NCAA Basketball: Breakdown of 4-Star PG Daeshun Ruffin’s final 6 teams
By Ian Mumm
NCAA Basketball contender for Daeshun Ruffin – Mississippi State Bulldogs
The Bulldogs have once again become a mainstay in the top tier of the Southeastern Conference under Ben Howland. Despite not finishing the 2019 season, the program reached its 3rd-straight 20-win season. On the heels of a physical playing style, the Bulldogs forced teams to grind out wins against them despite not forcing a ton of turnovers.
Howland does not go deep into his bench and really relies on positional versatility for his players on the court. Iverson Molinar showed some early development last season backing up Nick Weatherspoon, but top-50 guard Deivon Smith looks to disrupt the rotation this season. Molinar and Smith, pending a breakout, are expected to be on the 2021 roster slightly crowding the backcourt minutes.
The Bulldogs share the ball very well, even among post players, but do not shoot from the perimeter very frequently. In addition to creating more havoc on the perimeter as a defender, Ruffin could introduce multiple new dimensions for Mississippi State to attack their opponents. However, the program’s recruiting strength will continue to introduce barriers for Ruffin to receiving optimal playing time regardless of the benefits of the team’s roster balance.