STARKVILLE — Josh Hubbard announced his return to Mississippi State basketball on May 21 after declaring for the NBA draft.
It was big news for the Bulldogs, even if he wasn’t projected to be a top draft pick.
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The junior has been a star in his first two seasons at MSU. Hubbard, a guard from Madison, has been MSU’s leading scorer the last two seasons, averaging 18.9 points per game in 2024-25. He’s the only player in program history to make an All-SEC team as a freshman and sophomore. He holds Mississippi State records for consecutive games with a made 3-pointer (47), 3-pointers in a season (108) and career free-throw percentage (86.6%).
Hubbard explained at a news conference on June 5 his decision to return to the Bulldogs for the first time since his announcement.
“I learned a lot about my game and what I can improve on,” he said. “Obviously, I want to be the best player I can be, and so I just want to bring those things back for me as an individual and to the team as well. I’m not satisfied. We have a lot more in store for this program, and so I’m just excited to be back.”
MSU has made three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances in coach Chris Jans’ three seasons but hasn’t won a game in the tournament.
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Hubbard was declared for the NBA draft for over a month while the Bulldogs were reconstructing the roster. Seven of the top eight scorers from last season are gone by either graduation or the transfer portal. Mississippi State added six transfers and signed the No. 12 freshmen class, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
But even with Hubbard’s status in limbo, Jans said he believed Hubbard would return.
“From my conversations with Josh and his family, just glad that they went through that process,” Jans said. “Hopefully he learned a lot. Knowing Josh, I’m confident that he did. We had great communication behind the scenes and throughout the process, so I had a pretty good idea that unless something crazy happened, which if it did, it did, but we went through that process thinking for the most part that Josh was going to be a part of our basketball team.”
Where Josh Hubbard hopes to improve
Hubbard is a prolific scorer and 3-point shooter. He improved on his ball distribution last season and is viewed as one of the leaders of the team. His height though at 5-foot-11 has hurt him as an NBA draft prospect.
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Mississippi State began summer workouts on June 4. NCAA rules limit teams to eight hours of instruction for eight weeks — four on the court and four off the court with the strength and conditioning staff.
MORE: Mississippi State baseball transfer portal tracker: Who’s in, who’s out for Brian O’Connor
“Just grind and get 1% better each day,” Hubbard said. “One thing we work on each day is just being more vocal, showing that leadership skill. I think that’s the main two things this summer just to get better at.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State basketball: Why Josh Hubbard withdrew from NBA draft
