Southeast Missouri State hired its new head coach as former Mississippi State head coach Rick Ray will take over, the school announced on Monday. The news was first reported by Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com. Ray replaces former head coach Dickey Nutt, who parted ways with the program after six seasons.
Ray is coming off of a three-year tenure with the Bulldogs in which he finished 37-60 in the league with a 13-41 record in SEC play.
Also a former assistant coach at Clemson, Purdue, Northern Illinois and Indiana State, Ray brings head-coaching experience to the OVC program who hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2000 after transitioning from the Division II level.
The Redhawks hired Ray after other finalists, Michigan State associate head coach Dwayne Stephens and Virginia Tech assistant coach Isaac Chew, reportedly dropped out of the running for the job.