Philly Dave breaks down new Mississippi State hoops squad

For nearly a decade now, David Anwar has been one of Chris Jans’ most trusted assistants.

Affectionately known as “Philly Dave”, Anwar’s love for coaching is rivaled by his love for Philadelphia sports but he’s just as bullish on this State team as he is the 76ers this season.

At New Mexico State, Anwar helped Jans to a fantastic 122-32 record with three NCAA Tournament appearances and another one assured during the cancelled postseason of 2019-20 when the Aggies were 25-6 and 16-0 in the Western Athletic Conference.

Since coming to Starkville, Anwar has helped the Bulldogs accomplish similar heights as State has two 21-win seasons with two NCAA Tournament trips. This year’s team brings even more excitement to the forefront.

With less than a week until the start of the season, Anwar discussed his thoughts on this year’s State team and the expectations that continue to grow in Starkville.

Question: Closing in on the first game, how do you feel about the team this year?

PD: “I feel really good. We have a lot of depth at all of our positions. Our guards are really good and we have some experience coming back with Josh Hubbard and Cam (Matthews) so I feel really good about our team. (KeShawn) Murphy is playing really well and we have some more experience as well.”

Q: What has KeShawn’s offseason been like after hitting the portal and choosing to return?

PD: “He’s really improved. He’s focused, locked in and playing great basketball. He’s always been talented, but now he’s putting it on the court every day consistently. He’s hitting the offensive glass at a high level too.”

Q: How have you seen the chemistry grow with the new transfers on this team?

PD: “It’s very important. The thing about the transfer portal is you get names but then you have to put them together. These kids all hang out together and spend time together off the floor and it carries over on the floor.”

Q: How much does the speed factor of Hubbard and Kanye Clary change what you do offensively?

PD: “I think with those two, you get a different look that most teams don’t have. It’s two guards that can get in the paint and make plays for each other and then you have some really good wings on the outside. Those two can get in the lane and break people down easily.”

Q: How much better can Hubbard be after the freshman season he had?

PD: “He had an unbelievable year – I’ve never seen a freshman play that good. He just has to keep coming in here, staying the course and being the great leader that he is. Just keep getting better refining and working on everything and he’ll be a really good player for a long time.”

Q: Thoughts on the non-conference schedule?

PD: “With how things go now, it’s all about scheduling. You have to play the best teams to get to the tournament. We’ve had early success the first two years and that’s really helped us down the stretch get to the tournament. We want to play the best that we can and hopefully beat them all and have a great resume come March.”

Q: The attitude around here is not just be happy making the tournament but making a run in the tournament. Is that your view?

PD: “We want to win and win big. We made the tournament the last two years and that was great but now we’re trying to take the program to the next level. We’re not going to be satisfied just getting there. We want to win games there and make a run in March.”

Q: How much easier is it to sell State right now opposed to when you got here?

PD: “When we first got here, they had a really good program with really good players. With our success, it’s just helped us. With winning and getting to the tournament, people know who we are now. It’s been a lot easier since we’ve been here. We’re familiar with it and people are familiar with us. But I don’t want to take away with what they had done here and the program they had.”