STARKVILLE — Several nights a week, members of the Mississippi State men’s basketball team will get together to watch a college basketball game.
It doesn’t take long for them to shake their heads and wonder what they have to do to attract national attention.
Junior forward Arnett Moultrie could be the spokesperson for that group. Although the transfer from the University of Texas at El Paso is sixth in the country in rebounding, he and the No. 15 Bulldogs haven’t garnered a lot of publicity.
That’s OK with Moultrie, though, because he knows he and MSU will have to create their own buzz.
“That’s something we all laugh and trip about as a team, and that’s why we go out and try to prove everybody wrong,” Moultrie said.
Moultrie leads MSU in scoring (16.8 points) and rebounding (11.4 rebounds) and is tied for the league lead with eight double-doubles. While players like the University of Kansas’ Thomas Robinson, North Carolina’s John Henson, and Kentucky freshmen Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Anthony Davis have attracted a lot of attention entering conference play, Moultrie has largely been overlooked in part, his teammates say, because he doesn’t play for a classic, blue blood college basketball program.
“If he was at North Carolina, he would probably be a first-team All-American,” MSU freshman guard Rodney Hood said. “I was just talking to the team about that (Thursday) night that schools that are bigger get the media spotlight. The problem is I haven’t seen a power forward I would rather play with.”
Moultrie, who is 6-foot-11, hasn’t received a Southeastern Conference Player of the Week this season. Only Kentucky and Florida players have earned those honors. In addition, MSU has had only two games on national television. Both came at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“I think at the end of the day you don’t worry about all that. Your stats will take care of it,” MSU coach Rick Stansbury said. “The key to that is the success of your team. The more your team wins, the more you’re going to get noticed as an individual. That’s the whole key. Everybody that’s played against Arnett or seen him play, they have a pretty good feel for him and what he is.”
Against No. 5 Baylor on Dec. 28 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Moultrie held a potential No. 1 pick Perry Jones III to eight points on 4-for-13 shooting in a 54-52 loss.
“It does a lot,” Moultrie said when asked if the lack of attention bothers him. “It’s the reason we have a chip on our shoulder.”
Moultrie has had a host of highlights in his short MSU career. He became the first MSU player to record a double-double in his debut since Lawrence Roberts to start the 2002-03 season. He also received MVP honors at the 2K Classic in New York.
“He is very impressive and crucial to what MSU is doing,” ESPN college basketball analyst Jimmy Dykes said. “I like his endurance and ability to stay on the floor averaging 33 minutes a game. He’s one of the real surprises in the country.”
As MSU (13-2) prepares for its Southeastern Conference opener Saturday at the University of Arkansas (10-3), the Bulldogs still feel the consistency of Moultrie and the leadership of senior point guard Dee Bost will be critical in helping them win away from Humphrey Coliseum.
Hood, who is averaging 12.3 points per game, has 11 double-digit scoring efforts this season. He is the first freshman to score in double-digits in his first four games since Rickey Brown to start the 1976-77 season. The former Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Mississippi is on pace to break Ray White’s record of 28 double-digit outputs in their freshman season.
Professional scouts have told MSU coaches what they want to hear about Moultrie and his potential at the next level. Most NBA mock drafts have Moultrie as a mid-first round selection.
“As the season goes on, there’s a lot of things you continue to watch and continue to see,” Stansbury said. “That’s why they get out there and do their jobs, but I’ve found this out over the years, it doesn’t matter what I think. I have no idea what they’re looking for because we’ve had some pretty good players not get drafted.”
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