November 1998 MSU Basketball Skuttle-Butt

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11/30/98 - Don't forget the basketball game tonight. Game time is 7 p.m. See you there.

11/29/98 - MSU, now 4-0 on the season, defeated Tennessee-Martin 85-67 behind the shooting of Tyrone Washington (15 pts). Other players in double figures were Detrick White and Tang Hamilton with 13 points each.

11/26/98 - Oops, we almost did it. MSU, playing with very little enthusiasm most of the game, defeated Belmont University 66-65 on a last second 3-point shot by Tang Hamilton. In my opinion, part of this can be blamed on a virus bug that seems to have hit our basketball team pretty hard (several players played sick and one was held out) and partly because the Belmont team really came in and played hard and stuck to a very good game plan. Maybe this will be a good early season wake up call to our players that you can't take any team lightly. We ought to consider ourselves very lucky that we didn't lose last night.

Leading scorers were:

Because the officials did not show up, the MSU Ladies' game was canceled.

11/26/98 - Tuesday night, MSU signee Jonathan Bender scored 39 points, had 20 rebounds and 3 block shots as 6-0 Picayune HS defeated Long Beach HS.

11/25/98 - The newly expanded Humphrey Coliseum goes on public display tonight as the MSU ladies' and men's basketball teams play a doubleheader later this evening. The ladies' game starts at 4 p.m. with the men's game to follow at 7 p.m. BTW, you are going to love the new Hump.

11/25/98 - MSU signee Jonathan Bender, of Picayune HS, continues to play very well, with 30 points (3 monster dunks), 7 rebounds and 4 blocks in a blowout win over Hancock HS. All this in less than 3 quarters. Oh, by the way, he was 2 of 3 from the free throw range and 2 of 2 from 3-point land.

Another MSU signee, Trey Sanders of Jim Hill HS, scored 26 points as Hill defeated Forest Hill 87 to 73.

11/24/98 - According to the latest issue of Recruiting USA, MSU is ranked in the Top 10 nationally with it's recruiting efforts. They did not say what position they had State ranked but they did mention State 4th among the Top 10 schools they talked about.

11/24/98 - BTW, while talking to Kevin Henderson Saturday night, Kevin mentioned that Juco center Raynell Brewer (6-11, 215) is a very good defensive center although not a great offensive player. Another Erick Dampier maybe? With the offensive talent we will have next year, having a very good defensive center will compliment the team mix perfectly.

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11/23/98 - According to a source of mine, six outstanding basketball players unofficially visited MSU this past weekend. I believe two of them were the top two juniors in the state of Mississippi and one other one was Raynell Brewer, the outstanding Juco center I mentioned yesterday. There is a rumor MSU signee Jonathan Bender was also one of the six. I can't confirm any of this by saying I saw any of these players except for Brewer, but my source is pretty reliable.

11/22/98 - MSU defeated Northwestern (LA.) State 75-46 last night in Tupelo. The high scorers were:

BTW, the reason Bart Hyche did not play last night was because he had a 24-hour stomach virus. He started getting sick around 2 p.m. yesterday and had to stay in the dressing room due to his illness. Coach Carter mentioned this on the post-game interview with Jim Ellis.

Coach Stansbury's mother is to be laid to rest today at 2 p.m. Say a little prayer for the Stansbury's family today.

Raynell Brewer (6-11), the top center prospect in the Juco ranks, was unofficially visiting the MSU basketball game last night.

11/22/98 - I saw Mississippi Hoops' Kevin Henderson at the Tupelo Applebee's last night. He is now able to get outside and walk around. It is obvious he has lost a lot of weight (30 pounds), but he looks good and is on the road to a complete recovery.

For you IBBC dues-paying members: He should be able to start his bi-weekly IBBC recruiting column sometime this week. This is just another thing you are going to miss if you aren't a dues-paying member of the IBBC. We still have 128 of you who have signed up who have not paid your dues. Please pay them as soon as you can if you plan on being a member of the IBBC.

