Mississippi State Signs Trio Of Men's Basketball Standouts
Gabbidon, 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds, averaged a team-leading 16.2 pointsas well as 7.1 rebounds per game this past season at the Twin Falls-basedCollege of Southern Idaho to earn status on the National Junior CollegeAthletic Association (NJCAA) Division I All-American Third Team. Rankedthird in scoring and sixth in rebounding among the Scenic West AthleticConference individual statistical leaders as a sophomore, Gabbidon helpedlead coach Barret Peery's 2005-06 CSI Golden Eagles to a 25-10 overallrecord, including a third straight Region 8 Tournament title and a thirdconsecutive appearance in the NJCAA Tournament.
Having averaged 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per career contest inhelping lead CSI to a two-year composite mark of 58-13, including a 33-3team record and third-place national finish in the 2005 NJCAA Tournament,Gabbidon posted a dozen outings with 20 or more points this past seasonalong with recording five double-doubles. An Arizona native, Gabbidonaveraged around 18 points and eight rebounds per game as an all-state seniorat Phoenix's Desert Vista High School in 2003-04.
The 6-foot-3, 170-pound Stewart averaged 23.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0steals and 2.5 assists per contest this past season for Shelbyville CentralHigh School in collecting Tennessee's Class AAA Mr. Basketball laurels asaccorded by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA). Inbeing named to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association's All-State team aswell as picking up All-Midstate First Team honors from The Tennesseannewspaper as a senior, Stewart helped lead coach Kevin Thomas' SCHS GoldenEagles to a 34-4 record and a school-first appearance in the Class AAA statechampionship game.
Also a backcourt performer at 6-foot-3, 165 pounds, Turner averaged 20.3points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 2.1 assists per outing this past yearat Grenada High School to earn second-team all-state recognition by TheClarion-Ledger newspaper. Having scored 26 points against Tupelo and 30versus Starkville in this year's Region 2-5A Tournament, Turner helped pacecoach Todd Hutchinson's 24-11 Chargers to the school's first Class 5A statetournament appearance since 1987 and a season-ending No. 10 state ranking inThe Clarion-Ledger's final boys basketball Super 10 team rankings.
This incoming trio of Bulldog signees joins previously announcedMississippi State men's basketball signees Jarvis Varnado, a 6-foot-9,190-pound forward/center from Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tenn., andBen Hansbrough, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard/forward from Poplar Bluff (Mo.)High School.