Mississippi State added two more players within a matter of minutes via the transfer portal Thursday, picking up guard Riley Kugel from Florida and center Jeremy Foumena from Rhode Island.
Kugel, who grew up in Orlando, Florida, was initially committed to the Bulldogs out of high school before flipping to the Gators. He was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team in 2022-23, averaging 9.9 points per game and shooting 37.6 percent from 3-point range. He put up similar numbers this past year as a sophomore, scoring at least 10 points 14 times with five 20-plus point performances.
The 6-foot, 5-inch guard joins a deep and retooled MSU backcourt that features rising sophomore Josh Hubbard as well as transfers Kanye Clary (Penn State), Claudell Harris (Boston College) and RJ Melendez (Georgia). Kugel changed his initial commitment after the Bulldogs fired Ben Howland in 2022, eventually replacing him with Chris Jans. He had first committed to Kansas out of the portal this year but in the end decided on MSU.
Foumena helps the Bulldogs fill a void in the post now that Tolu Smith and Jimmy Bell Jr. have exhausted their eligibility. As a redshirt freshman in 2023-24 with the Rams, Foumena came off the bench and averaged 5.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, recording a double-double in just 16 minutes against New Hampshire. He joins Cameron Matthews and Miami transfer Michael Nwoko in MSU’s frontcourt.
Originally from Montreal, Foumena was committed to High Point out of the portal this spring before flipping to the Bulldogs, as he announced on social media.
MSU is entering its third season under Jans. The Bulldogs reached the NCAA Tournament this past season as a No. 8 seed but fell to Michigan State in the first round.
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