Howland’s Heroes
September 23, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Mississippi State’s coaching staff discusses their bond headed into a seventh season together.
STARKVILLE – Change is a constant in college sports, particularly when it comes to coaching positions. Coaches come and go from school-to-school, furthering careers, bettering situations, or sometimes just getting a change of scenery.
From year-to-year, change is everywhere. Well, almost everywhere.
At Mississippi State, assistant coaches Korey McCray, Ernie Zeigler and George Brooks were all on head coach Ben Howland's first Bulldog staff when Howland arrived at MSU prior to the 2015-16 season. Now six years later, the group is preparing for its seventh season together in Maroon and White. It's a remarkable run of consistency that is rare to say the least.
MSU is one of only five staffs in the country to have its head coach and three assistants together since the start of the 2015-16 campaign. The group has been a unit longer than any other Power Five coaching staff in the country other than West Virginia's.
The stability is something Howland certainly doesn't take for granted.
"I have a great staff," Howland said. "Having stability and continuity is really important. We all know each other and everybody gets along really well and is very supportive of one another. So, it's really good for our players. You have the same voice that you had as a freshman talking to you as a junior and senior. You're creating relationships where you're really building trust. So, it's important they're able to count on us being here and us being together and being there for them."
So, who are these three men that have stuck with Howland and helped build the Bulldogs into a team that's seemingly poised to make a run back towards the NCAA Tournament in the year ahead? Let's let them tell you themselves as well as explain what sticking together means for them individually and the Bulldogs as a whole.
Korey McCray: The Spirited Teacher
McCray is the youngest member of the coaching staff. The 43-year old is far from inexperienced with a coaching career that stretches back nearly two decades, however he's still plenty young enough to easily connect with the Bulldog players.
"I bring a lot of good energy," McCray says when asked to describe himself. "I can relate to some of these younger guys, yet still do the job I need to do. If I need to be a disciplinarian, I can be, but I can have a great relationship with these young men while lifting them up and encouraging them. I can understand the music they're listening to, and the styles they have so I can really relate to them in that way. I bring a lot of energy to every practice and every game."
Zeigler describes McCray as a player's coach. He says that it's often McCray that fills the role of the 'good cop' when it's time to capture a player's attention. McCray can find the perfect balance of offering encouragement and constructive criticism.
When Brooks sees McCray, he sees a well-rounded coach, able to perform all duties of the job at a high level.
"I think Korey is really talented in all facets of it," Brooks said. "He is a great coach and is also a great recruiter."
McCray's recruiting ability is no secret at this point. He's a tireless worker and that's led him to be ranked among the SEC's Top 10 recruiters and the nation's Top 30 in three of the last five seasons.
He was the point man that helped names like Aric Holman and Lamar Peters land in Starkville. On this year's team, Iverson Molinar and Shakeel Moore, along with sophomore Andersson Garcia and freshmen Cam Carter and Alden Applewhite, were all recruited by McCray.
McCray's ability to attract top talent, then help develop them when they arrive, is what led Howland to bring McCray to Starkville and keep him here. Howland and McCray first hooked up when Howland was leading UCLA. McCray spent two years on Howland's staff with the Bruins in 2012-13.
When Howland joined the Bulldogs in 2015, the pair reunited, alongside Zeigler and Brooks. And they're all still going strong.
"It's all about chemistry and we have great chemistry," McCray said. "I know what to expect out of everyone in this office and they know what to expect from me. I know their styles, their leadership styles, and their philosophies. It's a great group of guys when you can work that long with one another, trust each other, know each other and most importantly, understand what Coach Howland is looking for.
"Just like a team, you can have a lot of great talent. You can have a lot of great players. But that chemistry, the working together, the playing for each other, and the love you have for one another, that's what really shows on the floor. That's what we have in our staff. We know each other's families and we have a love for one another. It has become like a real family atmosphere."
Ernie Zeigler: The Seasoned Veteran
Perhaps no one is as suited to be by Howland's side as Zeigler. From working with Howland at both Pittsburgh and UCLA over a four-year stretch from 2002-06, to being a head coach for multiple years himself, Zeigler has seen it all and done it all over a coaching career that dates back to 1997.
"Ernie brings an entirely different dimension to things given his history as a former head coach," Brooks said. "He has experience and temperament which allows him to be great in a mentorship sense."
Zeigler is the only assistant that was by Howland's side both times Howland captured National Coach of the Year Awards, first in 2002 with Pitt, then again in 2006 with UCLA. In 2007, Zeigler became the head coach at Central Michigan. That tenure lasted through 2012, then after a stop as an assistant at Detroit, Zeigler rejoined Howland at a school for the third time. It also obviously put Zeigler alongside McCray and Brooks.
McCray labels Zeigler as a hard, tedious worker that is incredibly bright and one of the best at scouting the opposition. It seems easy for both Brooks and McCray to heap praise on Zeigler and all he does for the Bulldogs. As Brooks puts it, Zeigler checks every box a major college has to have in a coach.
He can game plan. He can teach. He can recruit – perhaps most notably being instrumental in the recruiting process of former Bulldog center Abdul Ado and current MSU guard Rocket Watts. It's no wonder Brooks and McCray find it pretty easy to brag on Zeigler.
