STARKVILLE — Lamar Peters was known as a scorer in high school.
Playing for the Landry-Walker (La.) High School boys basketball team, Peters averaged 26 points as a senior. He made 10 3-pointers in a 67-61 win against University High in the AllState Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic and 10 3-pointers against Chalmette High.
But Peters, who was named to the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Class 5A All-State team, knew he was going to undergo a huge transition when he arrived at Mississippi State.
Instead of playing shooting guard, Peters will play point guard for second-year MSU men’s basketball coach Ben Howland this season. He will make his debut for MSU at 7 tonight against Delta State in an exhibition game at Humphrey Coliseum.
Peters and MSU will open the season against Norfolk State at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, at Humphrey Coliseum.
“It was kind of tough at first,” Peters said. “I had to calm down. I was playing with I.J. Ready and talking to him. He was telling me how to slow down, not overthink and just play your game. It’s been a big transition from turning into a scorer to a pass-first guard and knowing how to get other good players like Tyson Carter and Quinndary Weatherspoon involved. I’m just hoping I can make it.”
The 6-foot, 188-pound Peters likely will serve as Ready’s backup. Ready, a senior, averaged 9.2 points and 4.5 assists last season.
But when Peters is on the floor, he will be in charge of putting the other four players in the right position and getting the offense set up. For a first-year player, that’s a huge responsibility.
“The point guard is like the quarterback of the team, so you have to see the floor. You have to get used to talking to others and coaching the team,” Peters said. “You’re the second coach after coach Howland. That’s a big job for me coming out of high school from playing two-guard.”
Howland said Peters is learning how to compete and to bring the level of intensity it takes to compete in the Southeastern Conference. Howland said the biggest thing Peters is learning is how to respond to adversity.
Howland, who coached Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook at UCLA, said Peters has adapted well to the change of positions. He said Peters was trying to get a feel for point guard early, but he said he saw a big improvement in him last week at practice.
“At one point a week ago, he had a stretch where he had three practices where he had two turnovers,” Howland said. “Before, he had been getting, seven, eight, nine a day. That’s the kind of progress you want to see. Now it’s just sustaining that and being consistent.”
Peters said Howland told him his No. 1 job is to make sure he doesn’t turn the ball over.
“I can’t be out there turning the ball over because that’s limiting us. I just have to take the risk, take the chance, and make sure I don’t turn the ball over,” Peters said.
In four games in Italy in August, Peters averaged 11 points and four rebounds. He had a team-high 24 assists and eight steals. He received a lot of playing time after Ready was diagnosed with mononucleosis in the first game.
Sophomore forward Aric Holman, who averaged 1.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in 21 games last season, called Peters confident.
“When he has the ball in his hands, I’m expecting him to make a play at every moment, no matter where he catches the ball,” Holman said. “He’s so skilled, he sees the floor, and to me (he is) what I call a ‘dog.’ He’s not going to let anybody punk him out. He’ll go up there against people like me and try to do a layup.”
Although Peters was skeptical about his ability to move to point guard, the coaches felt like could do it. That was enough for him.
“Them being able to believe in me, I believed in myself,” Peters said. “I took the risk.
“I just want to get in and do what I can do to help the team — play defense when I’m out there, be coachable, and get the other guys going.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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