STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Adding to his growing list of 2007-08 season accomplishments, Mississippi State junior guard/forward Jamont Gordon has been named this year’s recipient of the Cellular South Howell Trophy Award. The presentation was made Monday night by the Jackson-based Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum at Tupelo’s BancorpSouth Conference Center.
Named in honor of former MSU All-American Bailey Howell, the Cellular South Howell Trophy is given annually to the state of Mississippi’s top collegiate men’s basketball player. Gordon was joined by his senior Bulldog teammate Charles Rhodes and Ole Miss senior Dwayne Curtis as this year’s trio of finalists for the coveted in-state award.
A unanimous All-SEC First Team selection this past season as a junior, Gordon currently ranks seventh in the SEC in scoring (17.2 ppg), third in assists (4.9 apg) and 14th in rebounding (6.6 rpg). In addition to being 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), Gordon has garnered second-team all-America laurels from both Rivals.com and Scout.com. The Nashville native has also collected first-team all-district plaudits from the United States Basketball Writers Association and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
A former prep all-American at powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, Gordon presently stands seventh on Mississippi State’s all-time scoring list with 1,558 career points, along with ranking third with 484 career assists and tied for 12th place with 677 career rebounds in 99 career collegiate outings. He also ranks fifth on the school’s all-time list for career free throws made (403), third in free throws attempted (588) and ninth in three-point field goals made (129). A three-year starter for coach Rick Stansbury’s Bulldogs, Gordon most recently helped lead the 2007-08 State squad to a second straight SEC Western Division championship and a second-round NCAA Tournament appearance with a 23-11 overall record and 12-4 SEC mark.
Also a finalist for last year’s Cellular South Howell Trophy Award, Gordon becomes the second MSU player to claim the prestigious honor since its inception in 2005. During the inaugural year of the award, former State All-American Lawrence Roberts earned the 2005 Cellular South Howell Trophy Award over Bulldog teammate Shane Power and Tommie Eddie of Ole Miss.
