2017 MSU Basketball With and Without Malik Newman

By Josh Barnhill | Mar 12, 2016

Feb 16, 2016; Starkville, MS, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Malik Newman (14) during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Humphrey Coliseum. Mississippi State Bulldogs defeat the Vanderbilt Commodores 75-74. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports /

The book is closed on the 2015-16 version of the MSU basketball team, so we can look ahead to what 2016-17 may bring.

Ben Howland has a pretty good record of turning struggling programs around. In year one at Pitt and UCLA he had a losing record but in year two he went to postseason play (NIT at Pitt, NCAA at UCLA). By year three he’s had all of his stops in the big dance: Northern Arizona, Pitt and UCLA.

Year one at MSU featured a 14-17 record so that’s about par for the course. Losing the nucleus of the last four years in Craig Sword, Gavin Ware and Fred Thomas would figure to be a blow, and coupled with Travis Daniels and Johnny Zuppardo may be a set back at first. But with a recruiting class nationally ranked #6, most expect the Bulldogs to have an uptick next year.

More from Mississippi State Basketball

One big factor will be whether or not Malik Newman returns. A lot has been made about his freshman year so I won’t delve too deep into it, but suffice it to say he didn’t have the season he anticipated having to be a sure-fire first round NBA Draft pick. So here’s a look at what the team may look like with him or without him:

With Malik

I.J. Ready – Sr.
Malik Newman – So.
Quinndary Weatherspoon – So.
Mario Kegler – Fr.
Aric Holman – So.

That’s a really young lineup, but it’s lead by a senior who has played a lot in Ready. Newman and Weatherspoon are really good players and Kegler is expected to be a stud. Holman played some this year and has plenty of potential.

This lineup only features one player – Kegler – from a recruiting class that currently features six 4-stars (could add more in spring signing period). The entire bench will feature players we’ve never seen before in maroon:

Xavian Stapleton (G/SF) – So.
Tyson Carter (SG) – Fr.
Lamar Peters (PG) – Fr.
Eli Wright (SG) – Fr.
Schnider Herard (C) – Fr.
Abdul Ado (C) – Fr.

If Newman comes back, you’ve got some experience that allows the talented freshman to come off the bench and ease into their roles without being thrown into the fire right away. And down low, State will have more bodies despite losing Gavin Ware…who was flying solo for most of the 2016 season.

This ought to be a solid tournament team. There’s a lot of talent – probably three NBA players starting.

Without Malik

Ready
Weatherspoon
Carter/Stapleton
Kegler
Holman

This is a talented lineup but you’re really almost going back to square one. Stapleton is a transfer from LA Tech, so he did spend the season practicing with the team, but it will be much tougher to transition than it would be with Malik. There would still be depth, but it’s inexperienced depth so there will be growing pains.

This should be a solid NIT team, maybe around the bubble for parts of the year.

While Malik Newman did not have the year he wanted to have, most of it was due to injury. He wasn’t the greatest fit to thrive right away in Howland’s system and he had some mediocre games….but he’s got the talent. That’s why I feel he is probably the difference between a tournament team and not a tournament team in 2017.

If Malik comes back and he’s healthy, I believe he will find his way in Howland’s system and really flourish as a sophomore. If he doesn’t come back, it may hurt next year but could position State for more success in 2018. We’ll just have to see.

Bottom line, there is talent coming in and Ben Howland has proven throughout his career that he knows how to coach and how to turn around a losing program. We’ll be back, just give it a little time.

Home/Mississippi State Basketball