Hubbard Wins Bailey Howell Trophy

by Matt Dunaway, Director/Communications

Jackson, Mississippi – Josh Hubbard continues to make history and adds his name to Mississippi State's list of dominance as the latest recipient of the Bailey Howell Trophy announced Monday by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.

Named after Mississippi State legend and Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Bailey Howell, Hubbard is first freshmen to win the yearly award given to the best male college basketball player in the Magnolia State which dates back to 2004-05.

Hubbard is the 9th State player to capture the honor and extends the Bulldogs run to six of the last seven seasons to win the Howell Trophy presented by the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and Pearl River Resort.

Quinndary Weatherspoon was a two-time recipient during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. Reggie Perry earned the 2019-20 honor followed by Iverson Molinar in 2021-22 and Tolu Smith III in 2022-23.

Hubbard has already set State's freshmen single season record with 521 points previously held by Rickey Brown (1976-77) and drained 98 three-pointers which is an overall program mark for the Maroon and White surpassing Darryl Wilson (1995-96). He has piled up double-digit points in 26 of 31 games on the season.

Hubbard's 16.8 points per contest are first among SEC freshmen, and Hubbard has amassed 11 outings of 20-plus points, tops nationally among true freshmen. The Madison native closed the regular season with five consecutive games of 20-plus points, the longest run by a State player since Jeff Malone accomplished the feat with 11 straight games in 1982-83.

Hubbard is a five-time SEC Freshmen of the Week and his top SEC scoring efforts are 34 points versus No. 16 Kentucky (02/27), 32 points at LSU (02/24) followed by 28 points against No. 17 South Carolina (03/09), 26 points at Texas A&M (03/05), 26 points at Florida (01/24) and 25 points against No. 5 Tennessee (01/10) during his SEC home debut. With his back-to-back outings of 30-plus points during the LSU and Kentucky games, he is joined by Alabama's Brandon Miller (2022-23) as the only SEC freshmen to accomplish the feat in the last 20 seasons, according to Elias.

The 34 points versus Kentucky are the second-most by a State freshmen in a game, behind only Brown's 40-point performance against Auburn on 03/07/1977. He exploded for 22 points in the second half which included a trio of three-pointers that allowed State to erase an 8-point deficit inside the final minute.

Hubbard's non-conference best of 29 points versus Northwestern (11/19) is the most for a State player off the bench since Tony Watts also scored 29 points at Ole Miss in 1989-90. The Madison native also made the most of his first career start with 15 of his 17 points during the second half of State's win over No. 8 Auburn (01/27).

Hubbard, the 2022-23 Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year, capped his high school career at Madison-Ridgeland Academy under Richard Duease as the state's all-time leading scorer with 4,367 career points.

Hubbard broke a scoring record that stood for 37 years previously held by Mississippi State's Robert Woodard. Hubbard's MRA squad was the 2021 MAIS Class 6-A state champions and the 2022 MAIS Class 6A runner-up

MISSISSIPPI STATE HOWELL TROPHY WINNERS

Josh Hubbard, 2023-24
Tolu Smith III, 2022-23
Iverson Molinar, 2021-22
Reggie Perry, 2019-20
Quinndary Weatherspoon, 2017-18; 2018-19
Arnett Moultre, 2011-12
Jarvis Varnado, 2008-09 & 2009-10
Jamont Gordon, 2007-08
Lawrence Roberts, 2004-05

ABOUT THE MISSISSIPPI SPORTS HALL OF FAME
The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame exists to promote, preserve and protect Mississippi's rich sports heritage for this and generations to come. The Museum serves as a destination for sports legends to live forever through interactive displays and exhibits where visitors can play, live and dream.

The 501(c)(3) organization recognizes excellence in athletics and contributions to sports. For more information about the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum, visit www.MSFame.com or follow the organization on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mssportshofandmuseum or Twitter at www.twitter.com/mssportshof.

UP NEXT
State turns its attention to the SEC Tournament where the Bulldogs will square off with LSU to open up Thursday's second round action. Tip time is slated for 12 p.m. CT from Bridgestone Arena, home of the NHL's Nashville Predators. The game will be televised by SEC Network and streamed online courtesy of the ESPN app.

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.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Hubbard Wins Bailey Howell Trophy

Players Mentioned

Josh Hubbard

Tolu Smith III

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