Josh Hubbard looking to build on breakout freshman season with revamped Bulldog team

While Mississippi State fans knew that they had something special in Josh Hubbard, not many people could have anticipated his impact would be felt the way it did in year one.

The Madison native came to State last year and immediately made a difference for the Bulldogs as he started in 16 of the 34 games and had one of the greatest freshmen season in school history.

Hubbard carries himself with a quiet confidence that never seemed to waver last season. Even so, there were still things that transpired throughout the year that even shocked him.

“Surprised myself for sure. If you told me I would have had that type of season, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Hubbard said at this week’s SEC Media Days event in Birmingham. “I’m just glad that I have the teammates and the coaching staff that I have to make that the type of season that it was.”

Hubbard looking to build on historic freshman season

The season was one of the books without question. It was one that saw the freshman shoot 36% from 3-point range as he set the school record for long distance makes with 108. He also set the freshman record and finished eighth in school history with the 598 points scored.

Hubbard earned second-team All-SEC after dropping 17.3 points a contest and won the Bailey Howell trophy for the best player in Mississippi. But what makes the state’s all-time high school scoring leader so special is not the physical attributes, it’s the mindset.

“You know, you can’t judge a book by its cover. He’s not been blessed with a ton of size or length. But it’s not slowed him down at all, and I think people underestimate him on the court because he’s just so good at — either off the catch, off a handoff, off the bounce where he’ll rise up and shoot it, and when he gets into that mode it’s like he’s 6’5″,” coach Chris Jans said. “He gets off the floor so quickly and he has an old-school jump shot where he gets off the floor, and it happens so fast that I think it puts the defense on their heels.

“He loves the big moments. He likes the ball in his hands. He likes taking the big shots. Even as a freshman, he took some big shots for us. He’s just got a lot of great qualities to him.”

The challenge for Hubbard now is building on what he did in year one.

Hubbard is a preseason second-team All-SEC pick and has high expectations as he enters his second season with the Bulldogs. The offseason was spent working on a few things that Hubbard felt he could improve upon. That could get him off to a much faster start this year.

“The game is slowing down for sure. Last year, it was just getting the butterflies out. I’m excited for this year and challenging myself to see if I can grow as a player on the court. I think I’m headed in that direction.

“I’m up for the challenge. I can’t take the game lightly, so I think that’s the approach that I’m (using). I think that’s how everyone’s coming on our team this year.”

State adds talented pieces around Hubbard

It helps that Hubbard will have a lift around him this season. The Bulldogs haven’t quite had the firepower at the guard position in Jans’ first two seasons on campus, but Hubbard and State’s success attracted some in the offseason.

The addition of Penn State’s Kanye Clary, Boston College’s Claudell Harris Jr. and Florida’s Riley Kugel make the Bulldogs a much more dangerous offense than in year’s past. It’s helped change the entire scout on Jans’ team.

“They bring a lot to the table. What we already have with (Cameron Matthews) and (KeShawn Murphy) and players like that, you add players like Riley, Kanye, Claudell and (Michael Nwoko), it’s just great to have those type of pieces. Offensively and defensively, it makes it easier for everybody else,” Hubbard said. “

“It’s crazy. We have the great ability to play fast and keep up with teams. With that plus the shooters and scoring ability that we added and having that defensive mentality, we have the potential to be a scary team for sure.”

MSU has been to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments and the Bulldogs are searching for the first three-peat in nearly 20 years this season. But Hubbard and his teammates aren’t just wanting to make the tournament this year – the Bulldogs are looking to advance.

To do that, the margin of error remains thin. The SEC is a beast of a league again this year and the competition in college basketball has hit a new level. Hubbard believes he and his teammates are preparing the right way to change the outcome of several games in his second season.

“I think the difference will be just closing games,” Hubbard said. “We had a lot of close games last year and with the team this year, I feel like we’re going to be able to do just that. The confidence we have this year and the pieces we have are going to make it so much easier.”