Report: Mississippi State hires Clemson aide Rick Ray as head coach

Clemson's Rick Ray won a battle of major college assistants and will be the next head coach at Mississippi State, according to CBS Sports.

After Murray State head coach Steve Prohm and Valparaiso head coach Bryce Drew both pulled out of consideration for the job, Mississippi State athletics director Scott Stricklin picked Ray over Kentucky assistant Kenny Payne and Vanderbilt assistant Dan Muller.

Ray succeeds Rick Stansbury, who was forced to retire after the Bulldogs lost in the first round of the NIT. The Bulldogs were 19-5 and ranked 15th in the country on Jan. 2 but then lost seven of their last nine games.

Ray spent the last two years at Clemson for Brad Brownell and before that four years working for Matt Painter at Purdue. He also has worked at Indiana State, Northern Illinois and Division II school Nebraska-Omaha.

Ray certainly has a challenge ahead of him. Star point guard Dee Bost has played out his eligibility, and Mississippi State's two best big men, Arnett Moultrie and Renardo Sidney, have both said they play to pursue pro careers, either in the NBA or overseas.

He will have starting forward Rodney Hood and super sub Jalen Steele to build around. Hood, a budding star as a freshman, has hinted that he might transfer but said he'd wait until meeting the new coach before making a final decision.

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