Five Takeaways from Coach Howland’s Media Session
April 23, 2021 | Men's Basketball
by Matt Dunaway, Associate Director/Communications
STARKVILLE – After a strong start to the spring signing period, Mississippi State men's basketball head coach Ben Howland had the opportunity to meet with the media on Friday.
Below are five takeaways from Coach Howland's media session.
(1) The excitement level is building for the 2021-22 season.
"We have a chance to be a good team this year, so I'm really excited. I'm thrilled about the prospects. I will tell you this, and I want you to quote me: Buy your season tickets now, get on-board now. We're going to be good, and this is going to be fun. The Hump is going to rock. There are so many exciting things with COVID improving, and I can't wait to get the Hump rocking again. This past season was a tough year to have limited number of people in the buildings that we played in. Such a great part of the game is when we're in a packed arena whether you're at home or on the road. That is what makes it so much fun with the energy in these buildings."
(2a) Garrison Brooks and D.J. Jeffries are great fits within the culture of the program.
"What I think helps most is that they're [Brooks and Jeffries] really good players, and they're great kids. I think D.J. gets more joy out of making plays for others than any other part to his game. I'm going to have to yell at him to shoot more, which is a great problem for a coach … Garrison is the same exact guy. He's all about winning. These are great kids. Those two guys absolutely, totally get it."
"For example, when you watched our game against Memphis State, they were double teaming [Iverson] Molinar and [D.J.] Stewart [Jr.] every time they got it [the ball] and leaving guys wide open that they didn't respect as offensive players. That's not going to happen now, which is only going to help those other guys that are on the floor with those two. They make everybody better just by being out there. They're wonderful young men, so I think it makes our chemistry better."
(2b) More on Brooks and Jeffries
"I'm really excited about Garrison, he's a great kid. When I first arrived here at Mississippi State six years ago, we started recruiting him. He's a very good player, and he had a great career at the University of North Carolina. I think he's going to grow and continue to expand his game here."
"One thing that I loved about him when he was in high school was that he shot really well from the perimeter and was a very good three-point shooter. I'll never forget, the first time I really watched him was at a 7 a.m. high school morning workout, and I watched him make like seven three's in a row thinking 'Wow, this guy is really good, skilled'. We want to expand on that. I think that really helps us stretch the floor, and that's going to be an obvious advantage for us offensively to have a lot more spacing. In terms of him [Brooks], he's tough, he's a great competitor, he's a hard worker and he's a phenomenal kid. It's just a blessing for us to have him on our team this year. It really makes us a better team, obviously to have him in the program."
"We recruited D.J. incredibly hard coming out of high school. He is one of the most talented players that we've recruited for sure since I've been the coach at Mississippi State. I think that he's an incredible talent. I love how hard he plays, I love his unselfishness, and I love his skill level. He can shoot three's, he can handle the ball and he's an excellent passer. He gets more joy out of making plays for others than probably any other aspect of his game. I think he's a very good defender, and he's long. He's an incredibly talented kid, and I think he is going to be a huge addition to our program. He loves the game. He's a workaholic. He is one of the best players out there that was available for sure in the transfer portal anywhere in the country. He could play anywhere. He's really special."
(3) A lot of things to build from the run to the 2021 NIT Championship Game for the returnees.
"There's no question that the guys you mentioned [Iverson Molinar, Cameron Matthews and Derek Fountain] who return from this year's team are important, plus two of our starters in Tolu [Smith] and D.J. [Stewart Jr.]. D.J. again, will be determined in July sometime [after going through the NBA Draft process]."
"I think Tolu is going to have an incredible year in his second year at Mississippi State this year. We saw Derek and Cameron really come on strong towards the end of the season. Derek really took advantage of his opportunity the last third of the season and really displayed a lot of skills that give me a lot of hope for his future. I know he's a very hard worker. I think both will really improve during this year's offseason, and I'm really looking forward to that."
"I think Andersson [Garcia] is going to get better. I'm really excited about him as well, all three of those freshmen. We have JD [Javian Davis] coming back, who gives us some good strength inside. I think he'll be much better this year with having a year here already under his belt. We have a lot of guys. Obviously, Iverson [Molinar] is a fantastic player and we're really excited about him."
(4) The 2021-22 non-conference schedule is beginning to come into form.
"We're going to go to the Bahamas and play in a tournament with Maryland, North Carolina State, ourselves, and one other. We're looking at a non-conference, neutral site game against Oklahoma State at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Both of those games are in the works. We have Minnesota here. Then, we obviously have the Big 12 Challenge on the road. So, those are five high-major games that we will have on our schedule in the non-conference."
(5) Abdul Ado's accomplishments and contributions will not be forgotten as he pursues a professional career.
"Abdul is not going to be back with us. I believe he is going to keep all of his options open, but I think he's looking to try to play professionally in my discussions with him. What he accomplished during his career here at Mississippi State and what he gave to the program – he was a phenomenal player for us during his five years he was here. I'm so appreciative of all that he's given to our program and all that he did to help us have success during his time was really incredible. I love Abdul and will always be thankful to him for everything he gave to Mississippi State basketball."
Mississippi State captured a runner-up finish at the 2021 NIT as the Bulldogs earned a bid in postseason play for the third consecutive time when postseason tournament have been played. State won seven of its last 10 games, highlighted by a combined five NCAA NET Quad 1 and Quad 2 victories down the stretch.
