Former Mississippi State big man Tolu Smith recorded a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double for the Detroit Pistons on Saturday as he tries to make his case for a roster spot in the NBA Summer League.
Smith, who averaged 14.4 points and eight rebounds per game over his four seasons with the Bulldogs, went undrafted last month but is one of four MSU players currently in the summer league. D.J. Jeffries, who likewise went undrafted this year, is playing with his hometown Memphis Grizzlies, while Garrison Brooks is with the Chicago Bulls and Quinndary Weatherspoon with the Phoenix Suns.
Jeffries spent his first two collegiate seasons at Memphis and the last three with MSU, scoring a total of 1,298 points with 772 rebounds, 258 assists and 137 steals. His teams were 47-17 when Jeffries scored at least 10 points.
Brooks played four years at North Carolina, then transferred to MSU for his final season in 2021-22. The 6-foot, 9-inch forward averaged 10.4 points and 6.6 rebounds, with a double-double in a win over a ranked Alabama team in mid-January. Brooks has spent time with the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League and played professionally in Lithuania and South Korea last year.
Weatherspoon, a 6-foot, 4-inch guard, played his entire collegiate career with the Bulldogs and put up 18.5 points per game as a senior in 2018-19 for a team that reached the NCAA Tournament. Last year, he averaged 14.8 points for the South Bay Lakers of the G League and has played internationally in China and Puerto Rico.
At MSU, Weatherspoon is one of three players in program history to score at least 2,000 career points and twice won the Bailey Howell Trophy, presented to the best men’s college basketball player in the state of Mississippi. He has appeared in 42 NBA games over three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors, winning a championship ring with the Warriors in 2022.
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