P.S. Kevin told me the Dontae Walker / LSU commitment rumor was all a big hoax. Kevin had just talked to Dontae right before he heard about the rumor and called him back to see what he knew of it. Dontae said he had no idea where it came from.

11/21/98 - The Lady Bulldogs defeated Southern Miss at Hattiesburg 98-94 in overtime. Sorry, no details. You can find additional info by going to the official MSU Lady Dogs page by clicking here.

11/21/98 - Don't forget to head on up to Tupelo after the football victory today and see the Basketball Dogs play.

11/21/98 - Not to get you guys too excited about the arrival of Tyrus Boswell but, according to a source, former Bulldog Horatio Webster had the chance to see Tyrus in a couple of premier camps this past summer and he came extremely impressed. He said Tyrus is absolutely the most athletic power forward he has ever seen coming out of high school or prep school. He is powerful, quick, handles passing and dribbling well, plays above the rim and can shoot well from the 3-point range. He believes MSU will have a great player who will be a starter within a month. Well, I know you aren't the least bit excited, are you?

11/20/98 - Here's a nice article written by Clarion-Ledger writer Sekou Smith. It is about a month old but I feel you will really enjoy it.

The orange-yellow construction dust is in the atmosphere this afternoon, falling here like snowflakes, as the sun finishes its daily path across Northeast Mississippi.

The loud sounds of landmovers provide the background music, as construction crews press on trying to finish renovations to Mississippi State's Humphrey Coliseum and Dudy Noble Field.

Change is all around this place.

Rick Stansbury is a part of that change. An assistant coach the last eight years, the last four as associate head coach, Stansbury occupies the big office now.

Stansbury will coach his first game as Mississippi State's 18th head basketball coach next month, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

"Basketball was my only hobby growing up," said the 37-year-old Stansbury. "On Friday nights when other kids were going out and doing things I was playing until midnight.

"I knew where I wanted to be. I always loved the game and I always dreamed of doing this."

Stansbury was the obvious choice to replace Richard Williams, who retired last spring after 12 seasons in Starkville.

Fans and the whole MSU family alike, gave quick approval of Stansbury.

"I was really happy for him," State assistant Greg Carter said. "He's been at it a long time. I know he'll do a great job and be in it for a long time to come."

It seems only fitting with a new era about to begin to expect some changes.

But don't expect Stansbury to change much. His determination, and refusal to give up are what got him this far.

As a child, he played on a court he made in the front yard of the family farm, in the sleepy town of Wold Creek, minutes from the Ohio River in Northwestern, Kentucky.

Norma Stansbury would watch her son go through his routine, day after day, summer, spring, winter and fall.

"That was his life," she said. "He lived for basketball. He'd work on the farm all day and would play basketball half the night. That's the way it was every night."

It's no wonder he grew up with this passion.

Basketball is life in Kentucky. And you can imagine, with Wolf Creek just a few miles from the state line of basketball crazed Indiana, the game was sacred to children growing up in those parts.

It was a glorious time for Stansbury, who made the junior high team as a fourth grader and would later star at Meade County High School and start for four years at NAIA Campbellsville (Ky.) College.

"I made it through hard work," Stansbury said. "No one ever gave me anything, and that's why I understand it as a coach. I was one of those people that never took no for an answer. I never believed I couldn't reach my goals.

"You've got to work for everything you get, no matter what anybody says can't be done."

Fast to July of 1990, after coaching stints at Campbellsville, Cumberland College and Austin Peay, Stansbury was confronted with a peculiar dilemma in his first meeting on Williams' staff.

"We were going down a list of names of recruits." Stansbury said. "And all I heard was we can't get this one, this one is going there and this one is going out of state. I had to stop the meeting, I couldn't believe what I was hearing."

Mississippi talent was pouring out of the state, often ending up at other Southeastern Conference schools. And Stansbury wasn't about to settle for that.

He quickly earned a reputation as one of the most persistent recruiters in the country. A 1996 Seattle Post-Intelligence survey of 113 Division I basketball coaches ranked Stansbury among the top 20 recruiters in the country.

