By Ben Portnoy
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The first practice of Mississippi State senior forward Aric Holman and senior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon’s college career was a two-a-day — one practice in the morning, another in the afternoon.
For a freshman player still learning the ins-and-outs of college life, let alone a complex new basketball system, the day was exhausting.
“A high school kid, me and Q were like, ‘Man, I’m so tired after the first practice,'” Holman said. “So seeing all the determination that goes into all of this was a culture shock from the jump.”
Nearly four years since that initial practice, Holman and Weatherspoon will leave the MSU program in a far different spot than when they arrived.
When head coach Ben Howland was hired in March 2015, previous bench boss Rick Ray had compiled an abysmal 37-60 record in his three years at the helm.
Further, the Bulldogs hadn’t made the NCAA tournament since 2009 — a six-year drought to that point.
Friday night, Holman and Weatherspoon will lead MSU into its first NCAA tournament game in almost a decade against No. 12 seed Liberty at the SAP Center in San Jose.
“We knew we wanted to change the culture coming in,” Weatherspoon said. “So it means the world to me and Aric to know that we got this team here over the four years and all the work that we put in finally paid off.”
In Thursday’s shoot-around practice at the SAP Center, Holman and Weatherspoon were stone-faced. Neither cracked more than the occasional smirk.
Weatherspoon threw out a curse word or two as a few of his jump shots rimmed out.
As the practice closed, most of the Bulldogs fired shots from half-court, laughing with each half-hearted lob toward the rim.
Meanwhile, MSU’s only two seniors were absent.
Holman stood on the other side of the court, lining up 3-pointers from the wings and corners. Squaring, catching, firing, scoring.
To his side, Weatherspoon conducted an interview near the bench.
While both events were rather mundane, they encapsulated Holman and Weatherspoon’s personalities in contrast to the rest of the team’s.
Neither is particularly outgoing, relying on their play to do more talking than their words.
The two also share a level of understanding.
Originally part of a five-man freshman class, Holman and Weatherspoon are the only two that remain.
Despite the departures, MSU has steadily improved in their four years in Starkville.
A 14-17 mark in 2015 quickly shifted to a 25-12 record and a berth in the NIT semifinals two years later. This year’s NCAA Tournament selection is just the latest step for a program with plenty of upward trajectory.
“These guys are passionate about winning and getting better and not letting any day pass them,” Holman said of the greatest differences between the 2016 and 2019 rosters. “They take every day seriously to try and get better every day, but at the end of the day the culture has changed for the aspect of guys just wanting to win and be the best they can be.”
For Holman and Weatherspoon, the one-and-done nature of the NCAA tournament means each game could mark the final time they don an MSU jersey.
But there’s a semblance of pride in that whenever the ride through March Madness ends. MSU is in a significantly better place than it was when Holman and Weatherspoon arrived.
“We came in together so we’ve seen some things and done some things on the court that we can never forget,” Holman said. ” So we’re always going to be brothers even though we don’t share the same blood.”
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.