Despite what it might read in the official roster, Mississippi State’s Richard Delk is no longer a freshman.
While he may still take freshman-level courses and live on-campus, on the basketball court, Delk has gained the experience and maturity lacking in nearly all first-year athletes.
“Like coach (Stansbury) says, we’re sophomores now,” Delk said. “Getting out there and playing, we feel a lot more comfortable.”
Of the five new faces on the Bulldog roster this season, Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year hopeful Jamont Gordon and Richard’s twin brother Reginald have seen the bulk of the minutes, ranking first and fourth respectively in minutes per game.
But it was Delk who had his coming-out party against Georgia last weekend. Starting his fifth game of the season, the 6-foot-4 frosh filled the stat sheet with 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes, all career-highs.
“He did a lot of things out there,” MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said after the game. “I thought Richard had his swagger back and played with a lot of confidence. He played off the dribble, and that’s what he has to do.”
The Bulldogs are now 5-1 with Delk in the starting line-up, including wins against Arkansas and George Mason.
“Every day, I’ve been practicing hard,” Delk said. “I think if I continue to practice hard and play hard in the game, I’ll do even better.”
Highly-touted for his playmaking ability at North Side High School in Jackson, Tenn., Delk and his newfound starting role adds a new dimension to the Bulldogs, who rank last in the conference in assists and turnovers.
Delk and the Mississippi State Bulldogs will look for their fourth consecutive home win Saturday against Ronald Steele and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Steele scored 19 points in a Feb. 26 victory over then-No. 9 Florida, handing the Gators their third straight loss and seemingly locking up a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Gordon scored 18 points and had eight rebounds in the MSU’s last game with the Tide, but a late run came up short as the Bulldogs dropped a 65-59 heartbreaker to the Tide.
Delk’s inclusion in the starting lineup figures to help the Bulldogs on the boards. They were out-rebounded 42-35 in the Jan. 28 contest in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
“We have to get out there and play hard,” Delk said. “Shoot the ball well, rebound and play defense.”
The Bulldogs will look to avoid consecutive season sweeps to Alabama.