MSU freshmen gaining college experience, weight

STARKVILLE – Ben Howland and Mississippi State's new strength coach are taking the "Freshman 15" to a whole different level.

The Bulldogs basketball program is four weeks through its summer workout program. On June 4, freshmen Malik Newman, Quinndary Weatherspoon and Aric Holman all agreed the weight room with strength coach David Deets was their toughest test.

Less than a month later, they're turning in passing grades.

"All three of those freshmen have put on a significant amount of muscle already," Howland said. "I'm really excited. They've really performed well."

A fourth freshman will be joining the trio soon. Howland expects three-star forward Joseph Strugg to report to Starkville for the second summer semester, which begins July 6. Strugg missed the first summer session because of issues pertaining to his transcript arriving on time.

When Strugg arrives he'll meet MSU's first-year basketball. Deets, the heir to 33-year veteran Richard Akins, has the Bulldogs doing yoga twice a week in addition to workouts in the weight room.

"He's done a phenomenal job with our team in terms of the performances and the strength training as well as overseeing their diet and making sure that they're doing the right things dietary-wise," Howland said. "I've been really impressed."

Strugg adds sizes to MSU's practices at 6-foot-8, 210 pounds. It's a weight that Howland wants the 6-10 Holman at hit fall.

The bodies the freshmen are molding have helped in the on-the-court improvements as well.

Weatherspoon began work on adjusting the technique of his jump shot during his first collegiate practice.

The 6-foot-4 shooting guard dropped his hands – along with the ball – prior to his shot in high school.

"Most every good player I've ever had, they have a tendency to drop the ball to wind up to shoot," Howland said. "Which adds time to your release and you want to have as quick a release as possible."

After the release, Weatherspoon is trying focus on the rim rather than watching the flight of the ball.

Howland has also been working with Weatherspoon on squaring up to the basket with both toes pointing toward the rim.

"There's a lot of little things, habits, that we're trying to get him to be better at," Howland said. "I've been excited though. I think he's going to be a very good shooter in time."

Mississippi State made a league-low 133 3-pointers last year. Texas A&M had the second fewest with 170. MSU was also second-worst with a 30.6 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

Weatherspoon, Holman and Newman should improve those numbers. But to do so, Mississippi State's first step is to transform their high school senior bodies into college freshmen physiques.

"I really like our freshman class," Howland said. "I think they're all going to be significant contributors to this year's team."

Contact Michael Bonner at mbonner@gannett.com. Follow @MikeBBonner on Twitter.