Perhaps all the compliments are a sign of the comradery between the coaches. All these years together have built a bond that enables all parties to know the ins and outs of each other's tendencies and strengths.
It's a feeling Zeigler is incredibly appreciative for.
"The bond we have is incredibly unique," Zeigler said. "It starts with Coach Howland creating this staff and giving us the flexibility to all bring something to the table as a cohesive unit. I really feel fortunate to be around these guys because when you have continuity, it breeds success."
Zeigler believes it's not the continuity in and of itself that causes the success. It's the ability to communicate better and more efficiently because of familiarity.
"Communication is huge," Zeigler said. "It is a major key to being successful and once you learn people, you know what buttons to push and what not to push. We have that comradery, so we do try to push each other's buttons sometimes, but it's been great when you know how someone thinks. We have even reached the point where we are able to finish each other's sentences. It's been great for us as a group, as we go into year seven very confident about working for coach and our relationships. This cohesiveness is all about making sure our young men reach their ultimate level of success."
George Brooks: The Lighthearted One
Any group can use that guy who comes in and lightens the mood. Enter Brooks.
"If he wanted to, he could go off on a comedy tour," Zeigler said of Brooks. "People that know him know that he is hilarious. No matter the situation, he can always bring people back into realizing that it isn't all that bad. It's a very unique characteristic he has."
You don't have to spend very long talking to Brooks before the laughs start coming. Just ask him to speak about himself.
"My mom told me that if I didn't have anything nice to say, that I shouldn't say anything at all," Brooks quips.
Don't let the humor fool you. Brooks is great at what he does. Players rave about Brooks and how he is a stabilizing force for them on the court and off. Brooks' coworkers praise his all-around skill set as a coach.
"George has a great personality," McCray said. "He is very funny and very smart, which makes him a great recruiter, but he's also great on the court as well. A lot of times, when you say someone is a great X and O guy, that means they aren't a great recruiter or when you have a great recruiter, people think they don't know the game. We have a great staff who can do both. George is a great coach and a great recruiter who has signed some very good players to Mississippi State."
On three different occasions, Brooks has been tabbed as the SEC's top recruiter among assistant coaches. He earned the distinction in 2011, 2016 and 2018. Nationally, Brooks has been ranked among the country's Top 10 recruiters among assistants five times, including four straight seasons from 2015-18 according to 247Sports.
Just look at some of the former Bulldogs that can be attributed to the efforts of Brooks. Quinndary Weatherspoon, Reggie Perry, Robert Woodard II, Tyson Carter, D.J. Stewart Jr., Craig Sword, Gavin Ware and Arnett Moultrie all became Bulldogs in large part because of Brooks. So too did current MSU players Tolu Smith, Derek Fountain, Cameron Matthews, Javian Davis, Garrison Brooks, D.J. Jeffries and ESPN Top 100 recruit KeShawn Murphy.
Notably, Mississippi State has had at least one All-SEC First-Team or Second-Team selection in five consecutive seasons and six of the last seven. Each honoree was a Brooks signee.
Brooks just keeps on making the Bulldogs better, and it shouldn't surprise anyone that knows his history. As Howland puts it, Brooks bleeds Maroon and White.
He played for State from 1992-94. He's been an assistant at his alma mater since 2011, serving under three head coaches – Rick Stansbury, Rick Ray, and now Howland. That makes Brooks the third-longest tenured assistant coach in program history only behind Robert Kirby and Phil Cunningham, both of whom Brooks worked with previously. Brooks is the epitome of loyal service. He's Mr. Bulldog.
"I have an immense amount of Bulldog pride," Brooks said. "I have a belief in the program and the university that is hard to match. That isn't something that can be hired, it must be fostered, and I think I've got that. I have grown a lot as a coach and have learned a lot from all the guys I've coached under. I am hungry to see our university succeed."
And with McCray, Zeigler and Brooks working side-by-side with Howland, Mississippi State is certainly set up to do big things. The staff has forged an unselfish, family bond over the last seven years and MSU is all the better for it.
"We all love this program and want success for everyone that is a part of it," Brooks said. "We all want to win and do our best to go about it the right way. If Korey or Ernie or anyone else were to get recognition for the job they're doing, we all are truly happy for them. This is a strong staff of guys that are immensely talented. They work endless hours to do what they do and to provide those results for the program."
Ben Howland: The Thankful Leader
Howland is grateful for the assistants he relies on. There's no mistaking it's a unique group in a fortunate spot.
Altogether, State's coaching staff under Howland has consistently had MSU in the postseason hunt, as well as developed talented players that have heard their names called in the NBA Draft or found other professional opportunities.
In November, for a seventh straight year, the guys begin the journey all over again. Howland is happy to have the ones he has by his side.
"They all have different strengths, but they're all very similar in that they're very good mentors," Howland said. "They're really good people that are really caring and loving of the players and the people within our program. I think they are good examples of men and what our players aspire to be. And they're good family guys. Every one of them is married and has families. Just great examples, but also really knowledgeable of the game. They're incredibly hard working. They're very connected. They have great backgrounds in basketball. I'm very fortunate."
