| 1996 | Oct | Nov | Dec | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 1998 | Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 1999 | Jan | Feb | March |
04/30/99 - Just wanted to let you guys know Picayune, Mississippi is honoring MSU signee Jonathan Bender with his own special day today. Congrats, Jonathan. Looking forward to seeing you and all the new recruits at Midnight Madness, Mississippi State style!
04/29/99 - I have read reports on quite a few recruiting sites that Derrick Zimmerman has committed and will sign with LSU. All I can tell you is what my sources tell me: Derrick Zimmerman has not committed to or signed with LSU.
04/29/99 - Received this email from MidSouth-Hoops.com:
"We have learned that Alonzo Lane, the 6'7" PF from Canton, MS has called (Arkansas Head Basketball) Coach Richardson tonight (Wednesday) to inform him of his intentions (to sign with Arkansas). This ends a nasty recruiting battle because of some unnecessary involvement by "fans." Several schools were involved with Lane, in fact he had committed to Mississippi State earlier but then reneged on that committment and began looking again. Ole Miss and LSU (must mean MSU?) are the biggest losers in this battle."
04/28/99 - Not recruiting news, at least not for 17 years, but I just wanted to mention that MSU basketball SID David Rosinski and his wife Nadine are the proud parents of their first baby. A big Bulldog congrats goes out to David and Nadine.
04/28/99 - I received an email from someone who has seen MSU signee LaToya Thomas play about as much as anyone has and he told me he feels she can be the best to ever play at MSU.
04/26/99 - Former Bulldog great Erick Dampier scored 17 points, hauled down 13 rebounds, had 2 blocks, and 1 steal for the Golden State Warriors in a win over the Denver Nuggets.
04/21/99 - According to Austin 360.com, Derrick Zimmerman will visit both Villanova and Texas this week. Click here to read the complete details.
04/21/99 - Check out the new MidSouth-Hoops site located at http://www.midsouth-hoops.com/. It's a great new site run by Merrick Horne, with much help from Keith Easterwood. It has a section covering midsouth recruiting.
04/20/99 - MSU had its 1999 Babe McCarthy Tip-Off Club Awards Program last night. There were approximately 600 Bulldog fans in attendance.
The award winners were:
In a surprise announcement, Coach Stansbury told the crowd that his beautiful bride Meo Stansbury is expecting in early December.
04/20/99 - MSU Ladies basketball signee Myquita Mackey, of Shelby State Community College in Memphis, Tenn., led the junior colleges in rebounding for the second straight year, improved from third to second in scoring and earned 1st Team All-American honors.
04/19/99 - The word is MSU center Tyrone Washington is receiving interest from a couple of NBA teams (Chicago and Houston).
04/19/99 - There was a very nice article about Choctaw Central HS female basketball player Randi Williams in the Neshoba Democrat.
According to the article, Randi, a four-time All-Stater, will walk-on at MSU. This past season she average a whopping 8.9 assists per game and 5.3 steals. According to Randi: "I have always wanted to play basketball at Mississippi State. When it came down to making a decision I felt I would rather walk-on at State my first year and be able to play where my heart was than to accept a scholarship from another school and not be where I really wanted to be." According to her coach, Willie Tullos: "Randi Williams is unique. Not only as a player but as a person. It's hard to find a player of her caliber that would make the decision she made. Her loyalty and her commitment to playing at Mississippi State is very strong. I hope that their fans and coaches appreciate the fact that Randi turned down offers from two other schools because of her tremendous desire to become a Lady Bulldog and continue to wear maroon and white."
04/19/99 - Clarification: Jason Pryor has not officially signed with the Bulldogs but will soon according to my sources.
MSU continues to be in the hunt for 2-guard Derrick Zimmerman, although LSU is really working Zimmerman hard. Look for this to be a battle to the end between MSU and LSU. If MSU signs Derrick, I look for him to have an outstanding chance to start next season.
04/15/99 - It appears former Florida basketball player of the year Jason Pryor has signed with the Bulldogs. Now MSU is waiting to hear what super 2-guard Derrick Zimmerman will do.
According to Bill Graham, of WJOX in Birmingham, juco guard Antonio Jackson will sign with Alabama next week.
04/14/99 - Derrick Zimmerman, one of the premier guards in the South, and his family were seen at MSU yesterday. None of my sources have informed me as to how the visit went.
04/14/99 - Something that should slow down the Bender to the NBA rumors is the announcement by Duke's Elton Brand that he is going pro. I have also read that two more of Duke's fabulous underclassmen may be about to declare for the draft. Plus, I was told, by a reliable Kentucky source, there is a very good possibility that Kentucky's Jamaal Magliore may declare for the NBA draft. Look for more college underclassmen to declare for the draft in the upcoming weeks.
