Former Louisiana Tech guard Xavian Stapleton has committed to Mississippi State. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported Stapleton’s decision on Twitter.
BREAKING: Louisiana Tech transfer Xavian Stapleton has committed to Mississippi State, source told @CBSSports. Averaged 6.7 PPG.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 5, 2015
Stapleton averaged 6.7 points per game for the Bulldogs last season and shot 41 percent from the field over 15.5 minutes per contest. He will now sit out a year before suiting up in Starkville for new Mississippi State coach and former UCLA coach Ben Howland, who was hired earlier this year after Rick Ray was fired.
Hopefully, Stapleton will be able to jumpstart a Bulldogs team that has struggled to keep up in the competitive SEC and has not been to the NCAA Tournament since former coach Rick Stansbury took them there in 2009.
However, Mississippi State was eliminated in the first round that year and has not made significant progress in the big dance since making the Final Four in 1996 under Richard Williams.
With Howland now manning the sidelines and Stapleton set to join in the 2016-17 season, perhaps Mississippi State can start making some noise sooner rather than later.
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