A few months later, State made the final four for the first time in school history. Seven of the top nine players on the Bulldogs roster were from Mississippi.

"People thought you couldn't reach that level at Mississippi State," Stansbury said. "But we knew we could do it here."

"A young man doesn't have to leave Mississippi to get a quality education and play on a national championship. We've proven you can do it here at Mississippi State.

"This isn't the best place in the country for every kid. But for a Mississippi kid, it's the best place in America."

While Stansbury shifts gears now from chief recruiter to head coach, he hasn't stopped pounding the pavement for talent.

The Bulldogs already have commitments from three of the top players in the state; Trey Sanders of Hill, Alonzo Lane of Canton (decommitted later) and Jonathan Bender of Picayune.

"I really like the change," Stansbury said. "It's nice to get down to coaching a team and dealing with the personnel already here.

After 16 years of sitting back and developing your own philosophy of what work and what doesn't, it's fun to finally put it into practice."

State held a Midnight Madness practice yesterday, kicking off the college basketball season. Stansbury promises some changes in the Bulldog style of play, a more up-tempo attack on offense and defense.

State needs a spark after a 12-18 season in 1997, and stumbling to a 15-15 finished after opening 11-2 last season.

And with a roster full of talented, but untested players, expectations will be high.

"I like expectations, players and coaches tend to work up to expectations," Stansbury said. "Nobody has higher expectations for this program that I do.

"The day I quit putting expectations on myself is the day I need to stop coaching."

And that's not likely to happen anytime soon.

11/20/98 - MSU signee Jonathan Bender scored 33 points, 16 rebounds, 6 blocks and numerous assists last night in a 101 to 52 romp over Columbia HS. He also made 5 of 6 three-pointers. He played just three quarters and 1 minute of the fourth. His season averages after three games is 24 ppg, 14 rpg and 4.66 bpg. In case you don't understand the terminology, ppg is points-per-game, rpg is rebounds-per-game and bpg is blocks-per-game.

11/18/98 - Our MSU Bulldogs started their season off with a resounding win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 105-53. The official stats and other info can be found by going to the official MSU site by clicking here.

11/17/98 - The MSU Lady Basketball team got off to a good start last night defeating Grambling State 79 to 75. Scoring honors went to Senior LaToya Graham and Freshman Jennifer Fambrough both of whom scored 21 points. Jennifer also led the team in rebounds with 8. Other Lady Dogs in double figures were Junior Nitra Perry with 12 and Junior Angela Harris with 11. Nitra was 2 of 4 from 3-point range and had 6 rebounds and 6 steals. Angela led the team in assists with 4. MSU shot .433 from the floor while Grambling shot .314. MSU shot 70% from the free throw line.

BTW, I will be guest coach for the Lady Bulldogs on December 6th. I look forward to a sell out crowd for my coaching debut. Now do I tell Coach Fanning to run a fast break or a four corner offense?

11/16/98 - I talked to Mississippi Hoops' Kevin Henderson last night. I asked him about Alonzo Lane and he said he feels that he will still sign with MSU. Alonzo has been in contact with a couple of other schools (USM and Murray State) and has gotten a little confused which has caused the delay in him signing with MSU.

BTW, I would like to give you an update on Kevin's situation. As most of you know, Kevin was in an extremely serious auto accident on September 25th. Kevin was traveling back to Tupelo after visiting with several coaches on the Mississippi Coast. A car pulled out in front of him, causing Kevin to hit the car and flip over. In fact, his car flipped over five times. He was in extremely serious condition in the Tupelo hospital, then the Hattiesburg hospital for almost a month. He recently had back surgery and should be back on his feet and walking within a month. The doctors' prognosis is a 100% recovery for Kevin. If any of you would like to mail him a card or letter, you can mail it to:

1204 Fletcher
Tupelo, MS. 38801

Kevin wanted me to convey his thanks to all of you that have called or mailed him cards and letters. He also wanted me to mention, because of his accident, he got behind with Mississippi Hoops but will mail out two issues at the end of November. One issue will be his Mississippi Juniors issue and the other one will be his Signing Recap issue.

