MSU's Stansbury Turns Down Clemson Offer

Published: Tuesday, Apr. 13, 2010

Mississippi State's Stansbury turns down Clemson job
Longtime Bulldogs coach had weighed the offer since Saturday

By Scott Keepfer - skeepfer@greenvillenews.com

Clemson University's search for a new men's basketball coach suffered a setback Monday when longtime Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury spurned on offer from the Tigers, extending the school's search to a seventh day.

Stansbury announced his decision at a press conference Monday afternoon at the Starkville, Miss., school.

"It's nice to have heard some people talk about some things, but at the end of the day there was no way I could walk away from Mississippi State," Stansbury said.

Stansbury, 50, has been head coach of the Bulldogs since 1990, compiling a 256-138 record with six NCAA Tournament appearances.

His most recent team almost earned another NCAA bid, advancing to the SEC tournament championship game before losing to Kentucky. The Bulldogs finished 24-12 and reached the second round of the NIT.

Stansbury said he was initially contacted by Clemson last Thursday, then he and his wife, Meo, met with Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips and associate athletic director Bill D'Andrea on Saturday afternoon in the Atlanta area. Negotiations began Saturday night, Stansbury said, and he debated the decision until Monday morning.

"I can say they made it very intriguing, very intriguing," Stansbury said.

Stansbury said he talked with Florida coach Billy Donovan while making his decision. Donovan briefly accepted the job as head coach of the NBA's Orlando Magic in 2007, then decided to return to Gainesville, Fla.

Stansbury made close to $1.4 million last season - roughly the same as former Clemson coach Oliver Purnell.

"I'm coming back not expecting no raise," Stansbury said.

Meanwhile, Phillips and D'Andrea will continue their search to replace Purnell, who last Tuesday took the top job at DePaul after seven seasons at Clemson.

Phillips and D'Andrea have now met with at least seven potential candidates, including Brad Brownell (Wright State), Mike Young (Wofford), Blaine Taylor (Old Dominion), Cliff Warren (Jacksonville), and Al Skinner, former coach at Boston College, and Clemson interim coach Ron Bradley.