Four years ago, there was buzz around top-10 recruit Malik Newman and how he would carry Mississippi State University men’s basketball back to the NCAA tournament.
However, there was another freshman on the team, Quinndary Weatherspoon, now a senior guard from Canton. Four years later, he has accomplished just what many thought Newman, who transferred after his freshman year, would do.
Weatherspoon, along with Aric Holman, a senior forward from Owensboro, Kentucky, will play their last game in Humphrey Coliseum this Saturday when MSU takes on Texas A&M University.
I know spring break starts on Friday, but I cannot stress enough how much these seniors deserve a full house on Saturday. The game is at 1 p.m., so there is plenty of time after to start a road trip.
Unless you are going on a trip and leaving Friday or Saturday, be there to support Weatherspoon and Holman, because they have earned the right to receive the well-known Bulldog support. Especially considering the lack of student support in the month of February.
When Weatherspoon joined MSU his freshman year, the team was coming off their third losing season in a row, and was a combined 13-41 in those three years in conference play. The program was at rock bottom.
Now, in Weatherspoon’s senior season, they are a lock for the NCAA Tournament, and a projected six seed at that, according to ESPN’s Bracketology Expert Joe Lunardi.
Weatherspoon and Holman are the centerpieces of the resurgence of MSU basketball. Weatherspoon has put together one of the more accomplished careers in MSU history. This season, he is averaging 18.8 points a game, second in the SEC, on 51.4 percent shooting, good for fourth in the SEC and the top number for guards in the conference. Weatherspoon is the consistent and constant driving force of this team.
I will never forget his buzzer beater against Vanderbilt University his freshman year, or his buzzer beater against Baylor University in the NIT last season—a few of many special moments he gave this fan base.
He has been the motor of this team for four years. Whenever the team gets into a dry spell, Weatherspoon was always there to drag them out. He carries this team on his back at times, willing them to victories.
He is one of the greatest player’s in school history, third all-time in scoring and only needs 76 points to pass Bailey Howell as second, and 188 points to pass Jeff Malone as the all-time leader. He has at least four games left this season, and could have more, depending on how deep MSU goes in the SEC and NCAA tournaments.
Holman deserves just as much support. A projected first-round pick coming into the year, Holman struggled early on and lost his starting spot as a result but he handled the demotion in the most mature way possible. You do not see him complaining to the media, he comes in and works hard, and is starting to work his way out of his poor play.
The two have given blood, sweat and tears for this university and its fans. The showing from students the last month was pitiful and totally undeserved for the type of team this school has.
Send off the two players, who played a vital role in the revival of MSU basketball in the right way, with a standing ovation from a loud student body. They have earned it, and every available student should be there to cheer them on in their last game. They have given so much for this school; our attendance is the least we can give back to them.
