STARKVILLE — Saturday night at Humphrey Coliseum did not go as planned for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs lost their first home game to rivals Ole Miss in five years and fell to 10-8 on the season.

However, the atmosphere at The Hump did deliver, as did a young Mississippi native who quietly had his best game in maroon and white.

“It was extremely fun having a packed house and feeling the energy,” said freshman Jamarion Davis-Fleming. “Just how much it means to the city of Starkville and Mississippi State. It was fun to play in, especially in my freshman year. I wish we could’ve gotten the win, but it was very fun playing in it.”

The Canton native was a consensus four-star prospect out of high school. He earned two MHSAA Mr. Basketball awards for Class 5A and was the top prospect in Mississippi in the Class of 2025. He averaged 24.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 4.0 blocks per game as a senior to crack the ESPN Top 100 recruit rankings.

Jamarion, or Jamar for short, was considered likely to pick MSU and follow in the steps of his brother Javian, who played for the Bulldogs under Ben Howland from 2020 to 2022, but there was some surprise at his early emergence, especially considering his start to life at MSU.

After an eight-point, 10-rebound performance against Oklahoma two weeks ago, head coach Chris Jans was asked if he expected this sort of contribution from the freshman when he arrived on campus in the summer.

“The answer is an emphatic no, and if anyone in our staff is going to tell you off the record or on the record, ‘Oh yeah,’ they’re lying to you,” Jans said. “He’s been a huge shot in the arm for us.”

The freshman came in without much expectation of playing early, but there was a demand for size and rebounding proficiency down low. He has since proven to be a good rotational option behind starting center Quincy Ballard or slotting in as a power forward.

When he first arrived, however, he wasn’t up to speed. The demands of the college game and the discipline required to compete and maintain playing shape were new to him.

“He’s come a long way. We’ll have stories to tell later about when he first got here in June and where he was at,” Jans said. “He got thrown in the deep end and I’m not sure he was ready for this level of basketball in terms of what’s required, the conditioning and focus, weights and individual, the intensity. Credit to him he kept coming back. He had some rough days but stuck with it, and wow…”

‘Doing the dirty work’

The first real signs of growth came in games against New Mexico and New Orleans, where Davis-Fleming tallied six and eight rebounds, respectively, and began finding his way under the basket on offense, going a perfect 4-4 in his limited opportunities to score.

In MSU’s first true road game at Georgia Tech, Davis-Fleming played 25 minutes with 11 points on 5-5 shooting, five rebounds and a block. Though his offense didn’t always show up, his work on defense and on the boards did. Blocks and steals helped MSU get on a six-game winning run going into SEC play, and record wins against Texas and Oklahoma.

Against Ole Miss, Davis-Fleming recorded 13 points on 6-8 shooting, eight rebounds and four blocks, a statsheet that better reflected his growing contribution while still highlighting what he does best for MSU: the jobs no one wants to do.

“Just doing the dirty work. Being aggressive and trying to get offensive rebounds and defensive rebounds off dashes or cuts,” he said of his game. “I’m just trying to score and do whatever I’ve got to do to make the team win. I just try to be ultra-aggressive, not trying to be so passive and trusting my work.”

Davis-Fleming’s emergence is also in part out of necessity. Gai Chol’s preseason injury left the Bulldogs lacking for depth down low, and the proverbial “deep end” became more than just a test for the freshman’s future, it became a test for the team’s options.

“You know a guy gets hurt, he starts to figure it out, and he’s had some big games for us,” Jans said. “I don’t know where we’d be with this team if we didn’t have him. He’s been a huge shot in the arm. I’m happy for him and certainly for us that he’s been able to give us the quality of play as a freshman walking in the door.”

For the player, the learning process is only just beginning, but he’s learning on the job now. As MSU looks to turn around a difficult season, the freshman wants to continue playing his part and building his game.

“Just trusting Coach Jans,” Davis-Fleming said when asked about the steps he’s taken to improve his game. “He puts me in the best position to do what I have to do. Just step in my role and not step outside my role by not doing too much or too little. Just having athletic plays, blocking shots, rebounding, dunks and doing what I can do to help the team to win. I’m just trying not to overplay my part.”