| 1996 | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Jan | Feb | Mar |
04/30/97 - Junior college All-American Oral Roberts caps a fabulous recruiting year for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
04/25/97 - As always, Mississippi Hoops' Kevin Henderson is the first with the facts about Mississippi's high school basketball players. Why do I say this? In the latest issue of Reidel's Roundball Review, they say this about Marckell Patterson, a Miss State signee, "speaking of sleepers.....some feel as though (Marckell) Patterson is a national top 100-level player." Kevin told us Patterson was a player a while back. Reidel just confirms that Kevin is the best when it comes to evaluating high school talent in the state of Mississippi.
Speaking of Mississippi Hoops, Kevin told me today that his next issue will be out in a few more weeks. He is going to list in his next issue who all the high school and junior college players in Mississippi signed with. The last day of the signing period is May 15th, so he should mail it out a little after that date. Also, look for another issue to be mailed to you several days after that issue. It will list the top 30 juniors and to 30 seniors in Mississippi.
04/22/97 - Jermaine Ousley, a player Miss State was recruiting, chose Memphis. Thanks to the person who emailed this info to me. I tried to email you back but it wouldn't go through. Also, to the person who asked if Miss State will be recruiting Ontario Harper hard. The answer is a definite yes! I had email problems with you also.
04/20/97 - There are two so-called recruiting gurus whose opinions I trust, without question, because they go out and evaluate the talent and base their opinions on what they see and not what they hear from others: number 1 is Kevin Henderson, of MISSISSIPPI HOOPS and number 2 is Bob Gibbons. I'm not sure, at this time, where Kevin ranks MSU's basketball class in the SEC, but, according to Bob, MSU's recruiting class is the BEST in the SEC, even before the announcement of the Oral Roberts signing.
04/19/97 - It appears I jumped the gun in regard to Oral Roberts. Because Oral's mother lives on Saint Vincent Island and his father lives in New York, there has been a hold up on his signing. It is going to be several more days before he will be able to sign, but he definitely wants to be a Mississippi State Bulldog.
04/16/97 - Oral Roberts is now a Mississippi State Bulldog. I bet you now want to know a little about this player, and he is a player. According to my sources, Oral is a tremendous athlete who is very explosive and finishes around the basket very well. He will add a great amount of athleticism to next year's team.
With the additions of Oral and Detrick to our previous signees, Miss State could very easily have one of the Top 5, or, at the very least, one of the Top 10 recruiting classes in the nation. Read this and see why.
04/16/97 - Here are a few comments made by Detrick White and his coach Bill Muse: Coach Bill Muse - "Detrick will do whatever you expect of him. On defense, he'll guard you. On offense, he can shoot the outside shot, penetrate or pass off. He still has to fine-tune his game, but I really don't think he has any flaws." Detrick White - "I took my trip to Mississippi State, and I liked it. I fit in good with their team. They're a bunch of nice guys. They'll give me a chance to play. I think I can be somebody to penetrate and make things happen."
04/15/97 - Miss State signed Juco All-American Detrick White Monday. Detrick will play two guard and fall signee Todd Myles will play point guard. With the addition of Todd and Detrick, Miss State will have the best guard depth in the history of Miss State basketball next season. Anybody ready to buy a basketball season ticket? Signing Oral Roberts would be nice icing to put on the cake, but that cake sure looks tasty even without the icing.
04/14/97 - Detrick White and Oral Roberts did visit this weekend. I do not know if either one of them committed. Stay tuned.....
04/12/97 - According to Kevin Henderson, of MISSISSIPPI HOOPS, Juco All-American basketball player Detrick White will commit to Miss State this weekend.
04/12/97 - I have heard from various sources that the Juco power forward visiting Miss State this weekend, along with Detrick White, is 6-7 Oral Roberts.
04/12/97 - Tyrone Washington is scheduled to undergo nose surgery to repair his broken nose suffered during practice near the end of the regular season, courtesy of Quentin Smith's elbow.
04/11/97 - Look for Juco All-American Detrick White to visit Miss State this weekend, along with a Juco power forward whose name I don't know at the moment.
