At the Stansbury home in October, Rick and Meo Stansbury welcomed me into their home to talk family and MSU basketball. What a treat. For the majority of the afternoon, I forgot I was interviewing an SEC head basketball coach and his wife. The reason was pretty simple. Rick and Meo are as down to earth as they come.

As Mississippi State's most successful coach during the last seven years, with Coach Stansbury we have become accustomed to winning at a high level. The Mississippi State family has also fallen in love with Meo and the kids. How could you not? They define the Mississippi State family. Meo and the boys are always chearing on the Bulldogs.

"I'm not sure it was ever a conscious

decision. There never was really any doubt that we would join Rick and the team on the road," said Meo.

"She does such an amazing job keeping everything together here (at the house) and on the road. To have Meo and the boys on the road with the team is special," chimes in the head coach.

"We know we're lucky that we're able to travel with Rick and the team. Obviously, not everybody can do that with their job. I can't imagine not being there. I'm a huge fan. I graduated from here. Mississippi State is home for us. It's all we know. The assistant coaches and players are our family, too," said Meo.

The story of how Rick and Meo became a couple is great. "We didn't go on a date the first 5 or 6 years we went out. He was always recruiting or coaching. Rick would be gone for weeks and he literally had nothing in his refrigerator!"

Ah, the life of a bachelor who happens to be an SEC assistant coach. We covered several different topics on that beautiful Bulldog day overlooking Browning Creek.

Rick, on what his parents have meant to him – "I owe so much to my parents. We didn't have everything we wanted, but we had everything we needed. From grade school to my college career, my parents never missed a game. Many times that consisted of my dad dropping my mom off at our home at 3 or 4am in the morning, and heading straight to work.

My first game as a head coach my mom passed away. She got sick while on a cruise. I left the hotel thinking she had passed away but they didn't take her off the respirator until after we started my first game as a head coach. She was alive to see me be a head coach."

Rick, on his father cutting down the nets after winning the SEC Tournament in 2002 – "My mother passing away was very tough on my father. That last year, he came down with cancer. I knew if we won the tournament he would cut down the last string on the net. There was never any question. Also, he got to see the game where we were down 21-2 against Kentucky and were able to come back and beat Kentucky. Growing up in Kentucky that meant the world to my dad and me."

Rick, on winning 149 games in 7 years - "In the SEC, only 2 teams and 4 coaches have won as many or more games than us in our seven year stretch. Kentucky and Alabama. Kentucky had 3 coaches do it (Joe B. Hall, Rick Pitino, and Tubby Smith), and Wimp Sanderson did it at Alabama."

On selling Starkville – "I knew the first time I drove around town that this was a great campus to sell. Throw in the Southeastern Conference and I had no doubts in 1990 what could be done here. To me the town and university are tremendous assets in what we do. Growing up out in the country in Kentucky, this was a town to me. Don't get me wrong, I love to see the growth in Starkville. It continues to grow into one of the best college towns in

America. Meo and I love it here."

Rick, on raising a family – "Is there a better place? Meo and I don't think so. We live about 10 minutes outside of Starkville. That's just enough time

for us to see a deer, a raccoon, or a possum on the way home or traveling into town. The pace here is perfect for us. Meo is a graduate of Mississippi State, and she loves it here, too. We've been blessed."

At this point Meo joins us again after taking Luke, the youngest of their

three sons, on a walk. Meo is 100 percent Maroon & White. She lights up talking about Rick and the boys. We start talking about Rick and Meo dating and the courtship that brought them together. "She wouldn't stop chasing me," said the head coach. "Yea right," says Meo.

Rick and Meo, on dating and courting –

Rick: "Bo, my life was so out of balance. I was either recruiting or coaching 24/7."

Meo: "Out of balance is an understatement. He didn't have any time. The first few years we basically just talked on the phone every now and then. We've never been to the movies just the two of us!" said Meo laughing.

Rick: "I didn't want to rush into things," said Rick smiling at Meo.

Meo: "He was 99.9% basketball when we were dating. I would bring him dinner. That was it. We never did the whole wining and dining thing."

Rick: "I told Meo when we got married it could only get better, because there were no expectations of wining and dining. There's no question getting married and having kids has brought more balance to my life. And I needed it. I was always recruiting. It was never ending. To get this program where we wanted, both as an assistant and head coach, you have to be recruiting or thinking about recruiting all the time. Who else is going to sell your program? Not your competitors."

