aTm basketball RE: Kennedy

I think Stansbury is playing a big role, so I feel pretty comfortable. But I also acknowledge that Stansbury wasn't always the best come tourney time for Mississippi State.

Umm ... no. Glad we got you to frequent the board though.

Not really. Our team seems very well coached; we play great help defense and are unselfish on offense. Also, the switches from man to zone defense during games have been deadly. Combine that with all the talent and experience and I don't think anyone is worried.

I'd agree with you if he didn't have T-Rex arms. He's a great low post player and a good defender, but that's all he is. He needs to be a little taller, quite a bit longer, or able to hit a wide open shot, and right now he just isn't any of the three.

He's sort of a tweener for the NBA. He doesn't have the skills for the 4 or the size for the 5. Which is great for us, because we may get to keep him longer.

I know they're good. Though, for the last however many years, Aggy fans have always seemed to want Kennedy gone, which is why I was curious on their view right now.

I'm one of those who wanted Kennedy gone last year(and honestly, even the year before).

I've admitted(not on this board) that I was sorta wrong. I think our success is due to good talent, seniors who are actually leading and at least above average coaching. I don't think he'll be coaching here in the next 5 years as I think this year is going to be an anomaly. I wouldn't expect us in the tournament next year.

Basically, I've always said he was a terrible coach but now I'll give him that he's above average at least this year.

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I'm biased because I know someone who knows Kennedy pretty well, but I've always kept out hope for Kennedy. He's a good man who started off at A&M in a hole, and with the help of Stansbury, is recruiting and coaching his way out of it. The players on this team love him.

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I haven't met him but everything I've read about him is exactly as you said. He's a really good man, has the respect of his team, and tries to do what's right. Why the trocha situation didn't have me worried. If trocha didn't play, then something happened and if he did, then it wasn't as big of a deal as we thought.

As it turns out, trocha was way below the limit.

It boils down to this: Gillispie and Turgeon were regularly getting the Ags into the NCAA tournament. But Kennedy has yet to do so, although he accomplished that at Murray St. People believed this team had the talent to get there, so it was now or never for him this year.

Turgeon didn't leave Kennedy alot of talent to work with. But it just didn't seem like he was making much progress until he recruited Davis, Hogge and Gilder to mesh with what he had.

I have no idea what other schools' fans think of Kennedy. He's a low key guy, call him the anti-Bruce Pearl.

Not many teams start 4 seniors anymore, so he sort of has an old school team. You just don't see that very often now in the One and Done and transfer age.

Turgeon really fricked us, and quite a bit harder than many Ags would like to admit. Kennedy is not good enough a coach to win with nothing like BCG was; he needed time and players, both of which he now has. As for his personality, I don't think it really matters. If he's screaming at the ref and we lose anyway, he's just a blowhard. If he's silent while we lose, he's too quiet. In the end all that matters is that we win, and now that he has a team running his style, well, we're winning.