Kermit question?

[Walter White.sixpack]

I've heard it said that he was interviewed or about to be interviewed for the MSU Bball job after Stans left. Obviously Strick made a huge mistake in hiring Rick Ray (nice guy though) instead of Kermit. Sure, Kermit didn't have the same resume he did last spring. But was still more experienced than Ray and had been at MTSU around eight or nine years.

But the big rumor was he was driving to Starkville when he got word that MSU had hired Ray.... and that's why he holds a big grudge towards MSU.

Is there a shred of truth to this?

 

[She Mate Me]

What's the source on him having a grudge? Haven't heard that.

 

[dawgoneyall]

I've heard it said that he was interviewed or about to be interviewed for the MSU Bball job after Stans left. Obviously Strick made a huge mistake in hiring Rick Ray (nice guy though) instead of Kermit. Sure, Kermit didn't have the same resume he did last spring. But was still more experienced than Ray and had been at MTSU around eight or nine years.

But the big rumor was he was driving to Starkville when he got word that MSU had hired Ray.... and that's why he holds a big grudge towards MSU.

Is there a shred of truth to this?

He was given a curiosity interview....he knew after the interview it was not a serious encounter.

 

[engie]

Of course he holds a grudge. Whether he will admit it out loud or not.

 

[Requiem For A Dawg]

I don’t blame him.

 

[MSUDC11]

I’ve always been told that Stricklin’s top choice was Steve Prohm (was at Murray State then, now at Iowa State). Prohm turned us down multiple times, and Bryce Drew turned us down as well. After that it turned into a train wreck. Many thought Kenny Payne was going to be the guy but apparently Stricklin changed his mind and went with Ray at the last second. Still can’t comprehend how that all went down. To me it really shows that Scott had zero self awareness about who might be interested in the job, or else he probably would’ve just kept Stans for another year.

 

[thekimmer]

Haven't heard that but my reaction is...

I've heard it said that he was interviewed or about to be interviewed for the MSU Bball job after Stans left. Obviously Strick made a huge mistake in hiring Rick Ray (nice guy though) instead of Kermit. Sure, Kermit didn't have the same resume he did last spring. But was still more experienced than Ray and had been at MTSU around eight or nine years.

But the big rumor was he was driving to Starkville when he got word that MSU had hired Ray.... and that's why he holds a big grudge towards MSU.

Is there a shred of truth to this?

Who cares? We'd never hire him now anyway since he went over to the dark side. Grudges are overrated anyhow as I don't see how a grudge will help a guy coach any better against us.

Besides, any grudge he has really shouldn't be against State but against the hiring manager, Loaferz stricklinz, who has moved on to a rival in the same conference and thus unfazed by anything that happens to MSU. So in essence, even if Davis was able to 'avenge this grudge against MSU' it wouldn't hurt the true object of his indignance and would probably be HELPING him. If anything we should all be on the same side because most state fans have a grudge against loaferz too!

 

[She Mate Me]

What's the source on him having a grudge? Haven't heard that.

So at this point there's no source on "Kermit has a grudge", correct?

 

[maroonmania]

I don’t blame him.

Exactly, I hold a grudge for him in fact. Why would he not for getting passed over for Rick Ray?

 

[Faustdog]

Kermit wasn’t hired because Stricklin was looking to “clean up our image” after Stans / Sidney, etc. He wanted someone squeaky clean.

Kermit had previous NCAA issues from Syracuse / Texas A&M.

We still should have hired him.

 

[Raiderdawg.sixpack]

CKD did not officially interview in 2012 with MSU. The MTSU beat writer confirmed this because a lot of MTSU people were surprised it didn’t happen.

CKD’s agent may have talked or there could have been informal talks, but in 2012 Most MTSU grads including myself, would have been glad for him to leave.

I keep saying it, but CKD was not a great candidate in 2012. His first 9 years at MT he averaged 17-14, never won 20 games, never beat a P5 school, never made the NIT or NCAA. If you don’t count wins against D2 or NCCCAA schools, he had like a 52% winning percentage. Most fans called for him to be fired from his 6-9 year at MTSU. I group of us actually stopped donating to the MTSU athletic fund in until Kermit was fired because if a coach can’t win his conference or win 20 games or beat a real team in 9 years, why expect him to all the sudden start winning? Keeping Kermit as coach in 2011-2012 at MTSU was accepting mediocrity. My biggest fear at the time was him leaving MTSU for MState and we get stuck with him in Starkville.

I get that Ray was a terrible hire, but Kermit did not look like a great hire back then.

