STARKVILLE — Rick Stansbury’s first time back to Humphrey Coliseum since his decision to retire as Mississippi State men’s basketball coach in 2012 was a success.
The Texas A&M associate head coach watched from the bench Wednesday night as the No. 21 Aggies beat the Bulldogs 61-60 at Humphrey Coliseum.
“I know he won’t tell us, but I saw a smile on his face after the game. It means a lot to him,” Texas A&M senior guard Alex Caruso said. “He loves this place. He loved all the fans during his tenure here. I feel really proud I can help him get a when we came here.”
Stansbury spent 14 seasons as head coach and eight as an assistant coach under Richard Williams, who led MSU to its only Final Four appearance in 1996. Stansbury, the Bulldogs’ all-time winningest coach (293 victories), led the Bulldogs to six NCAA tournaments and one Southeastern Conference championship. Thanks to Texas A&M’s 74-70 win last year in College Station, Texas, Stansbury is 2-0 against his former team.
Stansbury was recognized before the game in a ceremony in which he was presented with a MSU chair with his accomplishments on it.
“I obviously thought it was great that the fans were so good,” MSU first-year head coach Ben Howland said. “He spent 22 years here and did a terrific, unbelievable, outstanding job.”
When Howland was hired last March, he praised the job Stansbury did and wanted to make sure he was recognized for his accomplishments when he returned to the Hump for the first time.
Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy hired Stansbury in May 2014. Kennedy said Stansbury was focused on leading the Aggies into the game.
“Rick’s not about himself, so he was so wrapped up in this game,” Kennedy said. “He had the scout and had these guys prepared. He was like a mad scientist on the board before the game just going through it and writing notes. He was so detailed and did a great job scouting and helping our team win.”
Moving on up
With 15 points and 13 rebounds, Bulldog senior center Gavin Ware continued to climb the all-time MSU lists.
The former Starkville High School standout, who has 1,128 points, moved past Red Stroud, Tyrone Washington, and Greg Carter, his coach at Starkville High, for 29th most in school history. With 761 career rebounds, Ware also passed Jack Houston for ninth on the school’s all-time list.
Senior guard Craig Sword had two steals go give him 163 for his career. He passed Barry Stewart and moved into fifth place on MSU’s list.
Halftime leads
D.J. Hogg hit a 3-pointer before the halftime horn sounded to give Texas A&M a 28-25 lead.
The Bulldogs are 1-6 when they trail at halftime.
MSU trailed Eastern Washington 51-48 at halftime in the season opener, but outscored the Eagles 58-37 in the second half to claim a 106-88 victory.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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