Howland looks forward to start of MSU season
More than four months remain before Mississippi State is back on the basketball court playing a game that counts.
On the heels of one of the Bulldogs' best seasons in years, the days can't go by fast enough for head coach Ben Howland.
“We're working really hard this summer,” Howland said earlier this week on the Southeastern Conference coaches summer teleconference. “We're excited about all the depth and talent that we have returning from last year's season when we finished really strong.”
Howland's eagerness stems in large part from the way MSU performed down the stretch last year. The Bulldogs flirted with an NCAA Tournament at-large berth before settling for a spot in the National Invitation Tournament. It was MSU's first postseason appearance in six seasons.
Once in the NIT, State was one of the last four teams standing in the event before being eliminated by Penn State in the semifinals at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Howland believes his team is primed to take another big step forward in the coming season with what he has returning, as well as some exciting newcomers.
“I think our two seniors – Aric Holman and Quinndary Weatherspoon – they've been together for four years and are providing great leadership and doing a great job with our younger players,” Howland said. “Our freshman class that's coming in this year has done an outstanding job. I really like our guard play in the backcourt with (Lamar) Peters, Nick Weatherspoon, (Quinndary) Weatherspoon and Tyson Carter. That gives us four really good guards.
"I love the addition of Robert Woodard and what he's bringing to the table. I think Reggie Perry bolsters our front line and I'm really excited about D.J. Stewart in terms of his abilities. He's really, really looked good. Our entire team is really excited right now about the opportunity to come back and compete in this really tough SEC this coming season.”
State's 2018-19 efforts received a boost earlier this year when both of the Weatherspoons, Holman and Peters elected to return. Those four were Mississippi State's four leading scorers last season and
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