 

[Drewbowski]

I’ve always been told that Stricklin’s top choice was Steve Prohm (was at Murray State then, now at Iowa State). Prohm turned us down multiple times, and Bryce Drew turned us down as well. After that it turned into a train wreck. Many thought Kenny Payne was going to be the guy but apparently Stricklin changed his mind and went with Ray at the last second. Still can’t comprehend how that all went down. To me it really shows that Scott had zero self awareness about who might be interested in the job, or else he probably would’ve just kept Stans for another year.

Do't think it was Strick's choice to keep Stans. I always thought he unexpectedly quit after being told to fire his assistants.

 

[patdog]

Stans was fired. We way overestimated our ability to go out and hire an established coach, then panicked and made a disastrous hire.

 

[Requiem For A Dawg]

Kermit wasn’t hired because Stricklin was looking to “clean up our image” after Stans / Sidney, etc. He wanted someone squeaky clean.

Kermit had previous NCAA issues from Syracuse / Texas A&M.

We still should have hired him.

I’ve read this other places, but the main person we were supposedly targeting was Kenny Payne. So that doesn’t make sense.

You aren’t trying to clean up a program by hiring a guy who is boys with World Wide Wes.

 

[Walter White.sixpack]

Davis had gone 27-7 in 2011-12. Maybe he didn't have the career renovation completed yet that Scott wanted. But it still made way more sense that Ray.

I keep saying it, but CKD was not a great candidate in 2012. His first 9 years at MT he averaged 17-14, never won 20 games, never beat a P5 school, never made the NIT or NCAA. If you don’t count wins against D2 or NCCCAA schools, he had like a 52% winning percentage. Most fans called for him to be fired from his 6-9 year at MTSU. I group of us actually stopped donating to the MTSU athletic fund in until Kermit was fired because if a coach can’t win his conference or win 20 games or beat a real team in 9 years, why expect him to all the sudden start winning? Keeping Kermit as coach in 2011-2012 at MTSU was accepting mediocrity. My biggest fear at the time was him leaving MTSU for MState and we get stuck with him in Starkville.

I get that Ray was a terrible hire, but Kermit did not look like a great hire back then.

 

[Faustdog]

Certain boosters were pushing Payne, and Cal was lobbying for him. It was never happening with the mindset of our AD at the time.

 

[Walter White.sixpack]

Have heard it from a number of MSU and OM fans alike. And from a statement in his introductory press conference where he said there isn't anyone who wants to beat Mississippi State's tail more than him [cued up below].

What's the source on him having a grudge? Haven't heard that.

 

[Clarence Boddicker]

I’ve always been told that Stricklin’s top choice was Steve Prohm (was at Murray State then, now at Iowa State). Prohm turned us down multiple times, and Bryce Drew turned us down as well. After that it turned into a train wreck. Many thought Kenny Payne was going to be the guy but apparently Stricklin changed his mind and went with Ray at the last second. Still can’t comprehend how that all went down. To me it really shows that Scott had zero self awareness about who might be interested in the job, or else he probably would’ve just kept Stans for another year.

Loaferz caved to the pressure. He should have fired Stans in Hawaii. But in reality, after that 2011 season. I get it, though, I think we beat Tennessee and had some promise, it's OK to keep him another year. But 2012 was just a bad year to do it, he nearly made the tournament, and nobody really saw his performance as THAT bad except MSU fans.

Had we kept him in 2013, we'd have probably sucked pretty hard, and then the firing would have been justified. We would have attracted a better pool of candidates.

 

[She Mate Me]

Have heard it from a number of MSU and OM fans alike. And from a statement in his introductory press conference where he said there isn't anyone who wants to beat Mississippi State's tail more than him [cued up below].

Maybe there's a grudge, but that video just feels like what you better say when you're hired as the HC at Ole Miss even though you played for MSU and your daddy coached them.

 

[maroonmania]

Loaferz caved to the pressure. He should have fired Stans in Hawaii. But in reality, after that 2011 season. I get it, though, I think we beat Tennessee and had some promise, it's OK to keep him another year. But 2012 was just a bad year to do it, he nearly made the tournament, and nobody really saw his performance as THAT bad except MSU fans.

Had we kept him in 2013, we'd have probably sucked pretty hard, and then the firing would have been justified. We would have attracted a better pool of candidates.

Yea, we made the NIT but we literally crashed and burned that season. We went from a near NCAA lock to the NIT because of our late season swoon job. Really for just about any established P5 basketball program getting to the NCAA tournament is the measure of success. Either you do or you don't.