11/16/98 - Here's a little Mississippi HS basketball info from Kevin:

Mississippi's Top 15 Senior Basketball Players:

11/15/98 - Sorry, no word on Canton HS's Alonzo Lane. I continue to believe he will sign with State, but I don't know that for a fact. I'll let you know when I hear something.

11/14/98 - The Greater Jackson Bulldog Boosters and the Bulldog Club are having a get-together prior to next Tuesday's basketball game. Make plans to attend it. For more details, go to the official MSU site on the internet by clicking here.

11/14/98 - I haven't been able to confirm it, but I have been told that MSU basketball signee Tyrus Boswell has been given the Ok by the NCAA committee that was reviewing his academic course. (It has now been confirmed. Boswell will be suiting up come January. The rich just got richer.)

11/14/98 - Catrina Frierson, 6-1 player from Vicksburg High School, signed a National Letter of Intent with Louisiana Tech this past Wednesday ending a two-year battle for her services. Miss State was recruiting Catrina.

11/12/98 - The MSU men and women's basketball teams both won their exhibition games last night.

The Lady Bulldogs have a freshman who was impressive last night, Jennifer Fambrough, a 6-0, G/F from Dickson, Tenn. Look for good things from her in the future. There were other players that were impressive but we arrived so late in the first half, Mary Ann couldn't keep score like she normally does. We promise we will do better next time.

The men's team, which defeated BC Haaglanden (0-5) 103-68, was led in scoring by senior Oral Roberts and true freshman Robert Jackson, both of whom scored 17 points. Other players in double figures were sophomore Tang Hamilton (12 pts.), redshirt freshman Marckell Patterson (12 pts.), sophomore Joe Marshall (11 pts.) and senior Tyrone Washington (10 pts.). Coach Stansbury played 11 players throughout the game with, in my opinion, no drop off at all in productivity. In fact, at times, the players that came in to replace the starters expanded the lead. I'm going to hold off getting too excited but there is, potentially, a lot of depth on this team.

BTW, if you want to know how last night's opponent has done against other teams, they have lost to Alabama 88-75 (Nov. 10), UAB 72-60 (Nov. 9), Eastern Illinois 91-78 (Nov. 7) and Northern Iowa 102-73 (Nov. 5).

11/12/98 - MSU has signed the following players:

For additional details about these players, check out the official MSU site by clicking here.

Look for

Other possibilities are 6-5 Ontario Harper (Winchendon Prep) and 6-11, Center Raynell Brewer (Gulf Coast CC).

11/11/98 - Here is another observation of the St. Andrews/Canton game by one of you:

"I read the observations about Alonzo Lane, and I have to disagree with his opinion. I also saw the Canton / St. Andrew game. Alonzo had 31 points with 2 and 3 people around him. Yes, most of his baskets are from very close to the bucket, but that is because of his strength and leaping ability. He will not play only a back-up role during his career at MSU. He is short for his position, but makes up for it with power and leaping ability. He will contribute immediately when he arrives. He should play middle linebacker with a build like he has. I promise that there are many power forwards that are 6' 8" that can't even think about handling him down low. The Canton people called him Shaq!!"

11/10/98 - OK, here are a couple of pictures of the man himself: Tyrus Boswell.
Picture 1
Picture 2

11/10/98 - Here are updated pictures of the expanding Humphrey Coliseum.
Picture 1
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11/10/98 - According to a source of mine who talked to someone close to Lincoln Smith, the 6-9/6-10, 275-lb Center from Simmons HS (Hollandale, MS.), will sign with MSU basketball this Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. in the Simmons HS Library.

As most of you know, MSU is seriously recruiting Gulf Coast (MS) CC Center Raynell Brewer (6-11). The word I now hear is MSU is looking solid with him.

BTW, don't forget the basketball doubleheader this coming Wednesday. It sure will be fun going to a couple of basketball games and celebrate another outstanding recruiting year by the best basketball coaching staff in the SEC.

