Mississippi State basketball picked up two standout high school signees on Wednesday when men’s and women’s teams took advantage of the spring recruiting period.
After a team that lacked size this past season, the MSU men’s team picked up 3-star Elton “EJ” Datcher from Vincent High School in Alabama. Datcher is a 6-foot-9, 245-pound center. In his high school career, Datcher played in 106 games while averaging 11.6 points, 1.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds, 1 steal and 3 blocks per game.
After tearing his meniscus his junior year and missing the majority of the season, he bounced back strong for his senior year. Playing in all of his teams’ games, Datcher led his team to a 24-7 record while averaging 18 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.
MSU Head Coach Ben Howland is very happy about Datcher joining the team next season after he flew under the radar from most teams because of his knee injury.
“We are very excited to have EJ joining the Bulldog family and basketball program,” Coach Howland said. “He is a great kid from a wonderful family. I think he has a very bright future as a player and person in our program. He has excellent size and has outstanding hands and feet for a kid of his size and strength. He’s got a lot of upside because of his basketball IQ.”
Datcher was named to the 2A First Team All-State team and is ranked the third-best player in the state of Alabama.
MSU’s women’s team stuck to an in-state recruit in Ameshya Williams. Williams was a Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen player, named to the First Team All-State team and played in the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star game.
At 6-foot-2, Williams led her team to a 25-3 record but lost in the state championship game against Holmes County Central where she suffered an ankle injury in the first half. During her senior campaign, she averaged 24.6 points, 14.2 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 3.6 blocks per game.
MSU Head Coach Vic Shaefer is very pleased with being able to keep Williams at home in Mississippi as a Bulldog.
“We are excited to add Ameshya to our Mississippi State family. We are very happy for both Ameshya and her family because she has worked so hard for this moment,” Schaefer said. “She is the best senior player in the state of Mississippi. Our focus when we came here four years ago was to keep the state’s best players at home, and we are so excited to continue that with the signing of Ameshya.”
When talking about Mississippi State, Williams said she loved the feeling she got when she stepped on campus.
“I am excited to be going to play at Mississippi State for Coach Schaefer,” Williams said. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to be able to play for Mississippi State in one of the country’s top conferences, the SEC. When I went on my visit, I really liked the environment. It felt like family there. I also like that I will be a Bulldog because I am a bulldog when I’m on the court.”
