STARKVILLE — Ben Howland has some talented players, but the position group he is most excited about is guard.
The first-year Mississippi State coach has some experience and playmakers at the guard position. With seniors Craig Sword and Fred Thomas, sophomore I.J. Ready, and freshmen Malik Newman and Quindarry Weatherspoon, there’s a lot for him to be excited about. Those guards will be crucial for the entire season and will get their first taste of playing together against Eastern Washington 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13 (SEC Network) at Humphrey Coliseum. MSU host Fort Valley State in an exhibition game 7 p.m. next Friday at the Hump.
How the Bulldogs play this year will be a direct reflection of how the guards perform.
“In terms of our depth, that’s where our depth is,” Howland said at MSU’s on-campus media day Wednesday. “Those five guys will play a bulk of those minutes at the one, two, and three spots.”
Sophomore Demetrius Houston will also play some guard, but he will be needed in the post as MSU doesn’t have a plethora of big men like it does guard. Along with Houston, the Bulldogs will have senior forward Johnny Zuppardo, senior forward Travis Daniels, sophomore forward Fallou Node, and senior center Gavin Ware in the post. Freshman forward Aric Holman’s season is in question with a knee injury. Freshman froward Joe Strugg has a leg injury and his rookie season is unclear.
With all the injuries and the lack of depth in the post, the guards will have to step up.
In the past, MSU has been thin at the guard position, but not this season.
“We needed that for years. Now that we’ve got, it’s going to be a big help for us,” Sword said.
The Montgomery, Alabama, native has led the Bulldogs in scoring in each of the last three seasons. He averaged 10.5 points as a freshman, 13.7 points as a sophomore and 11.3 points last season.
Thomas averaged 9.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.8 steals during his rookie campaign. He was fourth on the team with a 9.3 scoring clip, and averaged 9.1 points last season. Ready scored just 5.9 points a game as a freshman, but came on late last season and finished with an 8.2 scoring clip.
Both Newman and Weatherspoon were highly sought after recruits from the Jackson area, and they both have the ability to score the basketball.
Practices with the guards have been intense because of the talent and depth.
“We can always go at each other and it just makes practice fun and it makes us better because we’re always competing with one another,” Newman said. “I think it is actually a good thing that we have so many guards. It’s not just I can play one position or I.J. can play one position, all the guards we have can play multiple positions.”
Newman will draw a lot of attention from opposing teams this season just because of the five stars that were by his name during recruiting. He is expected to be a one-and-done player and playing in the National Basketball Association next fall.
Weatherspoon has flown under the radar with Newman getting most of the attention, but Howland has spoken highly of Weatherspoon this preseason. Ready even said he’s the best all-around freshman.
Both Newman and Weatherspoon give the Bulldogs another layer they can use.
“They’re both good shooters, good passers, and they’re getting better defensively,” Howland said. “That’s probably the biggest area that both those kids need improvement in, is to understand the intensity level that’s needed, to be solid, and not gamble. There’s a lot of new learning at that end of the floor for both of them. Overall, they’ve been fantastic. I expect them to have really good years. They’re both going to be in the rotation every night and expected to play huge roles.”
Newman, who was a McDonald’s All-American, scored 3,108 points, pulled down 651 rebounds, dished out 301 assists, and was credited with 195 steals during his career at Callaway High School During his senior season, he averaged 29.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.2 steals. Weatherspoon averaged 19.1 points, 3.9 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.8 steals during his senior year at Velma Jackson High School.
In years past, the guards had to practice against walk-ons and practice team guys because the depth wasn’t there. That hasn’t been the case this preseason and that depth has made practices very competitive.
“Everyday you have to bring it,” Ready said. “We compete against each other because we know if we keep the level of competition high then it will be hard for other teams to stop us. Our level of competition is at an all-time high right now.”
Howland expects to use a three-guard look a lot this season. He will mix and match the lineup and all five will get to see some playing time.
The three-guard lineup will open things up, and senior center Gavin Ware likes it.
“In this league it’s very important to have guards like that because it opens up the floor,” the former Starkville High School standout said. “We need that going into a season where we’re expected to finish probably top 5.”
Ready and Sword have played point guard in the past, but Newman will play a lot of point guard this season. Ready will still see some time at point guard, but that moves Sword over to the shooting guard position.
Regardless of who the three are, the guards feel confident there won’t be a drop off.
“It’s going to be great having all of us on the court at the same time,” Sword said. “It really doesn’t matter who’s in, it’s going to be a good game regardless because the boys are going to play hard every day.”
Ready said the three-guard look will be tough on opposing defenses because there will be a lot of scoring options on the court. The three-guard look will also provide some easy buckets in transition.
“You have other guards who can make plays and it gives me an opportunity to get out and run and look for my shot too,” Ready said. “When Malik gets the ball, I run the wing, and when I get the rebound, he runs the wing.
“Anybody can get the ball and we can start a break even with Travis and Demetrius at the four spot too.”
The Bulldogs have battled injuries the entire preseason.
Howland announced Wednesday that Ndoye broke his nose last week and sprained an ankle Tuesday, Newman has been battling turf toe and didn’t practice with the team in the first 30 minutes that were open to media, and Daniels had his wisdom teeth pulled Monday.
Both Ndoye and Daniels participated in practice.
Even so, Howland and the team have been battling through the injuries anyway they can.
“We have been going five-on-five,” Howland said. “We us our walk-ons. We have some solid walk-ons that I like that help us every day.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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