STARKVILLE — After sitting out his first season with the Mississippi State’s men’s basketball program due to injury, forward Johnny Zuppardo’s off-court struggles continued last weekend.
Zuppardo, a 6-foot-9 senior-to-be from Bay St. Louis, was arrested on campus Sunday night and charged with driving with a suspended license.
The arrest came after Zuppardo was stopped for running a red light near MSU’s McKee Hall.
According to the police report, Zuppardo’s license had been suspended stemming from a citation for illegal fishing near Hattiesburg.
MSU officials didn’t comment Monday on the matter.
The arrest, though a misdemeanor, was another in a series of setbacks for Zuppardo, who arrived in Starkville last summer after joining the Bulldogs as a late signee in the spring signing period.
Zuppardo earned the scholarship offer by virtue of a strong sophomore season at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, where he averaged 15.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while leading the Bobcats to the first NJCAA National Championship in program history.
After joining MSU in the summer, he missed his junior season due to an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament, suffered early in fall practice.
On Saturday, one day before Zuppardo’s arrest, new MSU coach Ben Howland was asked about the power forward.
“He can really shoot the ball,” Howland said. “That’s something you really need on your team, somebody who can put the ball in the basket.”
Howland said Zuppardo will be classified as a senior in the 2015-16 season, at least until the NCAA rules on a potential medical redshirt that would grant Zuppardo an extra year of eligibility.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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