What Coach Howland Said at Monday’s Media Session
January 07, 2019 | Men's Basketball
by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State men's basketball head coach Ben Howland met with the media on Monday to preview the program's SEC opener at South Carolina.
Tip time between the Bulldogs and the Gamecocks is slated for 8 p.m. CT televised by ESPNU and available online courtesy of the WatchESPN app. Roy Philpott and Daymeon Fishback will serve as the announcing team.
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Below is a transcript of Coach Howland's media session prior to Monday's practice.
Mississippi State Men's Basketball Media Session
January 7, 2019 – Humphrey Coliseum
Head Coach Ben Howland
Opening Statement
BH: "South Carolina is coming off an impressive win at Florida. They really played tough in that game to keep clawing back, fighting back when they were down a couple times. It speaks to their program, and why they're so hard to play against because they never, ever stop fighting. They're clawing, they're scratching and they're tough. [Chris] Silva is a guy that I have been impressed with since day one. He was a force in that second half. In the first half, he only played four minutes because he was in foul trouble. [Hassani] Gravett, one of their two seniors, had 22. He's playing well and shooting well. Some of their young kids, [A.J.] Lawson and [Keyshawn] Bryant, are really good guards and good players. They're talented, and we're going to have to play well to have success tomorrow night in Columbia."
Q: You had a lot of momentum building in the non-conference. Now, you've had 10 days between games. Do you think the time off has been beneficial to your team?
BH: "I only want to look at it as a positive. I think we've got a lot done with our practices, and we were able to do a lot of things – sure up some things and improve. At this point, there is no break. It just keeps coming. The reason we had this happen to us is because we're one of four teams that's not playing in the Big 12 Challenge [later this month]. Because of that, we had the longer stretch off this time of year. We're, knock-on-wood, reasonably healthy right now. We have had good practices with rest in between – lifting and getting back into the weight room, which we missed a lot of during Christmas. We went eight days without a lift. I think all of that is a real positive for us."
Q: You've had a lot of battles with South Carolina over the years, what is it about this matchup that makes these games so entertaining?
BH: "Well, they're just really physical. They play really hard. [Head Coach] Frank [Martin] has had some really good teams. They're really well coached. They really embody him in terms of the toughness and the fight that they bring. They're really tough defensively. They're always the one of the best defensive teams in the country year in and year out. It's always tough to score on that team."
Q: Heading into SEC play, what is one area the team needs to improve on?
BH: "We've got to be better defensively. Looking at our field goal percentage on defense, it's not where we want it to be. Part of that is the opponents we've been playing are very good offensively. When you look at how well they have shot the ball, especially our three-point field goal percentage defense, has got to improve."
Q: You've got five guys averaging in double figures this year. At this time last year, you had four. Lamar is up six points per game from where he was last year, how has his development impacted the team?
BH: "[It has impacted the team] In a big way, he's playing better in a lot of ways: He's stronger, and he's a better defensive player. He has matured a lot physically as well as with his experience. Obviously, I think a year ago, he shot 27 percent from three. Now, he is at 46 percent from the three. So, that's a big variance right there. He's playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of swag. It has been really good for us thus far throughout our non-conference. I expect the same here as we go into conference."
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State men's basketball head coach Ben Howland met with the media on Monday to preview the program's SEC opener at South Carolina.
Tip time between the Bulldogs and the Gamecocks is slated for 8 p.m. CT televised by ESPNU and available online courtesy of the WatchESPN app. Roy Philpott and Daymeon Fishback will serve as the announcing team.
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Below is a transcript of Coach Howland's media session prior to Monday's practice.
Mississippi State Men's Basketball Media Session
January 7, 2019 – Humphrey Coliseum
Head Coach Ben Howland
Opening Statement
BH: "South Carolina is coming off an impressive win at Florida. They really played tough in that game to keep clawing back, fighting back when they were down a couple times. It speaks to their program, and why they're so hard to play against because they never, ever stop fighting. They're clawing, they're scratching and they're tough. [Chris] Silva is a guy that I have been impressed with since day one. He was a force in that second half. In the first half, he only played four minutes because he was in foul trouble. [Hassani] Gravett, one of their two seniors, had 22. He's playing well and shooting well. Some of their young kids, [A.J.] Lawson and [Keyshawn] Bryant, are really good guards and good players. They're talented, and we're going to have to play well to have success tomorrow night in Columbia."
Q: You had a lot of momentum building in the non-conference. Now, you've had 10 days between games. Do you think the time off has been beneficial to your team?
BH: "I only want to look at it as a positive. I think we've got a lot done with our practices, and we were able to do a lot of things – sure up some things and improve. At this point, there is no break. It just keeps coming. The reason we had this happen to us is because we're one of four teams that's not playing in the Big 12 Challenge [later this month]. Because of that, we had the longer stretch off this time of year. We're, knock-on-wood, reasonably healthy right now. We have had good practices with rest in between – lifting and getting back into the weight room, which we missed a lot of during Christmas. We went eight days without a lift. I think all of that is a real positive for us."
Q: You've had a lot of battles with South Carolina over the years, what is it about this matchup that makes these games so entertaining?
BH: "Well, they're just really physical. They play really hard. [Head Coach] Frank [Martin] has had some really good teams. They're really well coached. They really embody him in terms of the toughness and the fight that they bring. They're really tough defensively. They're always the one of the best defensive teams in the country year in and year out. It's always tough to score on that team."
Q: Heading into SEC play, what is one area the team needs to improve on?
BH: "We've got to be better defensively. Looking at our field goal percentage on defense, it's not where we want it to be. Part of that is the opponents we've been playing are very good offensively. When you look at how well they have shot the ball, especially our three-point field goal percentage defense, has got to improve."
Q: You've got five guys averaging in double figures this year. At this time last year, you had four. Lamar is up six points per game from where he was last year, how has his development impacted the team?
BH: "[It has impacted the team] In a big way, he's playing better in a lot of ways: He's stronger, and he's a better defensive player. He has matured a lot physically as well as with his experience. Obviously, I think a year ago, he shot 27 percent from three. Now, he is at 46 percent from the three. So, that's a big variance right there. He's playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of swag. It has been really good for us thus far throughout our non-conference. I expect the same here as we go into conference."
Josh Hubbard - "I'm Back"
Friday, April 17
MEN'S BASKETBALL | Chris Jans & Players SEC Tournament Postgame vs. Auburn - 3/11/26
Thursday, March 12
MEN'S BASKETBALL | Chris Jans Media Session - 3/9/26
Monday, March 09
MEN'S BASKETBALL | Josh Hubbard & Ja'Borri McGhee Postgame Press Conference vs. Georgia - 3/7/26
Sunday, March 08