Officially Official: Men’s Hoops Holds First Practice

September 26, 2019 | Men's Basketball

First Day Practice (VIDEO)Buy Season Tickets First Day Practice (PHOTOS)

by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State men's basketball team came together for its first official practice of the 2019-20 season on Thursday.

Under the direction of fifth-year head coach Ben Howland, the Bulldogs returned to the NCAA Tournament last season. Mississippi State has posted consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in nearly a decade.

The spirited opening day workout lasted approximately two hours, 25 minutes and featured several drills focused on shooting, rebounding and defense. The Bulldogs also had the opportunity to showcase their talents in live 5-on-5 action.

"I thought the guys did a really good job on day one of our official practice today," Howland said. "We did a number of defensive drills and are really working to build our defense. Our veterans are doing a good job of leading our younger players. I really like the size and the strength of our team. It's great to have Abdul Ado back out there. Today was his second day of contact after being out the last five or six months. Our veterans, especially Reggie Perry, were fantastic today."

The Bulldogs will carry a SEC-best, 22-game non-conference home winning streak into their season opener versus Florida International on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at Humphrey Coliseum.

Mississippi State is offering a pair of new fan-focused season ticket options for the 2019-20 season which includes the addition of general admission seating to men's basketball. A traditional general admission season ticket for seats in designated areas of the 200 level are available for only $155, while reserved seat season tickets are available for $275.

The second offering is a first-of-its-kind mobile access season ticket, the mobile access pass. This new ticketing option will provide exclusive access to already-sold lower level seats during non-conference games inside Humphrey Coliseum, and a 200 level general admission ticket for all conference games.

During non-conference play, fans with the mobile access pass will be digitally delivered a general admission ticket for a designated lower level section each game and will have access to sit in any open seat within that designated section. The non-conference option is available for $65 whereas the entire season pass is available for $180. Learn more about this new offering at www.HailState.com/accesspass. Mississippi State posted a 23-11 on-court record last season and secured the program's 11th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bulldogs have dialed up 48 on-court victories over the last two seasons which is tied for second-most in program history over a two-year span and fourth among SEC schools.

Mississippi State's roster features a solid nucleus of five returning players who combined for 83 starts and close to 50 percent of the team's points in Abdul Ado, Tyson Carter, Reggie Perry, Nick Weatherspoon and Robert Woodard II.

The quintet is joined by veteran postmen KeyShawn Feazell and E.J. Datcher along with a talented freshmen class which features Devin Butts, Elias King, Iverson Molinar and Quinten Post. After redshirting the 2018-19 season, Prince Oduro and D.J. Stewart also are ready to make an impact during their first season for the Maroon and White.

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.