Mississippi State's Hubbard and Jordan named finalists for Howell and Gillom trophies

With March set to begin, the college basketball season is about to reach its most intense point. The regular seasons are winding down in both men's and women's basketball, and at Mississippi State, both programs are looking to make deep runs in March Madness. But now after several months of play, the time has also come to begin recognizing the players who shined the brightest during the season.

On Thursday, finalists were announced for the Howell and Gillom Trophies, given to the best men's and women's college basketball players in the state of Mississippi, respectively. A pair of high-level scorers will be representing Mississippi State, as MBK sophomore guard Josh Hubbard was named a finalist for the Howell Trophy while WBK senior guard Jerkaila Jordan was named a finalist for the Gillom Trophy.

The other finalists for the Howell Trophy include Ole Miss' Sean Pedulla and Jackson State's Daeshun Ruffin. For the Gillom Trophy, the other finalists were Ole Miss' Madison Scott and Jackson State's Taleah Dilworth.

Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Josh Hubbard named finalist for Howell Trophy

Through less than two seasons, Josh Hubbard has already put himself in the conversation as an all-time great in Starkville. The electrifying shooter became the first ever true freshman to take home the Howell trophy last season, and he's followed up that freshman campaign with another strong season. He's averaging 18 points per game and is second in the SEC in three-point makes. A win would make Hubbard Mississippi State's third two-time Howell Trophy winner. Bulldogs have dominated the award, having won 11 out of 20 and three-straight.

Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Jerkaila Jordan named finalist for Gillom Trophy

The heartbeat of Mississippi State women's basketball, Jerkaila Jordan finally gets the chance to be named the state's best in her final year with the program. The Bulldogs guard is averaging 16 points per game. She's scored 20+ in 10 games this season, highlighted by a career-best 40 points against Missouri. Jordan now ranks in the top-five in program history in scoring with over 1800 career points at MSU. Were she to take home the Gillom Trophy, it would be the 11th time a Bulldog has taken home the award, and it would give State back-to-back winners for the first time since 2020.