Ray: Mississippi State administration believes in me

NASHVILLE – The Rick Ray era reaches its three-year anniversary on April 1. Some question whether Mississippi State's basketball coach will be around to celebrate it.

Ray's not one of them.

"I've never had any situation at all from the administration that they are displeased with where we are at this point in time," Ray told the Clarion-Ledger on Tuesday. "I know everybody wants to be more on the fast track. I'm sure the administration wants the same thing, but I think those guys believe in me."

The support from the fans is whittling away after three straight bottom–three finishes in the Southeastern Conference. The attendance in the final regular season game at Humphrey Coliseum last Saturday was 5,897 – nearly 1,500 fewer than MSU's women's basketball season-finale.

Mississippi State finished 2015 with its best SEC record under Ray at 6-12. Ray won seven SEC games in his first two seasons. He can grab another Wednesday against Auburn in the first round of the SEC tournament in Nashville.

Yet, skeptics question if that progress is enough.

"I think that's fair for them to say, but I also think they have to look at it from the microscope," Ray said. "…We didn't have scholarship players our first two years and we didn't have front court depth at all in our first two years. I think if you sit there under a microscope you can say I can see where those guys have actually come from."

Ray pieced lineups together with as little as six scholarship players in his first two years. He had a total of three players 6-foot-8 or taller. None were taller than 6-9.

When injuries or foul trouble struck the team, Ray's only option off the bench most nights was 6-foot-3 walk-on Tyson Cunnigham.

The off-the-court issues hampered the progress on-the-court with player being removed from the team and transfers.

"Everything was just everywhere," senior Roquez Johnson said. "Nobody was together."

They're story lines that have been told throughout the first three seasons. Each year they held less weight. This year, Mississippi State finally showed signs of growth.

Of its 12 SEC losses, six have come by six or less points. The Bulldogs won three SEC road games after a streak of 22-straight losses away from the Hump. It knocked off postseason contenders LSU and Tennessee and led Ole Miss for the majority of its two games with the Rebels.

"I think what happened more than anything is that I.J. (Ready) and (Craig Sword) really started to live up to their responsibilities as leaders," Ray said.

Without the leadership, MSU played some of its worst basketball under Ray. The Bulldogs lost to three lower-tiered mid-majors in December.

If Mississippi State won those games, it would have finished the season at 16-15.

The reality is all three were losses. Even with a winning record, a 6-12 finish in the SEC wouldn't have placed MSU into a discussion for a postseason tournament, which was the goal to start the season.

"I still think we have a ways to go and I think we're all disappointed with the fact that we're not where we want to be," Ray said. "But I think what we'll see is that progress really come to fruition on next season."

The only starter Mississippi State doesn't return next year is Roquez Johnson. The Bulldogs can make up for his production at 9.4 points per game and 5.2 rebounds. His leadership and toughness won't be as easy to replace.

But those two traits have never hurt MSU. A lack of talent has led to a 37-59 record under Ray.

"We need one more guy to consistently to go along with Chicken and I.J. on the perimeter," Ray said. "Either we have to go recruit that person, or we already recruited that person."

Hopeful fans will point to the No. 1 high school player in Mississippi, five-star prospect, Malik Newman. More than likely, they'll have to settle for the No. 2 prospect Quinndary Weatherspoon.

"You're talking about a guy in Quinndary Weatherspoon that's certainly talented enough," Ray said. "But now can he transition to being talented enough to do it in high school to being able to do it at this level."

Ray's in the same situation. The assistant at Purdue and Clemson is still trying to show athletic director Scott Stricklin selected the correct coach three years ago.

Stricklin didn't respond to interview requests for this story.

Still, there's little debate Stricklin wants to give Ray every chance to succeed, which means another anniversary.

"I look at this as our first year," Ray said. "If you look at this as our first year, you would say, hey, these guys have somewhere to go from here."

Contact Michael Bonner at mbonner@gannett.com. Follow @MichaelBBonner on Twitter.