2005 Mississippi State Bulldogs Basketball Preview

2005 Mississippi State Bulldogs Team Preview

Last season Mississippi State was 9-7 in their conference (third place), 21-11 overall, and a second round loser to Duke in the NCAA. This year the team may have trouble making it to the Tournament; they may have a tough time scoring a winning record. How could such a massive turnaround occur in such a short amount of time?

Here’s who the team lost from last year—forward Lawrence Roberts, guard Winsome Frazier, guard/forward Shane Power, forward Ontario Harper, and guard Gary Ervin. The starters plus the sixth man are all gone. So too are the team’s six top scorers and rebounders. (State was first in the SEC and fifth in the nation in rebounding.)

Then there’s the Monta Ellis mess. Simply put the Bulldogs’ top recruit went NBA instead. Ouch-- that hurt!

Does this mean the team will be bad? Not necessarily. Coach Rick Stansbury has a great freshman class even without Ellis. Guard/forward Jamont Gordon at 6’ 3” and 225-pounds is known as being a hearty and tough player who uses his size to his advantage. He’ll contribute and probably start immediately. Vernon Gordon, a 6’ 9” center/forward, can block and rebound. He’ll be groomed quickly to make an impact in that area.

Other important first-year players include twins Richard and Reginald Delk. Both Delks are guards, with Richard having scoring and passing chops and Reginald an excellent long-range shot. Three other first-year teammates all have the talent to immediately make a difference on this team.

Steady and dependable senior point guard Jamall Edmondson will anchor the inexperienced squad. Off the bench last year he was credited with 40 assists. Along with being a smart passer, he can hit the 3-pointer almost 37% of the time. Wesley Morgan, Charles Rhodes, and Dietric Slater are all former fill-ins who will need to turn it up more than a few notches for this team to make it to March Madness a fifth consecutive year.

For Mississippi State this is uncharted territory making the SEC as unpredictable as a division can get.

For more info on the 2005 Bulldogs check out the official Mississippi State athletic site.