STARKVILLE — The fans have spoken to complete the biggest component of Mississippi State University’s 100 Years of Basketball celebration.
On Tuesday, the final tabulations for the “Starting 5” and “Top 5 Games” as voted on by the fans were compiled, and it’s an all-star cast with countless achievements and accolades that received the most votes.
Standouts Bailey Howell, Jeff Malone, Darryl Wilson, Erick Dampier, and Jarvis Varnado, all of whom received All-America or All-Southeastern Conference honors or both were named to the final team.
“These five men represented Mississippi State on the court with great class and integrity, while also serving as great ambassadors off the court,” MSU Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin said. “This is an exciting time in our program’s history, and I’m glad our fans had such a vital part in this process.”
Fans also chose the five greatest games in school history, all of which occurred in March. The top 5 are March 15, 1963, vs. Loyola; March 2, 1991, vs. LSU; March 10, 1996, vs. Kentucky; March 24, 1996, vs. Cincinnati; and March 6, 2004, vs. Alabama.
“We have played countless big games that have had a major impact on our university, and these five games certainly reflect our history,” Stricklin said. “Bulldog fans have their own stories and memories from these games, which makes them a special part of our basketball tradition.”
Howell played at MSU from 1957-59. He is the program’s second-leading scorer (2,030 points) and the school record-holder for scoring average at 27.1. He was elected into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997. He also was MSU’s first consensus first-team All-American (1958-59).
Malone, who played for the Bulldogs from 1980-83, is the school’s all-time scoring leader with 2,142 points. He was a three-time All-SEC guard (1981-83) as a four-year starter.
Dampier played at MSU from 1994-96. He became only the fifth player in MSU history to earn first-team All-SEC honors in back-to-back seasons (1995-96 and 1994-95).
Wilson (1994-96) led the Bulldogs to a three-year record of 66-27 and three consecutive postseason tournament appearances as a three-time all-SEC backcourt performer. He was a member of MSU’s 1996 NCAA Final Four and 1995 NCAA “Sweet 16” ballclubs.
Varnado patrolled the lane at MSU from (2007-10. He finished a record-setting career ranked 13th all-time on the MSU scoring list with 1,403 points and second with 1,096 rebounds. He also set an NCAA record with 564 blocked shots, becoming the first player in the history of college basketball to score 1,000 points, collect 1,000 rebounds, and block 500 shots.
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