Hubbard Nabs SEC Freshman Of The Week Honors

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – After securing Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament MVP honors over the weekend, Josh Hubbard has secured SEC Freshman of the Week accolades announced Monday by the conference office.

It marks Hubbard's first career SEC weekly award. The last State player to collect SEC Freshman of the Week was Reggie Perry, who accomplished the feat twice during the 2018-19 season.

"He [Hubbard] was a big reason why we won the game," State head coach Chris Jans said following yesterday's win. "The kid's got a ton of confidence. I talked about him already in his infant career, but I don't get tired of talking about him because he's all about the right stuff. He's earned these moments already because of his work ethic, because of the type of kid he is, the quality of his character and the work that he's put in prior to coming here. He's ready for this stage, it's very obvious. He's just mature beyond his ears."

Mississippi State is one of eight programs nationally to end last weekend's action with at least a 5-0 mark. The Bulldogs are joined by Miami as the only programs to sport three non-conference victories over fellow Power 5 schools.

Hubbard amassed 18.0 points, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game during victories over North Alabama, Washington State and fellow 2023 NCAA Tournament squad Northwestern. He has come away with four straight games in double figures and 82 points for the young season, which is the fourth-highest total for a State freshmen through five games and the most since Rickey Brown during the 1976-77 season.

Hubbard poured in 29 points versus Northwestern during the championship game, which was the most for a State player under Chris Jans and tied the most points for a SEC player in 2023-24. The 29 points also tied for the most points scored by a State player off the bench since 1988-89. He is third freshmen joining Brad Smith (1989-90) and Barry Stewart (2006-07) as the only State freshmen to have two 20+ point performances off the bench over the last 30-plus seasons.

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The Bulldogs return to Humphrey Coliseum for Black Friday afternoon special against Nicholls, who has already defeated LSU this season. Tip time is on-tap for 1 p.m. CT carried online only by SEC Network+ on the ESPN app.

Mississippi State is selling season tickets, $96 mini plans and non-conference single game tickets for the upcoming 2023-24 campaign. Visit www.HailState.com/Tickets for more information.

Humphrey Coliseum will become one of the nation's premier arenas as major renovations continue ahead of the upcoming season. If interested in making contributions to Humphrey Coliseum, please contact the Bulldog Club at (662) 325-3074.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its official social media accounts by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Hubbard Nabs SEC Freshman Of The Week Honors

Players Mentioned

Josh Hubbard

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