SEC report

SportsLine.com Report
June 8, 2000

A Glance at 2000

It could be a big year for the Bulldogs.

Ten of the top 11 scorers from last year's team are back and it appears as if coach Rick Stansbury's recruiting efforts are finally going to pay off -- which is to say one of his super recruits will finally enroll in classes.

A year after Jonathan Bender backed out on Mississippi State and was a first-round draft pick by the Indiana Pacers, it appeared as if lightning had struck again in Starkville when top recruit Mario Austin announced that he, too, would pass on college in favor of the NBA Draft.

What a difference a qualifying ACT score makes.

When Austin achieved a qualifying test score he pulled his name out of the draft hopper and said he would honor his letter of intent to the Bulldogs.

And Stansbury stepped merrily back from the ledge.

The Coach

It's hard not to like the job Stansbury has done at MSU. He's a recruiting fool who seems to get the most out of his teams on a nightly basis. He coached his first team to a 20-13 mark and followed that up with a 14-16 campaign last season.

That's as bad as it's going to get, folks.

He has landed a McDonald's All-American in each of the last two seasons, somehow convincing the top preps in the nation to take seriously a school best known for being one of the most remote outposts among all major-conference programs.

The SEC West promises to be a challenge in 2000-01, but Stansbury will have the Bulldogs in the fight.

Who'll Be Back

Just about everybody, including the team's top four scorers -- Tang Hamilton (14.4 ppg), Robert Jackson (12.3), Antonio Jackson (12) and Marckell Patterson (8.9) -- and top six rebounders.

The biggest concern will be finding a point guard to replace Todd Myles, who averaged 8.6 points and 4.4 assists. Antonio Jackson should be up to the task, having averaged 3.1 assists a year ago. He's also tall (6-4) and hits the boards well for a guard (3.1).

If he is going to become a point guard, however, he'll have to change his mentality. A highly regarded junior college signee in Stansbury's first class, he's a shooter's shooter and will have to pass on a few shots if he's to be an adequate table setter ... especially with a beast like Austin throwing his weight around down low.

Who's Gone

Myles' leadership and playmaking will be missed, but there is simply too much talent here to lament his loss for long. Last year he was a question mark who turned into a solid player. There's reason to believe there will be several players ready and willing to step in and absorb the 8.6 points per game he contributed.

Key Newcomers

Stansbury probably won't breathe easily until Austin is actually on the court for the Bulldogs. A 6-foot-9, 240-pounder, Austin isn't the uber-recruit Bender once was, but he's good enough to make the Bulldogs one of the SEC's toughest interior teams.

A tremendous athlete, Austin runs the court well, is a powerful and instinctive rebounder and is an offensive threat from within 17 feet. He isn't a great jumper, but with his bulk (he can post up an oak), he doesn't have to be. His conditioning was at one time a concern, but he has shed 20 pounds and appears ready to make an impact right away.

Also coming to Starkville is Timmy Bowers, a 6-3, 175-pound guard who was named USA Today's Mississippi state player of the year. He'll contribute eventually, but with the depth of Mississippi State, he has time to develop.