3 Jackson State Players To Watch vs Houston
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A 1-7 Jackson State program travels to the Fertitta Center to take on the 8-1 Houston Cougars, where two programs are looking to find more momentum heading into the latter half of the non-conference schedule.
Both schools are having different seasons, with the Cougars trending in the right direction while the Tigers are going in the wrong direction, doing everything possible to snag a win to get back to March Madness for the first time in a while.
In order to do that, these three Jackson State basketball players have to be ready to face a locked Houston defense that doesn’t allow a ton of points.
Daeshun Ruffin, Guard
The 5-foot-10 senior who played at Ole Miss for two seasons before making the move to Jackson State has been the heart and soul of the offense this season. Since he played in the SEC for two seasons, he is no stranger to playing in big games against one of the biggest brands in collegiate basketball.
This season, Daeshun Ruffin has been the most consistent player on the roster, shooting 36.8 percent from the field. With an average of 15.4 points per game, the native of Jackson, Mississippi, is also very active on the floor, where he is averaging 28.6 this season. From the charity stripe, he draws a lot of trips there, where he is 82.1 percent at the line. His strongest suit isn’t downtown shooting 20.7 percent, but he is there for his teammates, averaging 3.3 assists.
Jayme Mitchell, Jr., Guard
Another Jackson, Mississippi, native, Jayme Mitchell Jr., has been with the Jackson State program for 4 years and is one of the team's veterans. After one year with Alabama State during the 2021-22 season, the move has worked out for him, as he is consistently scoring at an average of 13.5 points.
His best game of the season came against Auburn, when he tallied 24 points against a very physical team like Houston. He had five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks, so he is very involved in creating pressure on defense. From the field this season, he has shot 45.6 percent and can heat up from behind the arc, where he shoots 43.6 percent. Watch out for No. 3 on the court.
Devin Ree, Forward
If Jackson State has a big man that any of the Coogs nation should be worried about, even though numbers-wise, he isn’t the most electric player on the floor, he has the height and coordination to make defenders look inexperienced.
Listed at 6-foot-9, the tall athlete, who can be dominant on offense and defense, does not score a ton, averaging 5.6 points per game. He has shown spurts of finding the open lane or the right situation to take a jumper.
His best game this season came when he took on No. 17 Illinois, where he registered 19 points. There has only been one other time he reached double digits against Winthrop, with 10 points. If he is able to impose himself in the paint and win the rebound battle, he might help pull off a major upset.
Kolton Becker is a journalist for Texas A&M Aggies and Houston Cougars On SI from Port Lavaca, Texas. He is a graduate from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural communications and journalism and a minor in sport management. As a former sports reporter with TexAgs and The Battalion, he has covered Texas A&M football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, track & field, cross country, swim & dive and equestrian. In his spare time, he loves to hunt, fish, cook, do play-by-play announcing at high school sporting events, spend time with family/friends as well as be involved with his local church.
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