Bulldog Basketball squads host Junction Jam
In front of a solid crowd, Mississippi State’s basketball programs held Junction Jam in the Junction just outside of Davis Wade Stadium on Friday night. Head coaches Chris Jans and Sam Purcell spoke to the crowd while the fans got their first look at both rosters.
After player introductions, both squads held their own 3 point shooting contest while Purcell’s squad also had a skills challenge, which was won by sophomore forward/center Quanirah Montague.
In the women’s 3 point contest, senior guard Jerkaila Jordan nailed 7 of 15 three-pointers to capture top honors. Jordan barely edged out senior guard Eniya Russell and junior forward Debreasha Powe, who both made six 3 pointers.
On the men’s side to no surprise, sophomore guard Josh Hubbard made 10 of 15 attempts beyond the arc to take home the title. Senior guard Claudell Harris made 6 of 15 during his opportunity while senior wing RJ Melendez made 4 of 15.
Then in the final grouping of Hubbard and Jordan, Hubbard sank 11 of 15 attempts while Jordan made it close with 8 of 15.
“As a shooter, I’m not going to say it was tough,” said Harris with a smile. “But it was an outside environment and new rims. But I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the guys and the culture and the coaching staff. It’s like a family environment and I couldn’t ask for anything else.”
Harris is one of several new transfers in State’s backcourt this season, joining fellow transfers in Riley Kugel, Kanye Clary and Melendez. Along with Hubbard, it’s made for quite the competition in practice but it’s also built good chemistry so far.
“We work every day,” Harris noted. “It’s crazy because our comradery is high. We play off each other and we’re really good at playing off each other. With Jans’ system, you’re also going to have to play defense. And like Coach Jans said earlier, our locker room is the best he’s every seen. We’re able to come in with different skills and are able to adapt to one another.”
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The men’s side ended the night with a dunk contest, which featured sophomore center Michael Nwoko, sophomore guard Martavious Russell, freshman forward Eric Paymon and Melendez. Nwoko took home top honors but Russell nearly had the dunk of the night. Russell attempted to jump over Hubbard during his first dunk attempt and just barely missed.
“It’s good and I’ve never been a part of something like this before,” said Nwoko, a former Miami transfer. “So I was excited and it was great. I expected to have more dunks but we didn’t get it. I just went out there and do my dunks.”
Nwoko is currently in a crowded battle at the center position along with fellow sophomores Jeremy Foumena and Gai Chol along with junior veteran KeShawn Murphy.
“For sure it’s intense,” Nwoko added. “Coach Jans is a really good coach and we love him. It’s real tough but we’re ready. Me, Jeremy (Foumena) and Gai (Chol) have been fighting hard every day and KeShawn Murphy has been in the mix a little bit. So it’s going really good.”
On Saturday from noon to 1 p.m., Mississippi State will have an open practice at Humphrey Coliseum as fans can watch along with local media. So some players wanted to make sure they rested their legs during Junction Jam festivities.
“I just wanted to see my teammates and enjoy the time and take a break because we got practice tomorrow,” mentioned Foumena. “Practice has good and I’ve gotten used to this level of practice. I’m still getting used to it and the time I got here, I stayed over during the break and kept working. Overall, the battle in the post is equal and Coach Jans just wants different positions (on the court).”
