STARKVILLE — Ben Howland saw his men’s basketball programs at Northern Arizona, Pittsburgh, and UCLA gain national
relevance in his third season as head coach.
Howland hopes the same holds true at Mississippi State.
The veteran coach is beaming with optimism as he begins his 35th season — and third with the Bulldogs– as a coach.
“You have to have players that are self-driven,” Howland said Monday at the weekly meeting of the Starkville Rotary Club. “I have coached so many NBA players and those players all had the same pedigree. You have to be motivated. You have to take the court knowing you have outworked everyone of your opponents.
“The players who put in the extra time and commitment on their own, those are the ones who succeed on the highest level. When a player earns playing time, he needs to look back and know that that extra work effort is what got him those minutes.”
Transforming MSU has been a challenge. Howland has led MSU to a 30-33 record in his first two seasons at the school. The Bulldogs haven’t played in the postseason. With a hall of fame coaching resume, questions about job security are rarely asked.
Howland said he was in Starkville for the long haul and that he and his wife, Kim, had finally moved into a house. Howland said Kim already has “planted every flower imaginable in their yard.”
Now Howland wants to see his team blossom. Howland led Northern Arizona to the National Invitation Tournament in his third season at the school. His third season at Pittsburgh ended with an appearance in the NCAA tournament Sweet 16. His third season at UCLA ended with a loss in the national championship game.
The Bulldogs are finally playing with a full roster, which includes Abdul Ado. The 6-foot-11 Ado had to sit out last season to gain eligibility. He will have four seasons with the Bulldogs.
“Abdul is why I am so excited,” Howland said. “Fans are in for a treat. He may have the longest wingspan I have ever had in coaching. In his first semester, he had a 4.0 GPA. That is the type of person he is. Highly driven. Ultra competitive. He is quick on his feet and has good touch with his hands. He will be that extra presence inside we didn’t have last season.”
Howland spoke highly of new strength and conditioning coach Collin Crane, who comes to MSU from Chattanooga. Howland said Crane’s contributions are critical since the strength and conditioning coach gets 75 percent of the time players have with coaches during the eight-week summer program.
“We have everybody here for both sessions of summer school,” Howland said. “The strength and conditioning program is outstanding. I really like the things they are doing.”
The Bulldogs have two open scholarships and list 14 players on the 2017-18 roster. MSU won’t have any seniors.
“We are finally close to the type of depth we need to compete in the (Southeastern Conference),” Howland said. “You are going to see a lot of progress from a lot of players.”
Howland said fans can look forward to sophomore Lamar Peters and freshman Nick Weatherspoon playing together even though they are both point guards. The togetherness of Nick and older brother junior Quinndary Weatherspoon will also be on display.
“They are close as can be but are two totally different individuals,” Howland said. “Nick was born with that mean streak — and I mean that in a good way — that Q simply does not have.”
Quinndary will have the screws removed from a wrist surgery later this week. Howland expects the team’s leading scorer from last season to be ready to go Aug. 14, when classes begin for the fall semester.
Howland said Tyson Carter has added weight and remains the team’s most pure scorer. Incoming freshman KeyShawn Feazell also has turned heads with a soft touch despite having the largest hands on the team.
From a schedule standpoint, non-conference highlights include matchups against NCAA tournament regulars Dayton and Cincinnati, as well as a Jackson-area game against Southern Mississippi and a home tournament. In the SEC, MSU will play Ole Miss, Alabama, Missouri, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt twice in an 18-game schedule.
Howland believes the Bulldogs can take another step this season. MSU last played in the NCAA tournament in 2009 and the NIT in 2012.
To achieve postseason success, Howland will continue to recruit the state of Mississippi first. Six members of this year’s squad are from Mississippi.
“That may have been the biggest challenge,” Howland said. “In this sport, people grow up playing football first, football second, and baseball third. Kids get their first football helmet for Christmas in second grade. They don’t get basketballs.
“Quinndary Weatherspoon was supposed to be a baseball star before he started playing (basketball) in ninth grade. The good news is the other schools do not raid the state for some players, like they do in football. We will continue to bring the best players in this state to our campus.”
During the recruiting process, Howland is looking for those self-starters.
“Eli Wright is a gym rat,” Howland said. “He is there all the time. You want players you have to throw out of the gym. Not only do we have those types of players, they bring their teammates to work out. Tyson Carter is taking teammates to his high school gym to shoot most nights.
“We start at 7:30 each morning for our summer workouts. We have players arriving there now at 6:45. That didn’t happen two years ago. That is why we are going to get where we want to go.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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