STARKVILLE — Only two players who averaged more than 10 minutes last season are returning to Mississippi State basketball in 2025-26.
That means star guard Josh Hubbard will have an almost completely new supporting cast for the second straight season. The junior withdrew from the NBA draft after consecutive seasons on the All-SEC second team.
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The Bulldogs and fourth-year coach Chris Jans added six transfers after reaching a third consecutive NCAA tournament.
Here’s how those transfers can help Hubbard after he scored a career high 18.9 points per game last season.
Mississippi State can improve 3-point efficiency with ‘scary’ backcourt
The Bulldogs attempted the third-most 3-pointers in the SEC last season but had the 14th best efficiency at 31.4%.
The 3-point shot is a massive part of Hubbard’s game. He holds program records for 3s in a season (108 in each of his two seasons) and consecutive games with a made 3-pointer at 47. However, the 3-point shooting around him wasn’t consistent enough last season.
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Jayden Epps, a Georgetown guard transfer, shot 34.4% from 3 on 154 attempts in 2024-25. UAB transfer guard Ja’Borri McGhee was even more efficient at 40.8%, but only on 71 attempts. Epps started 50 games in the last two seasons, averaging 15.8 points, 3.3 assists and 2.4 rebounds. McGhee averaged 11.1 points, 2.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds last season.
“Us three in the backcourt is definitely going to be scary,” Epps told reporters on July 17.
Montana State transfer Brandon Walker, a 6-foot-7 forward, was a 36.8% 3-point shooter last season but only on 1.5 attempts per game. He was an All-Big Sky honorable mention, scoring 14.7 points per game with 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
Quincy Ballard is a different style for Mississippi State in the post
Mississippi State will be a different team in the paint after KeShawn Murphy and Michael Nwoko transferred. They didn’t protect the rim the same as Wichita State transfer Quincy Ballard does.
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Ballard swatted 1.9 blocks per game last season while hauling in 9.2 rebounds. His 62 dunks and 75.1 field-goal percentage were single-season records for Wichita State. The 6-foot-11, 251-pound center also scored a career-high 10.0 points per game.
“I like to bring the force on both sides,” Ballard said. “Obviously with defense, people already know how I am on defense. I’ve been working on my offense and everything pretty much all summer. I feel like it’s going to be a big factor by the time the season starts.”
MORE: Mississippi State basketball releases full nonconference schedule, including season opener
Amier Ali, Achor Achor add length at the wing
Shawn Jones Jr. made strides as an improved two-way player on the wing. He returns for the 2025-26 season, and Mississippi State has some other intriguing wings to complement him.
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Amier Ali from Arizona State is a 6-foot-8 guard/forward. He was a four-star in the 2024 recruiting class who played 19.1 minutes per game mostly off the bench with the Sun Devils. Ali scored 5.5 points per game while shooting 32.6% from 3 on 92 attempts.
“Individually, I just want to be able to play harder,” Ali said. “The main thing is to get me on the floor and all that stuff.”
Achor Achor, a 6-foot-9, 227-pound wing, only played nine games at Kansas State last season but was All-Southern Conference first team in 2023-24 at Samford with 16.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
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: Josh Hubbard: Mississippi State transfer portal impact on star