11/10/98 - The latest rumors are MSU Ladies' Basketball has a very good shot of signing at least one and maybe two of the nation's best in girl's high school basketball: Greenville's Latoya Thomas and Vicksburg's Catrina Frierson. Look for MSU to have a top 5 to top 10 class if we sign both of these young ladies. They are two of the very best, maybe the best, in the history of Mississippi high school girl's basketball.

11/09/98 - From yesterday's Commercial Dispatch. Article by Danny P. Smith, Assistant Sports Editor and MSU Beat Writer.

STARKVILLE -- Mississippi State added a little bit of "Tang" to its exhibition opener Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore forward Tang Hamilton scored 13 points and grabbed 5 rebounds as the Bulldogs defeated the Arkansas Express 63-49 at the Newell-Grissom Building.

It was the first exhibition game for Rick Stansbury as Mississippi State's coach.

Hamilton, who only scored four points the first half, made three field goals in the second half, including a 3-pointer, to increase his production.

"I'm pleased with Tang and he did OK," Stansbury said. "It wasn't great. He's made some improvements, but he's got to get better in everything."

Hamilton only averaged 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds last year as a freshman. He hopes that putting on weight during the offseason will increase his production.

"I put on about 20 pounds and that has helped my game go up another notch and I've gotten stronger," Hamilton said. "I think it will help me and I can play more minutes than I played last year."

Stansbury wants his young Bulldog to keep his mind in the game at all times. Although Mississippi State defeated Arkansas Express by 14 points, Stansbury saw areas where his team could improve.

One of those areas is defense, but Stansbury said fatigue came into play Saturday.

"Our effort defensively wasn't where it needed to be," Stansbury said. "(Defense) was the focus coming in, but when you are not used to defending halfcourt for 30 seconds (on the shotclock) like they were making us defend, we got tired. There are some emotions in playing a game which helps with the fatigue part."

Seniors Bart Hyche and Tyrone Washington scored five points each to help the Bulldogs establish a 26-10 lead at halftime against the Express.

Mississippi State opened the second half with a 13-2 run to pull away.

"We came out in the second half and defended for about five minutes," Stansbury said. "That was positive for about five minutes.

"We've got to be able to maintain that type of intensity for longer periods of time and we're going to do that."

Stansbury's Bulldogs will get another chance to improve Wednesday with their final exhibition game at 7 p.m. The opponent will be BC Haaglanden of Holland at the Newell-Grissom Building. The Lady Bulldogs will also be in action that same day at 4 p.m. against Athlete's in Action.

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11/09/98 - I received this email from one of you last night. Just thought you guys would enjoy reading it:

"I went to the Canton v. St. Andrews basketball game last night (Saturday night). While Alonzo Lane got 31 points, it was against smaller, not as quick and not as strong players. Everything he got was an inside dunk or putback. I was very impressed with his leaping ability but I don't think he is 6'6 1/2". He looked more like 6'4", maybe 6'5". He cannot shoot away from the basket according to Canton fans seated near me. I see him in college as a role player who will come in off the bench, primarily for rebounding and defensive purposes. Seems to have a great attitude and seems to enjoy the game.

"There is a player that Miss State should be looking at and he plays guard for St. Andrews. His name is Reed Stacy. He is 6'1", extremely quick off the dribble and deadly from outside. No one in the tournament (and there were some awfully quick players from Canton and Velma Jackson who tried to guard him) could guard him. The Canton fans admitted that he was quicker than anyone on their team, including Lane. They were absolutely amazed at his quickness and shooting ability. He reminds me of a shorter version of Pete Maravich. Reed penetrated time after time into the lane, pulling up for a jump shot over much taller players, or passing off to a teammate for a layup. He is fearless in his penetrating ability and his ability to create shots off the dribble. No one has to set screens or picks for him to get open. I have watched Reed for two years at St. Andrews and someone is missing a bet if they do not look at this guard. Oh yes, he had 22 points against Canton and 42 against Velma or St. Joe. Can't remember the exact numbers.

