Hubbard Shows What He Can Do
January 28, 2024 | Men's Basketball
Freshman sensation made the most of his first opportunity to begin a game.
STARKVILLE – The buzz was palpable at Humphrey Coliseum when Josh Hubbard's name was announced in the starting lineup ahead of Mississippi State's massive 64-58 victory over No. 8 Auburn on Saturday.
Hubbard had already dazzled the Maroon and White faithful with his prolific scoring ability this season, averaging 14.9 points per game in a bench role to lead all Southeastern Conference freshmen. Then came Saturday when he enjoyed what many anticipated as he made his first career start.
The freshman point guard prepared for the matchup against the Tigers just as he would have any other game, but he'd find out shortly before tip-off that he'd get to live out one of his childhood dreams.
"I found out about an hour before the game," Hubbard said. "It was a dream come true. I had to process the moment because that's what you work for as a kid."
Hubbard attacked the Tigers with the same confidence that he's had all season long, scoring a game-high 17 points while connecting from beyond the arc three times. He elevated the Mississippi State offense after a defensive rock fight of a first half that ended tied at 21-21, and the dagger 3-pointer he knocked down with 1:39 remaining shows why head coach Chris Jans had faith in his freshman.
"Josh is just different," Jans explained. "He's different. I've coached some kids like him, and I've had the opportunity to coach some really great players, but he's the whole package. He's got the right work ethic, the right mindset and the right approach. Obviously, he's proven that there's no moment that's too big for him even though he's very young in his career."
Jans has always said that it's not about who starts the game, but who finishes it, and Hubbard, of course, was part of the Bulldogs' crunch-time lineup. Hubbard inbounded a pass to Shakeel Moore from the baseline, and the 5-foot-10 guard immediately sprinted to the corner to drain a fadeaway three over 6-foot-10 Auburn center Johni Broome.
"It felt amazing," Hubbard said. "I kind of felt confident before I inbounded the ball that I was going to knock it down."
Said Jans of the big moment: "Man, he looked at me like he scored on me. I'm like, 'Man, I'm with you. What do we have going here, man?' It was pretty stone cold, and it made me feel pretty good inside like he's not afraid of the big moment. He's obviously not afraid to take the big shots. He's been doing it his entire career, and it's nice to have someone out there like that."
The shot not only gave MSU a 58-54 lead as the clock wound down, but it ignited a fire in the sold-out Humphrey Coliseum crowd to propel the Bulldogs to their second victory over a Top-10 opponent this season.
"It was a dream-come-true moment," Hubbard said. "I looked over at Jans and he was hyped. And then the crowd just puts the icing on the cake right there. Great environment. Mississippi State fans, I love them."
