STARKVILLE — I.J. Ready has learned a lot in the last two years.
The Mississippi State junior guard arrived on campus in the summer of 2013 and quickly realized there was a big difference between the physicality in high school basketball and Division I men’s basketball.
Ready’s first season in the Southeastern Conference punctuated that point.
“I think I have fully adjusted to the game speed and how it should be played at the point guard position,” Ready said. “(I have adjusted to) the tempo and how I should be able to run the team and be able to choose when to score and distribute the ball to my teammates.”
After averaging 8.6 points in SEC games last season, Ready hopes to play an even bigger role on a team that was picked eighth Wednesday in the SEC preseason poll.
A large reason why MSU was picked to finish ahead of Ole Miss (ninth) is the addition of freshman Malik Newman. The 6-foot-3 guard from Jackson Callaway High School was named preseason second-team All-SEC. He is expected to play point guard when MSU opens its season against Eastern Washington at 8 p.m. Nov. 13 (SEC Network) at Humphrey Coliseum.
While Newman figures to play a key role in the backcourt, MSU first-year coach Ben Howland hopes Ready can continue to mature as a leader and a contributor. Coming out of Parkview Magnet High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, Ready averaged 21.7 points, six assists, four steals, and five rebounds. As a sophomore and as a junior, he led his team to Arkansas Activities Association Class 6A State championships. His team lost in the semifinals his senior year.
Last season, Ready averaged 8.2 points and two rebounds, but he showed up big in SEC games, scoring 18 points against Texas A&M, 11 against Vanderbilt, and 18 against Auburn, including seven points down the stretch to seal the victory.
“The game speed slowed down for me as the year went on,” Ready said. “I should be able to start this season how I ended last season.”
Ready has missed 10 games due to injury in his two seasons in Starkville. He missed seven as a freshman due to a strained hamstring and concision. He missed the first two games of last season recovering from back surgery and didn’t play against Kentucky after spraining an ankle against Ole Miss.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Ready realized he needed to focus on his body just as much as his game to be successful in the SEC, so he hit the weight room hard in the offseason.
“I am to the point of working out with 225 pounds,” he said. “I am getting stronger, and I am able to go in the pant and finish against the bigger defenders. I was able to get to the goal last year but could not finish in the midst of the larger defenders.”
As a freshman, Ready averaged 5.9 points and 2.1 rebounds.
Howland said Ready has made significant strides since he took over the program in March.
“He’s just got a really good focus and a really good commitment to what he’s doing at both ends,” Howland said.
The Bulldogs aren’t lacking for leaders with five seniors. Three — Craig Sword, Fred Thomas, and Gavin Ware — have been contributors since their freshmen seasons.
But playing point guard has helped Ready take on a leadership role. He always has been vocal, but Howland said he is seeing Ready lead with his words and with his actions.
“I just want to be positive,” Ready said. “Playing in the SEC for two years now, I’m supposed to be able to talk and be able to get my teammates to listen to me at times.
“I know if I can show it every day, then most of the time they’ll follow because if you see somebody else doing it and they’re having success, most of the time they’ll follow.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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