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.
STARKVILLE – After a strong start to the spring signing period, Mississippi State men's basketball head coach Ben Howland had the opportunity to meet with the media on Friday.
Below are five takeaways from Coach Howland's media session.
(1) The excitement level is building for the 2021-22 season.
"We have a chance to be a good team this year, so I'm really excited. I'm thrilled about the prospects. I will tell you this, and I want you to quote me: Buy your season tickets now, get on-board now. We're going to be good, and this is going to be fun. The Hump is going to rock. There are so many exciting things with COVID improving, and I can't wait to get the Hump rocking again. This past season was a tough year to have limited number of people in the buildings that we played in. Such a great part of the game is when we're in a packed arena whether you're at home or on the road. That is what makes it so much fun with the energy in these buildings."
(2a) Garrison Brooks and D.J. Jeffries are great fits within the culture of the program.
"What I think helps most is that they're [Brooks and Jeffries] really good players, and they're great kids. I think D.J. gets more joy out of making plays for others than any other part to his game. I'm going to have to yell at him to shoot more, which is a great problem for a coach … Garrison is the same exact guy. He's all about winning. These are great kids. Those two guys absolutely, totally get it."
"For example, when you watched our game against Memphis State, they were double teaming [Iverson] Molinar and [D.J.] Stewart [Jr.] every time they got it [the ball] and leaving guys wide open that they didn't respect as offensive players. That's not going to happen now, which is only going to help those other guys that are on the floor with those two. They make everybody better just by being out there. They're wonderful young men, so I think it makes our chemistry better."
(2b) More on Brooks and Jeffries
"I'm really excited about Garrison, he's a great kid. When I first arrived here at Mississippi State six years ago, we started recruiting him. He's a very good player, and he had a great career at the University of North Carolina. I think he's going to grow and continue to expand his game here."
"One thing that I loved about him when he was in high school was that he shot really well from the perimeter and was a very good three-point shooter. I'll never forget, the first time I really watched him was at a 7 a.m. high school morning workout, and I watched him make like seven three's in a row thinking 'Wow, this guy is really good, skilled'. We want to expand on that. I think that really helps us stretch the floor, and that's going to be an obvious advantage for us offensively to have a lot more spacing. In terms of him [Brooks], he's tough, he's a great competitor, he's a hard worker and he's a phenomenal kid. It's just a blessing for us to have him on our team this year. It really makes us a better team, obviously to have him in the program."
"We recruited D.J. incredibly hard coming out of high school. He is one of the most talented players that we've recruited for sure since I've been the coach at Mississippi State. I think that he's an incredible talent. I love how hard he plays, I love his unselfishness, and I love his skill level. He can shoot three's, he can handle the ball and he's an excellent passer. He gets more joy out of making plays for others than probably any other aspect of his game. I think he's a very good defender, and he's long. He's an incredibly talented kid, and I think he is going to be a huge addition to our program. He loves the game. He's a workaholic. He is one of the best players out there that was available for sure in the transfer portal anywhere in the country. He could play anywhere. He's really special."
(3) A lot of things to build from the run to the 2021 NIT Championship Game for the returnees.
"There's no question that the guys you mentioned [Iverson Molinar, Cameron Matthews and Derek Fountain] who return from this year's team are important, plus two of our starters in Tolu [Smith] and D.J. [Stewart Jr.]. D.J. again, will be determined in July sometime [after going through the NBA Draft process]."
"I think Tolu is going to have an incredible year in his second year at Mississippi State this year. We saw Derek and Cameron really come on strong towards the end of the season. Derek really took advantage of his opportunity the last third of the season and really displayed a lot of skills that give me a lot of hope for his future. I know he's a very hard worker. I think both will really improve during this year's offseason, and I'm really looking forward to that."
"I think Andersson [Garcia] is going to get better. I'm really excited about him as well, all three of those freshmen. We have JD [Javian Davis] coming back, who gives us some good strength inside. I think he'll be much better this year with having a year here already under his belt. We have a lot of guys. Obviously, Iverson [Molinar] is a fantastic player and we're really excited about him."
(4) The 2021-22 non-conference schedule is beginning to come into form.
"We're going to go to the Bahamas and play in a tournament with Maryland, North Carolina State, ourselves, and one other. We're looking at a non-conference, neutral site game against Oklahoma State at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Both of those games are in the works. We have Minnesota here. Then, we obviously have the Big 12 Challenge on the road. So, those are five high-major games that we will have on our schedule in the non-conference."
(5) Abdul Ado's accomplishments and contributions will not be forgotten as he pursues a professional career.
"Abdul is not going to be back with us. I believe he is going to keep all of his options open, but I think he's looking to try to play professionally in my discussions with him. What he accomplished during his career here at Mississippi State and what he gave to the program – he was a phenomenal player for us during his five years he was here. I'm so appreciative of all that he's given to our program and all that he did to help us have success during his time was really incredible. I love Abdul and will always be thankful to him for everything he gave to Mississippi State basketball."
Mississippi State captured a runner-up finish at the 2021 NIT as the Bulldogs earned a bid in postseason play for the third consecutive time when postseason tournament have been played. State won seven of its last 10 games, highlighted by a combined five NCAA NET Quad 1 and Quad 2 victories down the stretch.
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.
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