present
Campbellsville (asst.)
Cumberland (KY) (asst.)
Austin Peay (asst.)
Mississippi State (asst.)
Mississippi State
Texas A&M (asst.)
Head coaching record
Overall 293-164 (.641)
Accomplishments and honors

Championships

SEC Regular Season Championship (2004)
SEC Tournament Championship (2002, 2009)
SEC Western Division Championship
(2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010)

Awards

2004 SEC Coach of the Year
2004 District 17 NABC Coach of the Year
Top 5 Finalist National Coach of the Year 2004

Richard Lee Stansbury, known as Rick Stansbury (born December 23, 1959 in Battletown, Kentucky), is the former head men's basketball coach at Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, a position which he held from March 13, 1998, until March 15, 2012. He is now the men's basketball assistant coach under Coach Billy Kennedy at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.[1]

Stansbury was the MSU Bulldogs' 18th head basketball coach. In 1998, he replaced his mentor, Richard Williams, who was then Mississippi State's all-time most successful basketball coach.[2][3] During the 2007-2008 season, Stansbury passed Williams as the all-time most successful basketball coach at Mississippi State, with 192 wins. Stansbury retired with 293 wins, ranking 9th in the history of the SEC.

Stansbury played high school basketball for Meade County High School in Brandenburg, Kentucky, from which he graduated in 1977. From 1977-1981, he played college ball at Campbellsville College (now Campbellsville University) in Campbellsville, Kentucky. He led the team to the NAIA Tournament in his senior season.

Stansbury began his coaching career at his alma mater as a student assistant (1982–1983). Following his stint at Campbellsville, he served as a graduate assistant at Cumberland College (now University of the Cumberlands) in Williamsburg, Kentucky (1983–84). There he helped to lead the team to a 31-5 mark and a second-round appearance in the NAIA Tournament.

In 1984, Stansbury moved to Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, where he served a six-year term as an assistant, helping guide that team to three consecutive winning seasons, beginning with a conference tournament championship and a subsequent NCAA Tournament second-round berth during the 1986-87 season, while the APSU Governors posted a mark of 20-12.[3]

After APSU, Stansbury served as an assistant coach at MSU under Williams from 1990–94. He became Williams' associate head coach and top recruiter in 1994 and remained in that position until 1998. During those eight seasons, the Bulldogs: won the overall Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular season championship (1991); twice won the SEC West crown (1995 and 1996); won the SEC tournament championship (1996); advanced to the "Sweet 16" in back to back years (1995 and 1996) and reached the "Final Four" in 1996.[2]

Taking over the helm as the Bulldogs head coach in 1998, Stansbury led his team to post-season tournament play eleven times in fourteen seasons (six NCAA and five NIT tournaments), with five consecutive post-season tournament appearances, the first MSU basketball coach in history to accomplish this feat. His 2001-02 MSU team compiled the most wins in a single season in school history (27). Also achieved the highest National Ranking in school history 2003-04, #2 in the country (finished 26-4). Stansbury also owns MSU's record for consecutive 20-win seasons with four from 2001–05 and again from 2006-10.[2]

Stansbury won more SEC Championships in the last 10 years than any other SEC program except Kentucky 12. Mississippi State 8. (Florida 6) Western Conference Champion: 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010. SEC Tournament Champion: 2002, 2009. Overall SEC Champion: 2004. Under the leadership of Stansbury, MSU's teams were always a threat in the SEC Tournament, reaching the finals of the tournament four times, winning twice. His SEC Tournament record is 16-12.[2]

From his days as an MSU assistant until 2012, Stansbury has been a part of over 15 postseason tournament appearances. Prior to his arrival at Mississippi State, MSU had two post-seasons in 27 years (both NIT). He is also 21-8 vs conference in-state rival, the Mississippi Rebels.

Stansbury announced his retirement on March 15, 2012; he cited a desire to spend more time with his family. But in May 2014, he was back into coaching with a new assignment at Texas A&M. He is a member of the Campbellsville University Athletics Hall of Fame.[1]

Former players

Six of Coach Stansbury's former players moved on to professional careers in the National Basketball Association.

  1. 1999:Tyrone Washington - Houston Rockets
  2. 2003:Mario Austin - Chicago Bulls
  3. 2003:Derrick Zimmerman - Golden State Warriors
  4. 2005:Lawrence Roberts - Seattle SuperSonics, Memphis Grizzlies
  5. 2010:Jarvis Varnado - Miami Heat
  6. 2012:Arnett Moultrie - Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers

Head coaching record

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Mississippi State Bulldogs (Southeastern Conference) (1998–2012)
1998–99 Mississippi State 20–13 8–8 T–3rd (West) NIT 1st Round
1999–00 Mississippi State 14–16 5–11 T–5th (West)
2000–01 Mississippi State 18–13 7–9 T–4th (West) NIT Quarterfinals
2001–02 Mississippi State 27–8 10–6 2nd (West) NCAA 2nd Round
2002–03 Mississippi State 21–10 9–7 1st (West) NCAA 1st Round
2003–04 Mississippi State 26–4 14–2 1st (West) NCAA 2nd Round
2004–05 Mississippi State 23–11 9–7 3rd (West) NCAA 2nd Round
2005–06 Mississippi State 15–15 5–11 5th (West)
2006–07 Mississippi State 21–14 8–8 T–1st (West) NIT Final Four
2007–08 Mississippi State 23–11 12–4 1st (West) NCAA 2nd Round
2008–09 Mississippi State 23–13 9–7 3rd (West) NCAA 1st Round
2009–10 Mississippi State 24–12 9–7 T–1st (West) NIT 2nd Round
2010–11 Mississippi State 17–13 9–7 2nd (West)
2011–12 Mississippi State 21–12 8–8 T–6th NIT 1st Round
Mississippi State: 293–165 (.641) 122–102 (.545)
Total: 293–165 (.641)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

2006-07 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Media Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved June 8, 2007, from http://www.mstateathletics.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=16&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=8098&change_well_id=2

Rick Stansbury — Head Men's Basketball Coach. (n.d.). Retrieved June 8, 2007, from http://www.mstateathletics.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=16&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=8060&change_well_id=2

2006-07 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Schedule. (n.d.). Retrieved June 8, 2007, from http://www.mstateathletics.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=16&change_well_id=9995

External links