Ray named head men's basketball coach
Rick Ray
Mississippi State Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin announced Sunday Rick Ray will be introduced Monday as the university's new head men's basketball coach.
A press conference has been scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on the floor of Humphrey Coliseum to welcome the 19th coach in MSU history. It will be streamed live and free of charge on HailStateTV and can be accessed through www.HailState.com/hstvlive.
"Rick fits the model of head coach we have sought to bring into our program over the last several years," Stricklin said. "He is bright, enthusiastic, disciplined and is a man of integrity. He has served with some of the top head and assistant coaches in college basketball and will bring a piece of all of them to our head coaching position."
Ray has been a part of NCAA post-season play at three different institutions. He comes to Mississippi State from Clemson, where he was Associate Head Coach to Brad Brownell for the past two seasons. Prior to arriving at Clemson, Ray spent four successful years on the staff of Matt Painter at Purdue. Ray began his Division I coaching career at Indiana State, where he served for seven seasons.
"Rick Ray is an outstanding choice to lead our men's basketball program," MSU President Mark Keenum said. "Once our fans meet him, I know they will share the same sentiment. I am impressed with his basketball philosophy and the vision he has articulated for taking Mississippi State basketball to a higher level. Rick has been successful everywhere he has coached. He is a winner and has a solid plan to put his brand on the program that will reflect the highest standards of integrity and accountability."
"I also want to commend Scott Stricklin for the extraordinary work he put into finding the right fit for our basketball program," Keenum added. "He has done just that. He was thorough and deliberate and has brought in an exceptional individual to lead Mississippi State basketball into the future."
Clemson won 38 games during Ray's two seasons in the Atlantic Coast Conference. A young Clemson team finished 16-15 this past season, but in 2010-11, the Tigers finished the year with a 22-12 overall record, 9-7 in the ACC. Clemson advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season that year, advancing to the second round.
"Rick is a terrific coach in every sense of the word," Brownell said. "He is as consummate professional. He is a relentless recruiter, has worked with some of the best Xs and Os coaches in the business, and is unbelievably bright.
"I've known Rick for years, he worked with my college head coach at Indiana State," Brownell continued. "He's well-respected in the business. He has the ability to be both demanding with his players to make them better on and off the court, and still develop long-lasting relationships with them. He is a great hire for Mississippi State."
Ray was an assistant coach from 2006-10 under Painter at Purdue, where the Boilermakers won 103 games during his four years on staff, including 15 victories over top-25 competition. During his tenure, Purdue advanced in the NCAA Tournament each season -- including to the Sweet 16 each of his last two seasons there.
In 2009, the Boilermakers won the Big Ten Tournament and were a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In 2010, Ray helped the Boilermakers to 29 wins, tied for the most in Purdue history for a single season. Purdue was a No. 4 seed this past March and lost in the round of 16 to eventual NCAA champion Duke.
Ray was a part of the 2006-07 Purdue staff that signed arguably the top class in school history, a group that was rated No. 5 nationally by Scout.com and No. 6 by Rivals.com, and included all-America Robbie Hummel.
"Rick Ray is a tireless worker and fierce competitor, two traits that will serve him well as he leads Mississippi State basketball into a new era," Painter said. "MSU is getting a great young coach with the energy and drive to be successful."
While at Purdue, Ray was on Painter's staff that also included current Tennessee head coach Cuonzo Martin.
"It is a great hire for Mississippi State," Martin said. "Rick is a hard-working, intelligent basketball coach who really has a passion for the game. But more importantly, it is a great move by the MSU administration which did its homework and reached out to a qualified coach who will represent the university in the right way."
Ray coached at Indiana State for seven seasons (1997-2004), helping ISU to consecutive 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances in 1999-2000 and 2000-01. In 1999-2000, the Sycamores compiled a 14-4 record in the Missouri Valley Conference and won the regular season title. Indiana State then won the MVC Tournament the following season. The Sycamores went on to upset No. 4 seed Oklahoma in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament. Ray was also part of the ISU staff that defeated perennial power Indiana in back-to-back seasons.
Following his time at Indiana State, he spent two seasons (2004-06) as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Northern Illinois. In 2005-06, the Huskies were regular season Western division champions in the Mid-American Conference with a 17-11 overall record, 12-6 in the MAC.
Ray's first coaching job was as a graduate assistant with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, a Division II program. He helped orchestrate a seven-win turnaround in his second season, 1996-97.
He was a standout player for Grand View College (Iowa), where he was an All-American Scholar-Athlete and honorable mention all-conference performer in 1993. Ray earned his undergraduate degree in applied mathematics and secondary education from Grand View in 1994. He earned his master's degree in athletic administration from Nebraska-Omaha in 1997.
Ray is married to the former Breyana Cardwell. The couple has a son, Deacon, born Jan. 20, 2011. Ray also has a daughter, Katriece, 18.
For additional information about Mississippi State athletics, please visit www.HailState.com.
