Bulldog fans get fun basketball night in Jackson
Published 6:00 am Friday, December 20, 2002
JACKSON – This was the night for Mississippi State Bulldog fansto enjoy their men’s basketball team. Forget the snarled trafficjam on High Street because of endless road construction. Try toignore the embarrassing breakdown of the shot clock in theMississippi Coliseum.
A sellout, standing-room-only crowd of 6,592, wearing maroonclothing of all shapes and sizes watched their beloved Bulldogsoverpower Georgia State 78-54 Wednesday night. It was MSU’s firstCapital City appearance in four years and the fans weren’tdisappointed.
Ranked No. 16 in the nation, MSU (7-1) showcased a talent-ladenarsenal of players, led by All-American candidate Mario Austin. Themuscular Austin, standing 6-foot-9 and tipping the scales at 260pounds, wowed the crowd with seven thundering dunks.
Low-key off the floor, Austin spoke softly during the postgameinterview. He had been forced to sit out the first six games of theseason while awaiting an appeal to the NCAA regarding his highschool transcripts. He had made a triumphant return last Saturdayin New York when the Bulldogs whipped 11th-ranked Xavier 71-61 inMadison Square Garden.
“It feels good to know we have fans outside of Starkville,” saidAustin. “The fans are a big plus for us. They are ourbackbone.”
Asked about his 24 points and 10 rebounds, Austin said, “Itfeels good to be out there playing again. I never did get out ofshape. I wanted to be ready to play.”
MSU head coach Rick Stansbury has assembled a talented herd ofathletes. They can run and shoot and jump. They have a toweringfront line of players. Besides Austin, Stansbury can call on 6-10senior Michael Ignerski, 6-9 junior Lincoln Smith, 7-0 sophomoreMarcus Campbell, 7-2 freshman Wesley Morgan and 6-8 junior BrandenVincent for inside power.
MSU’s guards are a gifted group, led by senior playmaker DerrickZimmerman and junior Timmy Bowers. They provided a Bulldog momentto remember late in the first half.
Trailing a steal and attempted layup by Ontario Harper, theyboth went for the basketball when Harper was fouled. Bowers andZimmerman both wound up hanging from the rim and the partisan crowdroared its approval.
“Coach always drills us to follow our shot,” said Zimmerman. “Ithink me and Timmy were both smiling when we were hanging there onthe rim.”
Georgia State (3-4), under the direction of legendary coachCharles “Lefty” Driesell, was no match for MSU’s power game. ThePanthers are a dominant force in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Forthe previous two years, Brookhaven’s own Thomas Terrell had starredfor Driesell’s team. The 6-8 Terrell had played two years at Co-Linbefore signing with the Atlanta-based school.
Driesell, in his 41st year of coaching, used a zone defenseagainst the Bulldogs and excellent perimeter shooting from CedricPatton who finished with 21 points, including 3 treys. Patton had17 points at halftime, hitting 3 of 4 treys.
“Coach got on us pretty hard at halftime,” said Zimmerman whofinished with 10 assists. “We played better defense the secondhalf.”
The MSU cheerleaders provided entertainment during timeouts.They are ranked No. 6 nationally by the NCAA. One of thecheerleaders carried a bazooka-like T-shooter. Wadded t-shirts,sponsored by Cellular South, were stuffed down the plastic barreland launched into the arm-waving crowd.
Stansbury feels good about this season’s edition. How far theBulldogs go remains to be seen. They will tackle a powerfulOklahoma squad Dec. 28, in the Sugar Bowl Classic. It’s a noontipoff in the New Orleans Area, scheduled for Fox-TV.
The Sooners were 31-5 last year and ranked No. 3 in the final APPoll. They are currently ranked No. 7 and host Georgia StateSaturday in Norman.
Stansbury was planning for the showdown last night. “I’m goingto give (players) a few days off for Christmas and then bring themback in on the 24th or 25th.”
Such is the life of a major college athlete. They practice mostof the year. Holidays and weekends are usually spent on the road,playing the games that people love to watch.
“Our guys appreciate the big turnout,” said Stansbury. “We werevery excited to have this big crowd here in Jackson. I could see noreason why we wouldn’t have a sellout crowd tonight.”
Stansbury said the opportunity to play in Jackson provided histeam with more exposure which also provides long-range benefits forthe program. “It gives a lot of young kids who don’t get toStarkville a chance to see us play. It could influence theirdecision when it’s time for them to go to college.”
Certainly, last night’s game was wrapped in maroon andwhite.
Sports editior Tom Goetz can be contacted at P.O. Box 551,Brookhaven, MS, 39601, or by e-mail,sports@dailyleader.com