STARKVILLE — For a season that began with uncertainty, Mississippi State point guard I.J. Ready is looking pretty sure of himself on the court these days.
Ready, a sophomore from Little Rock, Arkansas, missed the first two games of the season recovering from back surgery to repair a herniated disc. After a brief period of adjustment following the injury, Ready is hitting his stride as MSU enters the heart of its
Southeastern Conference schedule.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound point guard has emerged in the past month as MSU’s most dynamic offensive player, scoring in double digits in five of his past six games. That stretch includes a career-high 18 points in a 74-70 loss to Texas A&M and 11 more in a 57-54 win against Vanderbilt that snapped MSU’s 16-game conference losing streak. Ready will try to keep that momentum going at 8 tonight when he helps lead MSU against Auburn (10-7, 2-2 SEC) at Auburn Arena. The SEC Network will broadcast the game.
“Just being more aggressive,” Ready said. “Listening to my coaches, going through the offense but, at the same time, I’m not hesitating to take my shot or to drive to the rim. That’s what the coaches want me to do, so that’s what I’m doing.”
The statistics reflect Ready’s importance to the team. If he’s on, so are the Bulldogs. If he struggles, like in a scoreless effort against Tennessee, the Bulldogs falter. Against Tennessee, MSU scored 47 points.
After scoring a little more than five points per game in his first eight games this season, Ready found his stride in late December. Since a 10-point outing against McNeese State on Dec. 30, Ready has averaged 10.8 points and three assists per game. The Bulldogs also are scoring again. After enduring a five-game losing streak in which it scored 52 points per game, MSU has scored 63.5 ppg. in its past two games.
MSU coach Rick Ray said Ready’s growing role in the offense has paid dividends for the Bulldogs (8-9, 1-3 SEC).
“I look at I.J. as a complete player,” Ray said. “He is a point guard who is looking to play the game the right way as far as looking to distribute the ball and looking to score when he needs to. He is also someone who is a threat to knock down a perimeter shot. Then you’ve got his leadership skills, which are second to none. Those are three things — passing, shooting, and leadership — we really need on this team, and he brings all three to the table.”
Lately, Ready has delivered those elements late in games. Ready scored all 18 of his points at Texas A&M in the second half. Against Vanderbilt, he scored MSU’s last five points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute.
“It was a huge shot,” MSU junior guard Fred Thomas said. “He didn’t hesitate, either. We trust him,and we see it every day in practice, so it never surprises me when I.J. hits a shot like that.”
Ready’s play of late has also been remarkably efficient. After struggling with his shot early in the season, Ready was 6 of 7 from the field in a win against Florida State on Jan. 2. He has eclipsed the 50-percent shooting mark in three of his four games since.
Ready said the improved production has been about comfort.
“I think it took me a few games after the injury to find my game,” Ready said. “Once I did, I started getting my legs back. Now I feel pretty good, so that helps me be more aggressive. You’ll also be a better player when you’re more aggressive.”
At times, that aggressive streak has hurt Ready, as evidenced by a six-turnover performance in the first half against Vanderbilt that left MSU trailing 26-18 at halftime. But Ready committed only one turnover in the second half and the Bulldogs scored 39 points in the final 20 minutes to earn the come-from-behind victory.
“We stopped turning the ball over, mostly because I.J. settled down,” Ray said. “Once he gets into his groove and starts leading us, we are a better basketball team.”
Ready’s teammates said the key to their point guard’s game isn’t his ability to score or to dish the ball to open scorers. Instead, it’s the intangible coaches dream of: Leadership.
“He’s a guy that’s not going to say a whole lot on or off the court,” MSU junior forward Gavin Ware said. “But he says it all by his actions. When he’s playing well, I think that rubs off on the rest of us.”
One person who isn’t surprised by Ready’s leadership is Al Flanigan, who coached him at Parkview Magnet School.
“They call point guards floor generals, and he is definitely that,” said Flanigan, who coached Ready until he signed with MSU in the spring of 2013. “He’s actually more than a floor general. What would he be, a commander in chief? That’s how good of a leader he is.”
Ready’s leadership will be tested if MSU is going to bounce back from its five-game losing streak. After going 1-5 in December, MSU will have another chance tonight to build momentum in a game against Auburn. To do so, the Bulldogs will have to break a 22-game road losing streak, a run that started while Ready was a senior in high school.
“We try not to think of it like that,” Ready said of the streak earlier this year. “It’s all about blocking out distractions and coming together as a team.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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