Former Illinois and Georgia guard RJ Melendez became the fourth transfer portal acquisition this offseason for Mississippi State, joining guards Kanye Clary from Penn State and Claudell Harris from Boston College and big man Michael Nwoko from Miami.
Melendez will be a senior with one year of eligibility remaining after spending his first two seasons with the Fighting Illini and then coming to Georgia last season. In his first year in the Southeastern Conference, Melendez started just seven games but still averaged 9.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per contest. He turned the ball over 47 times but also averaged 1.1 steals per game.
In a game at Florida in late January, Melendez exploded for 35 points in 33 minutes off the bench and was 6-for-10 from 3-point range. That was by far his most explosive performance of the year; his next-highest offensive outputs were a pair of 18-point games in non-conference play.
Melendez joins a Bulldogs backcourt headlined by rising sophomore Josh Hubbard, with Clary and Harris also expected to play key roles. Shawn Jones Jr. and incoming freshman Dellquan Warren give the group depth as head coach Chris Jans heads into his third season at MSU.
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