New men’s basketball sophomore transfer Amier Ali has noticed that hoops is a little different at Mississippi State.
The Montverde, Florida, native, who spent his freshman year at Arizona State as the Sun Devils stumbled to a 13-20 season, said practices in Starkville have been full of energy and intensity created by the entire team.
“Everybody’s working. Everybody is in the gym; everybody is getting you hype and all that stuff,” said Ali, a former four-star recruit. “The (graduate assistants are) working. The coaches are working, talking you through your mistakes. It’s very intense in our practices.”
The 6-foot-8 forward is one of State’s five new transfer portal additions who spoke at a press conference on Thursday at the Humphrey Coliseum. Having the opportunity to play with a squad that posted a 21-13 record and reached the NCAA Tournament last year was an opportunity that the 6-foot-8 forward just couldn’t pass up.
“My main focus is winning,” he said. “Obviously you have individual goals, but mainly winning with my guys comes first. Individually, I just want to be able to play harder. The main thing is to get on the floor and all that stuff. But winning comes first for me.
“When I was talking to (head coach Chris) Jans, and another coach, it was serious and it kind of felt like home. I mean, I was on a Zoom call, but like the hospitality they showed and everything was big for me. Taking a dive into the program and all the winning and accolades, it impressed me. The winning mainly is what brought me here. But Coach Jans is a great coach, and the coaches on staff are great coaches.”
Feels like family
Alongside Ali were Georgetown transfer Jayden Epps, UAB transfer Ja’Borri McGhee, Wichita State transfer Quincy Ballard and Montana State transfer Brandon Walker. Walker, a 6-foot-7 forward from Montana State University, said it was the family feel to the team that interested him.
“They flew down to come see me, and left right after, just to have lunch with me. So, it was pretty good,” said Walker, who averaged 14.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists for the Bobcats last season. “Just the winning culture and me wanting to get better. I think we all need to work hard and win. I feel like we can do something special here.”
Ali isn’t the only one feeling a new kind of heat at practices and workouts. Ballard, a 6-foot-11 center who averaged 10 points and nine rebounds last season, said he’s been doing a lot more running at State.
“I feel like this summer we’re definitely in that mode where we’re getting into that shape for the fall and winter. … I feel like that’s good for us.”
The Bulldogs had 10 players hit the transfer portal after the conclusion of last season, including guards Riley Kugel, Martavious Russell and Kanye Clary. To help fill in the gaps in the backcourt, Jans reached into the portal and brought in guards Epps and McGhee to work beside All-SEC Second Team selection Josh Hubbard. Epps said all of State’s guards do different things well and will be able to compliment each other on the court no matter who gets the most playing time.
“When we are on the court competing, it’s just kind of ‘iron sharpens iron.’ Just trying to make the best plays in the right moments and stuff like that.
McGhee mirrored Epps’ sentiments.
“We don’t know how this season will play out, and we are just trying to get better each and every day, focusing on the team’s success. But us three in the backcourt is definitely going to be scary.”
Not just transfers
Along with the team’s returning players, the Bulldogs are bringing in the No. 44-ranked transfer class, according to 247Sports, and are pairing it with the No. 16-ranked freshman class, according to 247Sports composite ranking. Ali called the freshmen “talented” and said some of them have made some eye-popping plays.
“They’re all great. King (Grace) has been standing out on the defensive end, and offensively hitting his shots,” Ali said. “Mainly, (he’s) just a dog. You can see the intensity; you know, getting better each day. … And (Jamarion Davis-Fleming) too. Defensive versatility and offensive production is there, so our freshmen group is really talented. You’ll see a big jump from them.”
There’s a lot of new faces that will step onto the hardwood for the Bulldogs this season, and they’ve made sure to get to know each other and build some chemistry.
“I feel like we’ve bonded very well. You know, we go to team dinners and stuff on our own, individually, on the side,” Ali said. “We’re gelling very well. We are learning a lot of new things. We have a lot of transfers, so basically putting our pride and egos aside for the team is mainly what’s going on right now. Just figuring out the playing style and how Jans wants us to play and playing harder. And the new defensive concepts, we’re all learning. … We’re early in the summer, so we have until November 5, but still the process is going very good.”
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