MSU's Gordon And Rhodes Among Cellular South Howell Trophy Finalists

STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Veteran all-SEC standouts Jamont Gordon and Charles Rhodes of Mississippi State’s 2008 NCAA Tournament team have been selected as finalists for this year’s Cellular South Howell Trophy, as announced Monday by the Jackson-based Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.

Named in honor of former MSU All-American Bailey Howell and in its fourth year of existence, the Cellular South Howell Trophy is given annually to the state of Mississippi’s top collegiate men’s basketball player. MSU’s Gordon and Rhodes are joined by Dwayne Curtis of the University of Mississippi as this year’s trio of finalists for the coveted in-state award.

Ranked sixth (17.4 ppg) and seventh (17.2 ppg), respectively, among the SEC’s scoring leaders this season for all games, Rhodes and Gordon are both repeat finalists for the Cellular South Howell Trophy, with Gordon having been on the final list a year ago and Rhodes two seasons ago as a sophomore. This season marks the second time in the four years since the award’s inception that the Bulldogs have had two finalists during the same year. During the inaugural year of the award, former State All-American Lawrence Roberts earned the 2005 Cellular South Howell Trophy over Bulldog teammate Shane Power and Tommie Eddie of Ole Miss.

Along with rating as the school’s most potent scoring duo in a season since former NBA standout guard Jeff Malone and Terry Lewis in 1982-83, MState’s Gordon-Rhodes tandem has become the first State pairing since Roberts and Timmy Bowers from MSU’s 2003-04 SEC championship team to earn first-team, all-league honors during the same season.

A junior from Nashville, Gordon is also a national finalist for this year’s John R. Wooden Award (national player of the year) and Bob Cousy Award (nation’s top collegiate point guard). The two-time, first-team all-SEC selection currently ranks third in the SEC in assists (4.94 apg) and 13th in rebounding (6.6 rpg) for the 2007-08 campaign. For his three-year State career, Gordon presently stands seventh on MSU’s all-time scoring list with 1,558 career points, along with ranking third with 484 career assists and tied for 12th with 677 career rebounds.

A product of Jackson’s Lanier High School, Rhodes also collected first-team all-conference accolades this season in leading coach Rick Stansbury’s 23-11 and SEC Western Division champion Bulldogs in both scoring and rebounding (7.8 rpg). The three-time all-SEC forward currently ranks this season as the SEC’s No. 4 rebounder and is sixth in the league in field-goal percentage (.562). Rhodes completes his 110-game collegiate career ranked 11th all-time on both Mississippi State’s career scoring (1,451 points) and rebounding (691 rebounds) charts.

The 2008 Cellular South Howell Trophy recipient will be named next Monday (March 31) at Tupelo’s BancorpSouth Conference Center. A 5:30 p.m. reception will be followed by a 7 p.m. awards program. For ticket information, contact the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum at 1-800-280-FAME (3263).

Mississippi State University Athletics

MSU's Gordon And Rhodes Among Cellular South Howell Trophy Finalists