STARKVILLE — After missing 20 games to a suspension dating back to last season, Mississippi State point guard Nick Weatherspoon is back.
The junior will make his long-awaited debut at 2 p.m. Sunday against New Mexico State at Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.
“I know he’s excited, he’s got to be.” MSU coach Ben Howland said. “To miss 20 games has been a very stiff penalty. He’s gotten through it now. It’s going to be great for our team. I know Nick will be excited to be out there with his teammates and competing.”
Weatherspoon, a Velma Jackson High School graduate, missed the final 10 games of the 2018-2019 season and the first 10 of this year. Howland said Weatherspoon will be ready to play significant minutes immediately, as the team has kept him well-conditioned despite his absence in the team’s first 10 games.
In 24 games last year, Weatherspoon averaged 9.6 points per game and was a 38 percent shooter from beyond the arc. He’s considered by Howland to be the team’s best perimeter defender.
“My first year here, Nick was always guarding me,” MSU redshirt freshman guard D.J. Stewart said. “He’s one of the best defenders I’ve ever played against. I’ve just been learning tips on how to play defense and what to do with the ball on offense.”
Perhaps no one is more thrilled by Weatherspoon’s return than senior guard Tyson Carter. Carter has averaged 33.5 minutes per game this season, eight more than his previous career-high the last three years. Stewart (27.5 minutes per night) and freshman guard Iverson Molinar (25 minutes per game) also should see slight minutes reductions with Weatherspoon in the rotation.
“I think that it is really going to help us in the long term because both (Molinar and Stewart) are counted on heavily moving forward. Getting Nick back allows us now to normalize our minutes,” Howland said.
“If you go back and look at the previous four seasons, we’re not averaging anybody 34 or 35 minutes per game. That’s crazy because you have a diminishing return.
“You get worn down, and you make mistakes. Just taking five minutes less off some of these starter’s roles is really going to help them perform better in my opinion.”
Howland added the Bulldogs might use Robert Woodard II at the four spot more often, which could create better defensive and offensive matchups depending on the opponent.
In terms of the on-court opponent, New Mexico State is a far different team than the one that nearly knocked off Auburn in the opening round of the NCAA tournament a year ago. The Aggies have started 7-6 out of the gate, two more losses already than last year’s squad. Yet, reinforcements may be on the way. Senior guard AJ Harris, who averaged 9.4 points for the Aggies in 2018-2019, has been cleared to resume all basketball activities after being sidelined with a finger injury the first 13 games. It’s unclear if Harris will play or not for New Mexico State.
“They’re a very talented team,” Howland said. “They’re a team that has very good guard play.”
New Mexico State is the 102nd-best team in the country, according to KenPom.com. Like Mississippi State, the Aggies are strong in offensive rebound percentage at 34.8 percent, good for 31st in the country. MSU ranks first in the nation that respective category (41.3 percent).
Playing in Mississippi Coliseum will likely bring back memories for several MSU players, as Woodard II, Carter and Weatherspoon have all won Mississippi high school state championships in that venue.
“What I like is we’re going to get an opportunity to play in front of our fans. It’s great for them,” Howland said. “We’re basically reaching out to them and giving them an opportunity to drive 15-20 minutes versus the two hours here and back fans come up here for games. It’s a very small sacrifice on our part.”
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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