STARKVILLE — Johnny Zuppardo is an unknown to many fans of the Mississippi State men’s basketball team.
The senior forward has yet to play a game for the Bulldogs. After graduating from St. Stanislaus, a Catholic day and boarding school for boys in grades 7-12 in Bay St. Louis, Zuppardo began his college career at Arkansas State in 2011-12. He appeared in 24 games and averaged 1.3 points and one rebound. He transferred to Southern Mississippi, but didn’t play a game there after sitting out due to the NCAA transfer rules. He then transferred to Jones County Junior College, where he helped the Bobcats win the National Junior College Athletic Association championship in 2013-14. He transferred to MSU prior to last season, but he missed the campaign after tearing the meniscus and the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Zuppardo is fully healthy and is expected to contribute this season. MSU first-year head coach Ben Howland will get his first official look at Zuppardo and the rest of his players Monday when they start practice. The team will kick off the season Nov. 13 against Eastern Washington at Humphrey Coliseum.
“I can’t wait to just prove so many people wrong and just to show this is what I do,” Zuppardo said. “I have no doubt I’m going to be a great player for our team this year, an impact player.
“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this. I’m not going to shy short. I’m going to step up to the challenge. No one has seen me play here, so that’s really exciting. There’s a lot of question marks around my name, and I have no worries at all.”
Zuppardo averaged 16.2 points and 7.7 rebounds as a senior to help the Rock-a-Chaws to the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 4A State championship with a 34-2 record. He started 26 of the 32 games he played at JCJC and averaged 15.2 points and 6.9 rebounds.
As Zuppardo looks back on his journey to MSU, he is happy with the way it has shaped his life.
“I learned so much, I saw so many things,” Zuppardo said. “Now nothing bothers me. Nothing can get to me because I’ve seen and done it all. I’ve made mistakes, but I’ve learned from it.”
Zuppardo was ready to help the Bulldogs last season, but the injury forced him to watch from the sidelines as his teammates stumbled to a 13-19 record.
The Bulldogs could have used him last season, as they were already thin in the frontcourt, but the injury helped him mature.
“It helped me appreciate everything more,” Zuppardo said. “You can go down at any minute and you can’t control it, so you really just have to enjoy every single minute of it.”
Zuppardo said the injury broke his heart, but he shook it off and has come back a better player who can jump higher and feels stronger.
Howland has been impressed with Zuppardo’s shooting ability. The 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward can stretch defenses and force them to defend behind the 3-point line.
But there have been times in practice where Howland has told Zuppardo he’s not allowed to shoot.
“He’s got to come a much better defender, a much better screener,” Howland said. “Athletically, he’s got to make up for a lot of things. He’s not a great SEC power forward athlete. He’s got to make up for it with toughness and by doing things really smart and intelligently.”
Zuppardo said he has really hard on becoming a well-rounded player. He knows he can help the Bulldogs by being a better rebounder, and that’s the main thing he has been focusing on.
When Zuppardo got to Starkville, he knew what type of player he was, so he knew the things he had to work on, but Howland brought his weaknesses to the forefront.
“He’s a great coach because he really brought it out and he recognized it,” Zuppardo said. “He told me I had to work on those things to play, and I expect it because it’s the truth.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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