Fountain reportedly set to join Bulldogs

In an offseason of turnover for the Mississippi State men's basketball team, the Bulldogs have reportedly added to their roster.

Derek Fountain, a forward from Holly Springs, has verbally committed to MSU according to multiple reports on Thursday. Fountain hasn't yet signed with the Bulldogs but is soon expected to.

Fountain was a force last year for Holly Springs. He averaged a double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds per game. Behind Fountain's production. Holly Springs reached the Class 3A semifinals and finished the year with a 28-5 overall record.

According to 247Sports, Fountain also held multiple offers from other schools including Oklahoma, Temple, Tulane, Southern Miss and Fresno State. However the 6-foot-8.5, 200-pound Fountain looks set to be a Bulldog over his other options.

Fountain would join five other players in Mississippi State's Class of 2020. The others include four-star point guard Deivon Smith, and three-star small forwards Keondre Montgomery, Andersson Garcia and Cameron Matthews. Montgomery and Matthews are the state of Mississippi's No. 1 and No. 2 prospects, respectively. MSU's class also includes small forward transfer Jalen Johnson from the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. Now, it appears Fountain is set to be added to the mix with what looks to be an incredibly youthful 2020-21 Bulldog squad that would have at least nine of its 12 scholarship players as sophomores or younger.

It would be a huge benefit to Mississippi State's chances in the upcoming year if Robert Woodard II were to choose to return to the Bulldogs. The would-be junior remains with his name in the NBA Draft, however he has not hired an agent so he has retained his college eligibility and could come back to MSU. If he wants to remove his name from the draft and be a Bulldog again, Woodard has until 10 days after the still-unscheduled NBA Combine or August 3 – whichever date comes first.