04/10/97 - Miss State signed All-State guard Marckell Patterson Wednesday. Here's what he said in Wednesday's The Commercial Dispatch. "I felt good about Mississippi State. I had some nice visits with the coaches." His father, Eupora HS basketball coach Thomas Patterson, said "we feel good about it (his decision to sign with State). We know that Mississippi State is a good program. It is good academically and athletically too. It's also close to home. It will be convenient and I think it will be good for 'Kell in the long run." According to the article, his final two were MSU and Minnesota, both Final Four teams at least one of the past two years. He also considered Alabama and Arkansas, among others. He shot 67% from the field and 38% from 3-point range.
04/10/97 - Just want to clear up a rumor: Whit Hughes has never said he was going to give up his basketball scholarship. He has worked too hard to get it to give it up. And he will be back playing next year. This comes from sources that absolutely know the facts, so hopefully, this will stop that rumor.
04/10/97 - And finally, about the alleged NCAA investigation of Miss State's program because of a January article in a magazine called Details. It was published in January and our athletic department has not seen hide nor hair of the NCAA and we are supposed to believe we are being investigated by them? Come on guys, this is recruiting season, and we have just had an outstanding recruiting year so what do you expect the competition to say about us? We have become one of the basketball powers in the SEC and the great players want to sign with us, so you may as well get used to stones being thrown our way. I once heard a coach say something to the affect, I hope we get accused of wrongdoings next year also. It means we are doing something right. A MSU coach? No, Ole Miss' Tommy Tuberville. And he is right, when you are out-recruiting others for big-time talent the stones will fly. I give you my word, nothing will come of this and a month from now, you won't hear a word about it. Just enjoy it as we continue to sign major basketball talent. I know I sure am.
04/08/97 - Look for Miss State to sign Marckell Patterson and Detrick White Wednesday or a few days after. We are also looking at several other players, although at this time I am not sure how many more we will sign. Just know he or they will be dynamite player/players. See what kind of players you can sign when you are successful and work your tail off. Good work, Richard, Rick, Greg and Owen. We are all very proud of you.
04/06/97 - According to recruiting guru Bob Gibbons, the 6th best player in the NJCAA National Championship Tournament was Mississippian and Marcus Bullard's cousin Mike DeGruy, a freshman at Tallahassee CC. In one game during the tournament, he scored 28 pts. of which 21 came on 7 of 13 3-pointers.
04/05/97 - Well known recruiting guru Bob Gibbons rated soon-to-be MSU signee Detrick White as the second best player at the recent NJCAA National Championship Tournament. He also called MSU signee Todd Myles, who also played in the tournament, a "high-octane" player.
04/05/97 - According to Friday's The Clarion-Ledger, one of the top athletes in the state, Michael Gholar will be signing a letter-of-intent with Miss State to play basketball. He has not yet met NCAA freshman eligibility requirments and will go Meridian or Pearl River CC if he does not qualify.
04/03/97 - I would like to stop a rumor dead in it's tracks: Trey Moore will be academically eligible next year. This is a fact!
04/03/97 - According to the TiderInsider message board, Oral Roberts, a big-time forward who I earlier said MSU is recruiting, is going to choose between Southern California, Alabama and Miss State. He really played well in the NJCAA National Championship Tournament and will be an impact player for whomever he signs with.
04/02/97 - The news is all good on the MSU basketball recruiting front. I'm sure some of you had read or heard that Todd Myles was reconsidering his signing of a scholarship to Miss State. I had heard it to, and I was a little concerned myself. But not to worry: Todd will be a MSU Bulldog next year and the SEC will be wishing he wasn't. My source told me that he is extremely happy with his choice of MSU and he can't wait to don the maroon and white and help MSU back to the NCAA.
04/02/97 - Here's more great recruiting news for all of you MSU basketball recruiting junkies. What sets Detrick White apart from all the other great guards? The list is long but I'll give it a try: He is a great competitor, tireless, team player, great athlete, tremendous toughness, great ballhandler, great leaper, good shooter and an outstanding dribbler. Oh yeah, he sells tickets before the game as well.
I look for huge things from the Todd and Detrick show next year.
And you guys thought I would be resting on my vacation. With a little effort and knowing where to look, you can find almost anything about any player. Sorry, my sources are to be kept as my little secret, but you still receive the benefits.
04/01/97 - With the help of one of you out there, the exceptional Marcus Bullard story by Josh Peter, of The Commercial Appeal, has been found on the internet. You can find it at this location.