Thorn was uncalled for
As an avid MSU fan and basketball season ticket holder for the past 30 years I take issue with the thorn you awarded to MSU athletic director Scott Sticklin in Sunday’s paper.
First of all, your comments are ill-timed at best. To second guess the coaching change at this time near the end of a difficult season is too easy and nothing short of piling on. And in reality, this coaching change and decision by Mr. Sticklin, as with any coaching in any sport at any school, will be better judged after about three years.
But to say this program is the “laughingstock of college basketball” and that they have lost in “embarrassing fashion” is just plain wrong. This team is short on experience and short on sheer numbers due to injuries and Coach Ray’s building a program of discipline, but this team is not an embarrassment.
We were the laughingstock of college basketball when our players got in a fight in the stands in Hawaii in December of 2010. I was embarrassed at the start of each game the past couple of years when our team did not line up and stand at attention for the national anthem. I was also embarrassed in past years to see very talented players who did not put forth effort, who played as individuals rather than as a team and who did not meet expectations or potential.
As a fan and season ticket holder, I am not embarrassed by this year’s team that gives 110% every time they step on the court.
One other thing – you got the coach’s name wrong. His name is Rick Ray not Rod Ray. The Dispatch should be embarrassed.
Billy Coleman
Columbus
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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