Why RJ Melendez Became A Key MSU Dawg
January 10, 2025 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Melendez has gone from the portal to impact performer for No. 14 State.
STARKVILLE – You never know what moments in life could change everything. That's sort of been the case for RJ Melendez after one off night altered the course of his basketball career.
Over the last couple of months, Mississippi State fans have embraced Melendez as a high-energy, athletic, talented player that has played a key role in lifting the Bulldogs to a consensus Top-15 ranking ahead of a Saturday night home showdown against No. 6 Kentucky. Ironically though, it was a tough night AGAINST State that planted a seed for Melendez's growth in Starkville in the first place.
Go back almost a calendar year to February 7 of last season. That night, MSU defeated Melendez and his old team, Georgia, 75-62 at Humphrey Coliseum.
Less than two weeks before the contest, Melendez had put together a career night at Florida, scoring 35 points in a win over the Gators. But in Starkville, against MSU head coach Chris Jans' defense, Melendez had to settle for a mere three points.
"It made me frustrated during the game," Melendez recalled. "But once Coach Jans reached out [when I was in the transfer portal] I thought about being a part of that and making other people feel like…how I felt [playing against MSU]. It was just a green light for me [to come to Mississippi State]."
Melendez was already a talented scorer. However, as he looked for a new basketball home over the offseason, he wanted a place to make him a complete player. Who better to play for then than the man that orchestrated the defense that'd put the clamps on him?
Jans has long been known for his teams' defenses. Melendez was eager to soak in all he could from the man college basketball expert Jon Rothstein has labeled "The Dentist" for Jans' relentless' style that Rothstein equates to pulling an opponent's teeth without the use of novocaine.
"Being able to impact the court on the defensive side, it's going to help me on a longer ride, like pro-wise, and that's something that I want," Melendez said. "A lot of NBA players make millions of dollars just by playing defense, so if it works out like that, that's one of the most important reasons that I came [to MSU]."
It's a mutually beneficial relationship too, without a doubt. As Melendez hones his craft on the defensive end, he's brought his offensive spark to the Maroon and White. He's averaging 8.7 points per game and has scored in double figures in five of his last eight contests.
In Tuesday night's road win over Vanderbilt, Melendez was State's leading scorer and rebounder with season highs of 19 points and seven boards.
"He's rounding into form to what we envisioned him possibly being for us," Jans said of Melendez. "You know, it doesn't happen overnight, but I love where RJ is at. And you know, he made plenty of mistakes [in the Vanderbilt game], but his positives outweighed his negatives. And most importantly, he's just in a really great mindset.
"I think he's loving being a part of our program. He loves his teammates. I think he loves the system that he's playing in."
Jans isn't typically one to speak for his guys. Yet in Melendez's case, the leader of the Dawgs believes it's completely apparent Melendez has found a home at State.
"I can tell by his joy that he's having and his smile and practice, [he's enjoying being here]," Jans said. "And he's being more [open], letting his personality show a little bit more. It's infectious that way."
And it's due, in part at least, to one not-so-joyful night at the place Melendez now embraces.
"Everybody likes being around him and he's a real positive influence for us," Jans said.