STARKVILLE — Entering his third season as Mississippi State’s men’s basketball coach, Rick Ray hopes this year’s newcomers help MSU end its postseason drought.
The group includes sharp-shooting guard Maurice Dunlap, a freshman from Greenwood; 6-foot-9 post player Oliver Black, of Jackson Wingfield High School; and junior college transfer Travis Daniels and redshirt freshman Fallou Ndoye, who were on campus a year ago but will take the court for the first time as Bulldogs this season.
Ray’s hopes are perhaps highest for freshman small forward Demetrius Houston, of Montgomery, Alabama. A member of the Rivals.com Top 100 a year ago as a senior at Montgomery’s Carver High, Houston chose MSU over offers from Alabama, Auburn, and Seton Hall.
Houston, who averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds as a senior, has shown glimpses that excite Ray.
“I think he’s a guy that can be an All-SEC-caliber player,” Ray said. “He’s 6-foot-7, got a great wingspan. He will be probably our most athletic guy. He can jump out of the gym. There’s something about that high school and the athletes they produce (MSU junior Craig Sword also played at Carver). Demetrius has a chance to be special.”
Entering Ray’s third season at MSU, the Bulldogs have gone 24-41 (7-29 in the Southeastern Conference) in the past two seasons. But the newcomers and the return of five starters from last season has Ray saying, “It’s all about making it to the postseason.”
Houston has lived up to his hype. Less than three weeks before MSU will play host to Delta State in an exhibition game at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, the swingman’s work ethic has caught the eyes of his teammates. Ray doesn’t allow freshmen or any member of the program to talk to the media until they have played a game for the Bulldogs.
“He’s real athletic,” said senior point guard Trivante Bloodman, one of the team’s five returning starters. “He gives us a playmaker that can do a lot. If you give it to him on the fast break, he knows how to finish. He’s going to be a good player.”
Houston’s ability to adjust to Division I basketball and become a key contributor will be critical for a team that has been short on size and athleticism the past two years. Houston brings both, and is a major part of Ray’s plan to move the program forward.
“I know I’ve said this before, but we go from having three guys on our team who are 6-foot-7 or above to having seven guys who are 6-foot-7 or above,” Ray said. “We go from having one guy on our team who is 6-foot-9 or above to having four guys on our team who are 6-9 or above. I’m really excited about what we can do. I think it’s going to help our players individually and as a team.”
Even though he is a newcomer, Houston is expected to compete for minutes immediately. The Class 6A Alabama Player of the Year led Carver to a 24-5 record last season. Houston also was selected to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game. He had nine points and three rebounds in that game.
“He’s quick, athletic, he can finish,” MSU guard Fred Thomas said. “He can score. He can help us in a lot of ways.”
Ray feels Houston could be a player who helps solidify the program’s foundation.
“I think he is going to be a fantastic player,” Ray said. “He’s even better than I thought he would be. He’s 6-7 and a legitimate three-man. I just don’t see anybody on the court that is going to be more athletic than him. He’s a guy that can finish at the rim against anybody. I think as he learns the game of basketball and continues to increase his skill level, I don’t see how he doesn’t end up being an All-SEC type guy because there’s nobody with that size, length, and athleticism as far as opposing teams.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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