Last season, their roles were simple: come off the bench, contribute to the team’s production, sit back and learn from the veterans. While the expectations were low, State’s freshman trio of Ben Hansbrough, Barry Stewart and Jarvis Varnado, had no problem exceeding them.
Hansbrough displayed the ability to lead the team and make plays happen, while Stewart and Varnado etched their names into the State record books.
However, this season all three have inserted themselves into head coach Rick Stansbury’s starting lineup and are being asked to elevate their game for a team with lofty expectations of returning to the big dance in March.
“The expectations are exciting,” Stewart said. “The sophomore class is going to have to step up for the team this season, and I know we’re up for the challenge.”
Stewart was able to make a name for himself last season with his pinpoint accuracy from outside the three-point arc.
In his first season, Stewart set the State freshman record for three-pointers made with 68 and also holds the freshman record for three-point shots attempted with 174.
Stewart admits it was not until last season he had ever attempted so many shots for behind the arc. Instead he was more willing to create plays off the dribble, which is something he’s looking forward to returning to this season.
“Over the summer, I’ve worked on trying to get to the basket more,” Stewart said. “I know last year a lot of teams saw me as a guy who just took a lot of threes, but this year with our offense, I’ll be able to do more things off the dribble.”
Stewart said the change will benefit him more as he takes on the role of backing up junior point guard Jamont Gordon, who after this season may leave Starkville for the NBA.
While Gordon is the current leader on the court, it’s a past Bulldog point guard Stansbury often refers to when mentioning Stewart.
“Barry Stewart reminds me so much of Timmy Bowers,” Stansbury said in his media day press conference. “If you compare Barry Stewart to Timmy Bowers’ freshman year, the difference is that Barry played his freshman year and Timmy did not. Now if Barry can improve year-to-year the way Timmy did, well that is to be determined.”
Stansbury said if Stewart does not improve from last year, it will not be from lack of effort. He believes he will bring more versatility to his game this year.
Bowers, who played at State from 2001-04, helped guide three of Stansbury’s teams into postseason NCAA tournament play.
Stewart said he’s honored with the comparison.
“It’s something to live up to,” Stewart said. “Being compared to someone like that, you have to excel, you have to be the best every day.”
Stewart and fellow guard Hansbrough, who were both voted on the SEC’s All-Freshman team last season, admits it’s sometimes tough playing for a coach who is a former guard himself.
Stansbury, a former standout at Campbellsville College, puts a premium on defense, and Hansbrough said that begins with the guards.
“Coach always says defense starts with the head of the snake,” Hansbrough said. “It all starts with how our point guard puts pressure on the opposing team’s guard. Good pressure makes it hard for them to make passes, and it also set the tone.”
Hansbrough said he’s becoming more comfortable alongside Gordon in the backcourt and relishes in the freedom it gives him to come off screens and make shots, as well as also giving him the opportunity to create shots for teammates.
The two guards, who share a place with Varnado, say the chemistry among the three of them can often provide for some entertaining moments.
Each of them began smiling and laughing when trying to determine who the biggest prankster among them was.
Hansbrough said the team in general is a closer group, often gathering together, but Varnado said the bond between the sophomores may be even closer.
“It’s probably closer,” Varnado said. “They’re great guys and we get along perfectly. Every day we’re talking about what we need to do to beat this team or that team. It’s great.”
Varnado, a Brownville, Tenn., native, set the school freshman record for blocked shots with 67, breaking current Dallas Mavericks center Eric Dampier’s mark set in 1993.
This season, Stansbury is asking Varnado to play smarter, earning less fouls and increasing his minutes.
“My first year I had to learn a lot about defense, and coach Stansbury helped me make the transition easier,” Varnado said. “This season, I’m going to have to stay on my feet more when I’m going up to contest a shot and slide my feet more.”
One thing that remains constant among the trio is their desire to get this group of Bulldogs back to winning championships and to the NCAA Tournament.