Mississippi State Basketball's Shakeel Moore Enters Transfer Portal
Mississippi State basketball's 2024-2025 roster continues to round into form. On Wednesday news broke that Bulldog guard Shakeel Moore plans to enter the transfer portal as a graduate transfer after playing the last three seasons in Starkville.
Mississippi State guard Shakeel Moore tells @On3sports he plans to enter the Transfer Portal.
— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) April 3, 2024
Moore, a 6-1 guard from North Carolina, started 22 games this season. Has averages of 8.4 points and 1.4 steals for his career.
Will enter as a grad transfer.https://t.co/3vtOpKw52b pic.twitter.com/cR2LUQLqYQ
The 6'1", 190 lb shooting guard averaged 7.9 points per game for Mississippi State this season, shooting 47% from the floor and 36% from three. He also averaged 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
Moore was a regular starter for State throughout his three seasons. He saw the most productive year of his career as a junior in 2022-2023 when he averaged 9.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. He posted three 20-point performances that season with a career-high 22 points at South Carolina as part of a 9-11 shooting game.
In fact, if not for Shakeel Moore stepping up his offensive production during the 2023 SEC slate, it's unlikely Mississippi State wins enough games to reach the NCAA Tournament in Chris Jans' first season, the programs' first tournament appearance since 2019. Needless to say, he played a key role in turning the program around.
A Greensboro, North Carolina native, Moore began his collegiate career at NC State before transferring to the Bulldogs in 2022 ahead of Ben Howland's final season as head coach. Moore briefly entered the transfer portal following Howland's firing but ultimately chose to return to State and play for Chris Jans.
The possibility of a return to Starkville has not been ruled out by Moore, but for now, he becomes the third Bulldog to enter the portal, joining fellow guard Trey Fort and forward Jaquan Scott. State will still have plenty of talent in the backcourt, however. They've already added a major contributor from the portal with Penn State transfer Kanye Clary, and superstar Josh Hubbard has announced his decision to return to MSU.
Five scholarship roster spots remain for Mississippi State basketball with Shakeel Moore now in the portal. That means Chris Jans will have plenty of open space to work with in the transfer portal as he continues to fill out the 2024-2025 roster.