Josh Hubbard of Mississippi State says he will be back next season.
Josh Hubbard will return to the Maroon and White for Mississippi State basketball in the upcoming campaign.
STARKVILLE Josh Hubbard of Mississippi State eliminated any doubt when he declared on social media on Monday afternoon that he will return for the men’s basketball team at Mississippi State the following season.
Hubbard commented, “Let’s run it back Starkvegas, year 2 loading,” on a post on “X” (the old Twitter app).
Hubbard, the versatile true freshman point guard for Mississippi State who had one of the best first seasons in program history this winter, will be the focal focus of Chris Jans’ squad once more.
With an average of 17.1 points per game, 2.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and a shooting percentage of 38.5% from the field and over 35% from beyond the arc, Madison native Hubbard led the Bulldogs in scoring this season. Hubbard scored 20 points or more in 13 games, including a career-high 34 points in Mississippi State’s home defeat of Kentucky. The Bulldogs advanced to their second consecutive NCAA Tournament, but they were eliminated in the first round by Michigan State in Charlotte.
Hubbard broke Rickey Brown’s record for the most points scored by a rookie in a single season at Mississippi State with 598, and he also established a record for the most three-point field goals made during the season with 108.
Former four-star Hubbard was rated by 247sports Composite as the 96th overall recruit in the 2023 class. In November 2022, he made his first commitment to Ole Miss; however, he later withdrew in February.
Hubbard’s announcement that he will return means Mississippi State has secured the seventh spot out of the 13 available scholarships for the upcoming campaign. Additionally, Cam Matthews declared that he would return for the upcoming season, choosing to use his additional COVID year. Kanye Clary, a former guard for Penn State, was also added to the Bulldogs’ roster through the transfer portal. Before being cut from the team in February, Clary led Penn State in scoring last season with an average of almost 17 points per contest.
This will be the first significant roster transition for Mississippi State under Chris Jans. In addition to reserve center Jimmy Bell Jr., the Bulldogs lost starters Dashawn Davis, DJ Jeffries, and Tolu Smith, who all used up their NCAA eligibility in the previous campaign. Players Trey Fort and Jaquan Scott, who came to Starkville from junior college the previous season, returned through the portal at the end of the campaign. In addition, Marshall transfer Andrew Taylor, who quit the team in January, is requesting an NCAA waiver so he can play basketball for a new team the following season.