Meo: "We laugh about it jokingly. After a couple of years of dating, who else were we going to date? Back then, Starkville didn't have a lot of single people in their 30s."

Rick: "In the spring of 1997, I told her to find a church the first weekend summer recruiting was over, and we would get married. She handled everything. Thank goodness. We got married in the Chapel of Memories, it was great."

Meo: "I count it as a blessing. He's in a place where we can do it. Most people don't have that type of job. With all the time he has to put into running the program, we are blessed to travel everywhere."

Rick: "We don't go anywhere without our kids. We never have, and I don't think

we ever will."

Meo: "There's only so much private time he gets. I'm glad we're there to share it with him."

Rick: "She's the best at keeping it together. She knows when I need time to

prepare and be with the team. Meo and the boys have made me a better coach. Noah and Isaac know when to play with me and when it's time for me to get focused on basketaball."

Meo: "Luke is still in training." (They both laugh)

Meo: "When we went out to the Wooden Classic last year, Coach Wooden commented

on how good the kids were at the press conference. You know how it is with

little children. I was praying we wouldn't have a break down at that moment!"

Rick: "That's another example of how special it is when they're with me. Coach

Wooden is a legend. And although, my boys don't know who he is, it is special for Meo and me when things like that happen. I still can't believe I was at a press conference with John Wooden, the legend of college basketball coaching, and my family was there to share in it. Meo does such a great job with the boys. I never have to worry about it. She is the best mother."

Rick, on his assistants – "All those guys are like family. The first call I made when I got the head coaching job was to Robert Kirby. Robert had been at

State in the early 1990s. Kirby has been outstanding for this program. I played for Phil Cunningham's dad in college at Campbellsville. Phil was a ball boy. It just worked out. He's been a great asset for us. Again, it's all about people first. Mark White and I were together at Austin Peay. He was a natural fit. And what can I say about Marcus Grant? Great player for us. He was my first big recruit. We had to have him. He was a great leader for us. I'm glad Marcus decided to come back."

Rick, on former players coming back and having success in life after MSU – "It's absolutely crucial that our former players come back, and that they are a big part of the MSU basketball program. The Roundball Classic this summer in Jackson was big. We had so many players come back, it was great. Some of the guys had not seen each other in years. The Daryl Wilsons, Marcus Grants, Orien Watsons, and the Whit Hughes. Our former players have set the standard. Look at what Whit is doing in the business world. Daryl Wilson is having a great career in Europe. That's what it's all about. Dampier was at the summer party. He has represented MSU very well in the NBA. T.J. Honore and Daryl Wilson bring their kids to our camps in the summer. I love that. We need to recognize our former players every time we get a chance. "

Rick, on the success of the program – "In everything we do….we ask ourselves can this put us in position to win championships? That is our goal. To win the league and to win a national championship. We can do it here. It takes a huge commitment to win on a consistent level. We would have won more games earlier had we kept Jonathon Bender and recently, we've lost several more players. However, to their credit the staff has not let that stop us. We were the only team in the league to not put a player in the NBA my first six years here. Lawrence Roberts is the only player to get drafted and make a roster. I will tell you, I can't understand why Timmy Bowers is not in the league. He's the best guard to ever play here. What he did over his four year career was amazing. And his senior year, he just refused to lose on the road. To go 8-0 in the SEC on the road is a big, big deal."

Rick, on Meo – "Meo is the biggest fan in the gym. I hear her in games all the

time. She keeps it going because I'm constantly tending to the program. Recruit, recruit, recruit, player development, alumni engagements, recruit

more, games, travel…it never ends. I never have to worry about the boys. I know they're going to church. I know they're with a great mom."

I hope you enjoyed getting to know the first family of MSU basketball as

much as I did. A big-time job as a head coach has not changed Rick Stansbury one bit. He's still that hard-working country boy from Kentucky. He brings that "simple way" of life to his family. Meo and Rick put on no heirs. They are down to earth, loving parents. One just happens to coach in the SEC. MSU has something special. I hope we do everything we can to give Coach Stansbury and his staff what they need to compete against the Alabama's, Kentucky's, and UConn's of the world. I want to thank Rick and Meo for taking some time and visiting with me in October. Let's pack the Hump for this young basketball

team!

Bo Bounds hosts a show from 7am-9am in Jackson, MS called Out of Bounds on Supersport 930AM. You can contact Bo @: bobounds@jam.rr.com.