On Friday night, the Mississippi State bulldogs hosted an exhibition to tip off their 104th season where they took on the Fort Valley Tigers. Not only was this the first time in history that Mississippi State played Fort Valley, but it marked the first game for new Head coach Ben Howland as well.
I.J. Ready, a returning guard from last season, had a very solid game with 17 points and 9 assists. He led the Bulldogs in scoring while Craig “Chicken” Sword had his season debut with a double double. Chicken had 14 points and 10 rebounds to help the Bulldogs win 95-56. As a new face for the Bulldogs, freshhman guard Quinndary Witherspoon had a good game to begin his college career. He had played an average of 20 mins and was responsible for his 15 points. He looked more comfortable on the court with his new team then he did against UAB, where he turned the ball over 9 times. The Bulldogs began the game on a rough patch, but after getting into a rhythm, they could not be stopped.
“What really excites me is to see six guys core in double-digits,” Howland said.
“That means we are spreading the ball around and doing great things.”
The Bulldogs have six returning players from last season’s team. This season, senior forward Gavin Ware is looking to become the 6th player from Mississippi State that has over 800 rebounds. Malik Newman was sidelined the whole game due to turf toe but will be active when Mississippi State takes on Eastern Washington on the 13th.
Howland said he was impressed with the team overall.
“I am pleased overall with our effort. I though we did a good job tonight” said Coach Howland after the victorious exhibition match.
It seems the more comfortable these players become with the new system coach Howland has installed, the more production fans will see out of this Mississippi State basketball team.
This upcoming season looks to be promising with a new coaching staff and top recruits coming together to play for the Bulldogs, shows how interesting this season will become in the near future. The Bulldogs are looking to improve their record Friday against Eastern Washington. It will be a double header as the girls will also be playing Friday as well. Ben Howland is looking to put Mississippi State on the map with his high level coaching status and pedigree of recruiting.
