WKU Basketball: Could this be the last year of the Stansbury era?
Rick Stansbury has been nothing short of incredible as he enters his third season in Bowling Green. He inherited a mess left by Ray Harper…
Rick Stansbury has been nothing short of incredible as he enters his third season in Bowling Green. He inherited a mess left by Ray Harper and in his second season was a shot away from going to the NCAA tournament.
This season, he brings in another loaded recruiting class featuring five-star forward Charles Bassey and four-star guard Dalano Banton. This recruiting class, along with returners like Taveion Hollingsworth and Josh Anderson, has been picked to win Conference USA by the other head coaches in the league.
Now the question that needs to be asked: Could a successful season this year bring an end to the Rick Stansbury era at WKU?
My answer is absolutely.
When talking with someone who is close to the program a few weeks ago, they told me that they wouldn’t be surprised if he moves on. By no means are they saying he is putting his house on the market, but if the right opportunity came open, he would possibly consider it.
Personally, I think Stansbury thinks he has unfinished business in the SEC. This is by no means backed up by anything I have heard or he has told me personally, but I just have a feeling. He coached in the conference at Mississippi State for a long time and is very familiar with all aspects of it. The question about the SEC is what job would he consider?
When looking at the conference, with the exception of Kentucky, each school has made a coaching change since Stansbury left the league. I also do think that each school has the best possible coach for their program with the exception of Ole Miss. (Sorry Kermit, I’m not sold.)
An interesting scenario to follow will be what happens in Baton Rouge. During the basketball recruiting trials that have been going on, LSU head coach Will Wade was mentioned as possibly having been involved in paying recruits. If the school confirms that, they could look to move on from the second-year head coach.
If that happens, I could see Stansbury getting a hard look. He was reported as an outside candidate the last time the Tigers had the opening especially when his top two recruits, at the time, were from the state of Louisiana. (Josh Anderson and “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.”)
Stansbury has been recruiting at a level that a “football first” SEC school like LSU could get on board with.
The major downside to Stansbury, and a big thing that might keep him in Bowling Green, is his age. In December, he will turn 59 years old. A Power 5 school hiring a 59-year-old coach is not necessarily the most ideal thing in the world, but if he wins, age can just be a number.
Plus, former MTSU head coach Kermit Davis, who is just nine days older than Stansbury, was hired as the head coach of Ole Miss this past offseason.
I am by no means guaranteeing a new coach for the Tops next season, but if this team reaches its full potential, which very well could be a deep run in the NCAA tournament, we’d be remissed if we didn’t at least mention it.
WKU already turned heads with their run in the NIT last season. A run in the NCAA tournament would without a doubt put interest in Stansbury’s name.
Sure, the “hometown” factor is nice, but as coaches like Darrin Horn have shown, money talks.
The question is will it talk to Stansbury?