Two Former Bulldogs Sign Into the NBA
Tolu Smith (Detroit Pistons) and DJ Jeffries (Memphis Grizzlies) have each inked free-agent deals. Since hiring head coach Chris Jans, Mississippi State men’s basketball has steadily risen. The former New Mexico State head coach brought an intensity that resonated with the fan base and fit the roster he inherited perfectly.
Former MSU head coach Ben Howland struggled to find consistency in Starkville, ultimately leading the program to move on, but he left a solid core. Two players who were at the center of this core were Smith and Jeffries.
Smith, a Bay St. Louis, Miss. native and former Western Kentucky transfer, had a good career at State and a productive three-year stretch that ended the Howland era and started the Jans era. The former first-team All-SEC center averaged 15 points and seven rebounds a game over that stretch. He was the centerpiece of an NCAA tournament team and one of the best big men in the SEC.
Jeffries, a native of Olive Branch, Miss. and former Memphis transfer, perhaps benefited the most from Jans when he arrived in Starkville. Jeffries averaged eight career points in college, but by his senior season, he was one of the best on-ball defenders in the country. He used his length and rapid lateral speed to defend some of the best players in the country.
The greatest moment in his Bulldog career came in the second round of the SEC tournament as State took on number-one seed Tennessee. Jeffries held eventual first-round pick Dalton Knecht to 14 points as he shot 4-17 from the field.
Neither of these players was flashy, but each is a Mississippi State legend.
