2026 four-star center Sam Fuches building bonds with Mississippi State's staff
2026 center and On3 four-star prospect Sam Funches already holds his share of offers from basketball programs throughout the country. This past summer the Germantown High School standout has been able to visit several campuses and get a better idea of the programs recruiting him.
That includes Mississippi State, a place Funches has visited several times over the past couple of years. He also has a family connection with the university, which has helped Funches get more comfortable with Starkville.
Funches is rated as the nation’s No. 2 center and the state’s top prospect by On3 along with being the nation’s No. 19 overall prospect regardless of position. He currently holds offers from Mississippi State, Auburn, Ole Miss, Creighton, Kansas State and Alabama among others.
“As far as Mississippi State, I think they have a nice campus,” Funches said. “My sister goes to school there so I see her a lot and go up there sometimes. I liked the drills we did at their camp, learning how to shoot off the pass and off the dribble.”
Funches participated in State’s elite camp back in late August. Then two weekends ago he was back in Starkville for the Mississippi State-Alabama game and also watched the Bulldogs practice at the Mize Center.
“I had a good time,” Funches recalled. “I liked the structure of their practice and how detailed Coach (Chris) Jans was when they were scrimmaging. The photo shoot was fun, especially with my sister, and we had a lot of fun.
“The coaches were great, too. I had a lot of 1-on-1 conversations with Coach Jans, just getting to know each other outside of basketball.”
After finishing off a solid offseason on the summer circuit, Funches is now prepping for his sophomore season at Germantown.
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“I think we should be okay this season,” Funches remarked. “It is my second season back at Germantown and I think we will be better.
“I’ve been playing the four. But it just depends on who is on the team and the personnel. Sometimes I get on a team with a 6-10, 195-pound man and that determines where I play on the court.”
Also late in the summer, Funches was able to take a college tour with several other 2026 prospects. Most of his stops were in ACC country and he noted of that experience.
“I just went to North Carolina with a group of some of the best 2026 guys,” Funches said. “They have us visiting four colleges and we went to see North Carolina, Duke, N.C. State and Wake Forest. It was a good experience and they had some nice stuff around their schools.”
Looking ahead, Funches plans to be on several campuses when the 2023-24 college basketball season gets underway. And that will include a few game-day experiences at Mississippi State.
“Obviously, I will go watch Mississippi State this season,” mentioned Funches. “Other than that, it just depends on who invites me to their games and where the games are at.”