04/11/99 - The word is Antonio Jackson, the top unsigned juco basketball player in the nation, was on campus this weekend. This young man would be a great addition to an already outstanding recruiting class.
04/09/99 - Make sure if you see super juco basketball player Antonio Jackson on campus, you give him a big Bulldog welcome.
It appears super prospect Derrick Zimmerman will now visit MSU later. He is visiting elsewhere this weekend.
04/09/99 - Congrats to Coach Sharon Fanning for signing Myquita Mackey, one of the top juco players in the country. Click here for details. MSU also has signed the top female basketball player in Mississippi and possibly nation with the signing of LaToya Thomas. Just think about a lineup with LaToya Thomas, Myquita Mackey and freshman sensation Jennifer Fambrough in it. Can you say Maroon Tidal Wave? What a super way to begin Super Bulldog Weekend.
04/08/99 - Keith Easterwood has confirmed that Antonio Jackson, the top unsigned junior college player (top 5 on everybody's list), will visit State this weekend.
04/07/99 - I wonder where prime-time guards Derrick Zimmerman and Antonio Jackson will be visiting this weekend: Arkansas, Alabama, LSU or MSU?
04/06/99 - Latest Jonathan Bender Update: No change, Jonathan continues to say, as late as Monday, that he will be attending MSU next season. No mention of going pro. In fact, he has never been quoted by anyone as saying that he will go pro.
Unless something dramatic happens, I will not continue to do daily Jonathan Bender updates. He has not told a single source of mine that he is even considering the NBA. He continues to tell my sources that he will be a Bulldog next season. I trust my sources. My sources trust Jonathan.
Start saving your money so you can buy season tickets. Next season, with all the talented players coming back and several outstanding recruits coming in, ought to be a really fun year. I sure hope the concern we are showing for Bender will translate into season tickets sales and folks in the seats. Coach Stansbury, his coaching staff and the players deserve no less.
04/05/99 - Jonathan Bender had 11 points in the Magic Roundball Classic, which was on ESPN2 last night. The two players on his team that really shined were the Nelson (Florida signee) and Richardson kids (Arkansas signee). They played in this game like Bender did in the McDonald's game. However, Dick Vitale, an announcer for the game, was high on Bender and did say Jonathan would be a major factor at MSU next season. He said you can't teach what Bender has: A big kid with great agility and quickness.
04/05/99 - Latest Jonathan Bender Update: There is a rumor that Jonathan has quit going to class. According to a very reliable Picayune source, Jonathan continues to go to class, although he has missed a few days due to the all-star games he has been in.
04/04/99 - Lanier HS junior wing player Darius Rice (6-9, 192) is playing in the Adidas Classic in Memphis this weekend. Friday, he scored 23 points, including two 3-pointers. Coaches from MSU, Miami, Florida State and Alabama were there as were several NBA scouts. Darius, who maintains a 3.9 gpa in the classroom and has a 24 ACT, should be one of the most highly sought after seniors-to-be next season.
04/04/99 - Latest Jonathan Bender Update: Did you know MSU signee Jonathan Bender wears a bracelet on his wrist that has the initials WWJD on it? The initials stand for What Would Jesus Do. Jonathan has told those close to the MSU basketball program that he will be a Bulldog next year. BTW, the NBA Draft is June 30th.
04/02/99 - Not sure if I mentioned this before but Recruiting USA has MSU listed as having the 8th best recruiting year in the country. Other SEC teams ranked in the top 25 are Kentucky (#2), Florida (#13), and Alabama (#16). You add Derrick Zimmerman (31st player nationally) and Jason Pryor to our class and you are looking at a top 5 class. Check out their top 100 seniors by clicking here.
04/02/99 - According to Rob Haralson, of Bulldog Bytes, Jonathan Bender has weighed all of his options and feels college is the best thing for him at this time. According to Rob, Jonathan is online to academically qualify for college. As I have stated earlier, he has made the necessary qualifying ACT score and his gpa fine.
04/01/99 - According to Dandy Don's LSU recruiting site, Monroe, LA. high school player Derrick Zimmerman is a MSU lean. Another internet site, Bama Online, states that Zimmerman will choose between MSU and Alabama. My sources confirm what Dandy Don says: Zimmerman is rumored to be a MSU lean. The word is he and his dad made an unofficial visit to MSU and enjoyed the visit. You have to believe Derrick knows his chances of playing early for MSU are very favorable. Plus, with big man supreme Jonathan Bender (a teammate of his during summer league play) coming in next year, the national exposure Derrick and the rest of the Bulldogs will receive will be excellent. Playing for one of the the top two or three young coaches in the SEC also has to be very appealing.