STARKVILLE — Ben Howland continues to bring in some of the best recruits in the nation.
The first-year Mississippi State men’s basketball coach added another big-time guard to his 2016 recruiting class Monday when four-star prospect Eli Wright committed to MSU.
“Can’t say how blessed I am to have been recruited by so many great schools but happy to say I have committed to MSU #hailstate,” Wright tweeted Monday afternoon.
Wright was on an official visit to MSU when he made the commitment. Wright was recruited by the former coaching staff led by coach Rick Ray, so he was familiar with MSU.
But the latest trip was about getting to know Howland and his staff and what the expectations are from his players.
“I’ve been to Mississippi State before, and on this trip I wanted to see how the new staff was and how the program is,” Wright told Bulldawgs247. “Everything lived up to my expectations. I saw how friendly of an atmosphere it is here and everybody I saw was nice and friendly to me.”
Wright is the second left-handed guard in MSU’s 2016 recruiting class, joining New Orleans, Louisiana, four-star point guard Lamar Peters. MSU’s 2016 class is ranked 18th nationally.
Wright is rated as the 20th-best shooting guard nationally, and the No. 2 prospect from the state of Kentucky, according to 247Sports. The Owensboro, Kentucky, native will play his senior year at IMG (Florida) Academy. He averaged 22 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game as a junior. He also shot 55 percent from the field.
Southeastern Conference members Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee are among the 14 other offers Wright has received. He said Indiana, Oklahoma State, and Wake Forest also were high on his list.
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard is the former Amateur Athletic Union teammate of current Bulldog freshman forward Aric Holman. The two have known each other since the first grade.
“Another big plus is Aric being here and he’s my best friend,” Wright told Bulldawgs247. “We’ve been wanting to play together since we were little. We did that in AAU ball but were not on the same team in high school, so it’s great we will be college teammates.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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