"St. Andrews plays in the public school league, not the private school league. They are constantly playing teams that are bigger, quicker, etc. but Reed not only competes, he excels. It is a treat to watch him go up against the other teams and dominate their point guard or whoever is guarding him. If he were surrounded with big, quick, talented players, Reed would get the attention he deserves. Most people will think since he plays with St. Andrews that he is not that good. To the contrary, he is a very talented player. By the way, I don't know Reed, his family or anyone connected to him. I just know an outstanding basketball player when I see one. St. Andrews had a very good player about 5 years ago named Trey Bullet who signed a scholarship with Iowa and finished his career with Southern University in Baton Rouge. Trey was a 6'5" forward who could shoot from the outside. Reed is much quicker, a very good point guard who can create and shoot. He deserves looking at."

11/08/98 - Miss State defeated the Arkansas Express, 63-49, yesterday. The leading scorer for MSU was sophomore Tang Hamilton with 13 points (1 three pointer).
Other scorers were:

Notes and Tidbits:

11/08/98 - Advertisement: Check out the Optical 2000 website if you are from the Jackson, Miss. or surrounding area and you are in need of contacts or glasses. Fellow Bulldog fan Dr. Boyce Craig is looking forward to helping you.

11/06/98 - Don't forget the exhibition game tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. at the Newell-Grissom building. It's a great chance to see the new Bulldogs and, maybe, get a feel of what the atmosphere will be like at the renovated Hump.

11/05/98 - More basketball tidbits:

11/05/98 - Advertisement: The holidays are fast approaching. If you are looking for formal wear for your holiday parties, look no further than Bulldog fan Doug Douglass' Tuxes, Too! Visit Doug's website at this location.

11/04/98 - Over 100 fellow Bulldog fans attended the Oktibbeha County Chapter business meeting and "Meet The MSU Basketball Players Night" at the Hump last night. Coaches Stansbury and Fanning introduced and talked about each player. Both coaches mentioned how impressed they were with the work ethic of their players. Both emphasized how very important it was for the fans to come out and support their teams. Coach Fanning even said a large crowd could make the difference between winning and losing a game. She really emphasized how much she wants more fans in the stands. (BTW, I bought my Ladies Basketball tickets yesterday. Have you?)

Goings on in practice and other basketball tidbits from inside sources:

11/04/98 - Advertisement: Looking for a new or used car or truck? Look no farther than Bulldog fan Mike Colbert's dealership, Colbert Auto World. Mike is not only ready to talk MSU sports with you but would also love to make you a Bulldog deal. Click here to go to Colbert Auto World's home on the internet.

11/03/98 Please support our basketball Bulldogs (male and female) by attending this event:

Date: Nov. 3, Tuesday
What: Meet the Basketball Teams & Annual Meeting
Location: Humphrey Coliseum, President's Reception Room
Area: Oktibbeha County Chapter
Time: Business Meeting - 6:30 p.m.; Players Arrive - 7:00 p.m.
Featured Guests: Rick Stansbury and Sharon Fanning. Players will be signing autographs.
Contact: For more info contact Richard Swann at 325-8260 or John Rush at 325-1108.

P.S. - I will have the baseball stadium pictures update online Wednesday.

11/02/98 - Finally! I now have photos of the inside of the expanding Humphrey Coliseum. Please forgive me for the quality of the pictures. It was fairly dark inside the Hump and I did the best I could.

While taking pics, I talked with someone who told me that the expansion will include approximately 1,000 new seats, of which almost half will be on portable bleachers on the floor of the Hump. All 488 floor seats will be upholstered. I saw one of seats and it really looked and felt nice. The season ticker holders who buys those seats are getting great seats. You are really going to be up close and personal. These seats are going to be in place in three weeks.

Also, the ceiling has been removed. The rafters now show and are completely black.

Two new restrooms (one for men and one for women) are being added on the east side of the hump. These appear to be coming along very nicely based on what I saw.

A very large equipment unloading building has been added on the northeast side of the Hump where equipment trucks can drive right in and unload.

Now for the pics:

11/02/98 - Advertisement: Check out the Cotton District Towers website if you are interested in owning a condo just a 2-minute walk from Mississippi State. Ask for John Hartlein.

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