2008–09 Mississippi State Bulldogs basketball team

The 2008–09 Mississippi State basketball team represented Mississippi State University in the 2008–09 college basketball season. Under head coach Rick Stansbury, the team played their home games at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi, and was a member of the Southeastern Conference.

2008–09 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Round of 64
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record23–13 (9–7 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaHumphrey Coliseum
Seasons
2008–09 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
East
South Carolina 10 6   .625 21 10   .677
Tennessee 10 6   .625 21 13   .618
Florida 9 7   .563 25 11   .694
Vanderbilt 8 8   .500 19 12   .613
Kentucky 8 8   .500 22 14   .611
Georgia 3 13   .188 12 20   .375
West
No. 21 LSU 13 3   .813 27 8   .771
Auburn 10 6   .625 24 12   .667
Mississippi State 9 7   .563 23 13   .639
Alabama 7 9   .438 18 14   .563
Ole Miss 7 9   .438 16 15   .516
Arkansas 2 14   .125 14 16   .467
† SEC Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

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The 2007–08 Bulldogs finished the season 23–11 (12–4 in SEC play) and reached the Round of 32 in the NCAA tournament, where they barely lost to eventual runner-up Memphis.

Before the season

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Departures

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Five players from the 2007–08 team did not return for this season.

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Billy Begley 3 Guard 6'1" 190 Senior Henderson, KY Graduated (Walk-on)
Jamont Gordon 44 Guard 6'4" 230 Junior Nashville, TN Declared for 2008 NBA draft
Joseph Iupe 10 Guard 6'1" 160 Sophomore Madison, MS Left team (Walk-on)
Ben Hansbrough 11 Guard 6'3" 205 Sophomore Poplar Bluff, MO Transferred to Notre Dame[1]
Charles Rhodes 23 Forward 6'8" 245 Senior Jackson, MS Graduated

Recruits

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Twany Beckham
PG
Louisville, KY Ballard HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Apr 13, 2008 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A
Dee Bost
PG
Concord, NC Concord HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 17 lb (7.7 kg) Jul 11, 2007 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A
Jacquiese Holcombe
F
College Park, GA Georgia Perimeter College 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) May 5, 2008 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247SportsN/A
Romero Osby
PF
Meridian, MS Northeast Lauderdale HS 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Jun 18, 2007 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Mississippi State 2008 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com.
  • "2008 Mississippi State Basketball Commits". Scout.com.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com.
  • "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

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2008–09 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 1 Jacquiese Holcombe     6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Georgia Perimeter College College Park, GA
G 2 Ravern Johnson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Coahoma County HS Lyon, MS
G 3 Dee Bost 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Concord HS Concord, NC
G 4 Twany Beckham 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Ballard HS Louisville, KY
F 5 Romero Osby 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Northeast Lauderdale HS Meridian, MS
G 10 Christopher Gay (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Sr William Carey College Hattiesburg, MS
G 14 Rod Bryant (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So G. W. Carver HS Birmingham, AL
G 15 Riley Benock 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Meade County HS Battletown, KY
F 20 Taylor Luczak (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Fr Glens Falls HS Glens Falls, NY
G 22 Barry Stewart 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Shelbyville Central HS Shelbyville, TN
F 24 Kodi Augustus 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Maine Central Institute Baton Rouge, LA
G 25 Phil Turner 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS So Grenada HS Grenada, MS
F 32 Jarvis Varnado 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Haywood HS Brownsville, TN
G 33 Brandon Bolen (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Madison-Ridgeland Academy Madison, MS
F 44 Brian Johnson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr Bishop O'Connell HS Laurinburg, NC
F 45 Elgin Bailey 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 265 lb (120 kg) So Belaire HS New Orleans, LA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

References

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  1. ^ Associated Press (April 29, 2008). "Hansbrough to transfer from Mississippi State to Notre Dame". ESPN.com.