Maroon and White Nation
Fansided

Mississippi State Basketball: Robert Woodard II and Reggie Perry’s Draft Dreams Come True

By Derrick Thomas

Feb 1, 2020; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Robert Woodard II (12) and forward Reggie Perry (1) and guard D.J. Stewart Jr. (3) react during the second half of the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 1, 2020; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Robert Woodard II (12) and forward Reggie Perry (1) and guard D.J. Stewart Jr. (3) react during the second half of the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Mississippi State Basketball: Robert Woodard II and Reggie Perry Draft Dreams Come True

Robert Woodard II and Reggie Perry have a lot in common. Both have fathers that played basketball for Mississippi State. They played together for two years in Maroon and White. They now can say that they are another pair of Mississippi State teammates drafted in the same year.

Mississippi State has not had two NBA Draft Picks in the same year since Mario Austin and Derrick Zimmerman were drafted in the second round in 2003. Erick Dampier and Dontae Jones were the last Bulldog teammates drafted in the first round.

It has been an eventful two years for Perry, who declared for the NBA draft in 2019. He decided to return for his sophomore season and was the only player in the SEC to average a double-double over the course of the season. Perry also earned a slew of honors as he decided two years in Maroon was enough, and now it is off to the NBA to play alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Erving with the Brooklyn Nets.

Robert Woodard II was also drafted in the 2020 NBA Draft. Woodard II was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies and then traded to the Sacramento Kings. Woodard was a top prospect out of Columbus, Mississippi, and decided to stay home and follow his father’s footsteps and play for Mississippi State.

Woodard was a solid player off the bench during his freshman season. He would start every game the Bulldogs would play as a sophomore. Woodard II improved in every aspect of the game, but the one part of his game that I feel serves him best is his shooting. The NBA is now a shooters league, and Woodard II shot 42% from three.

https://twitter.com/SacramentoKings/status/1329337295309205504?s=20

What Could Have Been

I am excited for Woodard and Perry as these young men have achieved something great and have made their dreams come true playing the game they love. They will carry the Mississippi State Basketball legacy into the NBA, where another one of their teammates, Quindarryl Weatherspoon, plays for the Spurs. As a Bulldog fan, you have to wonder what the upcoming Mississippi State Basketball season would have been like had Woodard II, and Perry stayed for their junior seasons.

Home/Mississippi State Basketball