STARKVILLE, Miss. —The freshman sensation Josh Hubbard was close to being on the other side of this heated rivalry. Hubbard originally signed with the Rebels coming out of Madison Ridgeland Academy.
However, when former Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis was fired, Hubbard reopened his options and found his way to Starkville, and the Bulldogs are glad he did. Hubbard is averaging 15 points a game and has been at the center of both of MSU’s top ten wins this season.
The Bulldogs upset number-five-ranked Tennessee in Starkville, and the 5-10 guard scored a team-high 25 points and once again scored a team-high 17 points in the Bulldogs’ 64-58 win over eighth-ranked Auburn. Also, against Auburn, Hubbard earned his first career start.
Hubbard said there was “not really” a change in his mentality starting instead of coming off the bench. Not starting while being the second-leading scorer on the team might be challenging for a freshman. However, Bulldog head coach Chris Jans never doubts the work ethic of the all-time leading scorer in Mississippi high school basketball history.
“I do not ever worry about him not being in the gym for extra shots and never worry about him not having the right mental approach to practice or film each and every day,” Jans said.
Considering the circumstances of his recruitment, Hubbard will likely be at the center of this rivalry. Jans wants the Madison, Mississippi native to be prepared for the potential heckling he will receive.
“I would imagine he probably needs to prepare for what he is walking into. I cannot imagine that he will be treated with a warm embrace,” Jans said.
This matchup lost a lot of juice during the respective Ben Howland and Davis eras, but new coaching hires have sparked energy into this rivalry. The Bulldogs made the NCAA tournament in Jans’ first year, and now the Rebels made a splash hire in former Texas and Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard.
For an MSU player to become famous among fans, they must perform well when the Bulldogs match up with the Rebels. Hubbard will have much pressure on him when he steps into The Sandy and John Black Pavilion, but Jans is confident the pressure will not overwhelm him.
“He will be mentally ready to go, he will understand what it is going to be like, and if I know Josh like I think I do, it will be motivating for him, and he will at least try to rise to the occasion, but for some kids, I would worry a little bit about even walking into that type of situation how they would handle it for the first time, but I think Josh will be fine,” Jans said.