Ben Howland has been watching plenty of Southeastern Conference football these days.
The Mississippi State men’s basketball coach sees in the sport what he didn’t get to experience with his own team last season: the packed venues, the “crazy” atmospheres and the excitement evident around the sport.
When the 2021-22 basketball season begins Nov. 10 — the day the Bulldogs host North Alabama at Humphrey Coliseum to open the year — Howland hopes to get it all back.
“I’m looking forward to that for basketball,” he said Thursday.
High rates of COVID-19 kept it from Howland last season. In accordance with an executive order from Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, capacity at the Hump was cut to 10 percent — roughly 1,000 fans — on Dec. 10. Even for the prior month, only 25 percent capacity was allowed.
But there are no current limits on how many fans can fit into the building as COVID numbers continue to improve. Howland cited a 20 percent decrease in nationwide cases over the past two weeks.
“Things are trending in a positive direction in a lot of ways for us right now,” he said.
If incidence rates continue to drop, it’s easy to see high-volume crowds flock to Starkville to see a team that seems poised to challenge for an NCAA tournament bid for the first time since 2019.
“I think we’ve got the chance to do something really special,” forward Garrison Brooks said.
That’s why Brooks came to Mississippi State from North Carolina: to play under his father, assistant coach George Brooks, and help the Bulldogs put together a talent-rich roster. Memphis’ D.J. Jeffries, Michigan State’s Rocket Watts and North Carolina State’s Shakeel Moore all joined him, making their way to Starkville via the transfer portal.
“It’s been a great experience,” Brooks said. “It’s a new experience for all of us. I think it was key for us to come in and understand we all have to be on the same page for us to win games. I think that we’ve already established that, and we all understand we’ve got to work very hard.”
The foursome will be working with returning point guard Iverson Molinar, a first-team all-SEC selection by both coaches and media, and forward Tolu Smith — once Smith returns from a procedure on his foot, anyway.
Howland said Thursday that the one-time Western Kentucky big man, who led the league in rebounding last season, has resumed walking with orthotics and Tuesday began light jogging at 60 percent of his body weight.
But both Smith and Watts, who is recovering from offseason hip surgery, won’t be rushed back. Watts, for example, was slowed down Wednesday and Thursday after experiencing soreness in his glute on Tuesday.
Howland said there is no timetable for the return of either player, though later Thursday he told “The Paul Finebaum Show” that Smith would “probably be back after the fourth or fifth game” of the season — either Nov. 21 against Morehead State or Nov. 25 against Louisville in a tournament in the Bahamas.
“We’re going to be super conservative,” Howland said. “We’re going to err on the side of caution because once they come back, we want them to be back full time for good and not suffer any kind of relapse.”
Currently, Howland said, the Bulldogs are making do in practice with their 10 healthy scholarship players. They’re in such good shape, they hardly ever need subs.
“I just think we’re a lot better in terms of our overall conditioning, which is a big factor,” Howland said. “I think we’re better in terms of executing offensively. I think we’ve improved defensively. But the factor of being in better conditioning really matters moving forward.”
Beyond the core of Molinar, Brooks, Jeffries and Moore, a returning group composed of Cameron Matthews, Derek Fountain, Javian Davis and Andersson Garcia will play a role. But with Watts out, freshmen Camryn Carter and Alden Applewhite will each get his opportunity to play.
Carter was an accomplished guard at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, while Brooks said Applewhite — who hails from Memphis — already seems like a veteran player.
“Definitely here early on, one of those two is going to have to be a part of the rotation in our season — likely both of them,” Howland said. “They’re both going to have a chance to contribute in games early on in this season.”
Howland will take whatever the two freshmen give him as the Bulldogs play a strong nonconference schedule. Only three of Mississippi State’s non-SEC opponents are ranked No. 200 or below among 351 Division I teams by kenpom.com — the Lions of UNA (No. 299), Detroit-Mercy (No. 200) and Lamar (No. 276).
The slate includes the Cardinals (No. 36), Colorado State (No. 72) at a neutral site, and games against four teams between Nos. 100 and 150: Georgia State (No. 103), Furman (No. 118), Minnesota (No. 120) and Montana (No. 148).
The Grizzlies, who, Howland said, beat Washington State — checking in at No. 63, two spots above the Bulldogs — in a recent closed scrimmage, won’t make for an easy opponent come Nov. 13.
“I should probably have my head examined for playing them the second game of the season,” Howland said. “Montana’s going to be a real formidable opponent here coming up, and we’re going to have to really be ready to go here early in our season to have success.”
That might not be so easy in November as the Bulldogs incorporate a host of new players into a program still missing two key contributors in Smith and Watts.
But once they return, Mississippi State will be at full strength — and the excitement around the team could be boundless.
“I think that with our experience and with the transfers, we have the chance to do something really special for this program,” Brooks said. “I think it all adds up once we have everybody back and healthy.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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