Mississippi State Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker: Who Left, Who’s Coming In?

Who's leaving the Mississippi State basketball program, who's coming in, and how will it all shake out?
Jan 23, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Wichita State Shockers center Quincy Ballard (15) dunks the ball against the Memphis Tigers during the second half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images
Jan 23, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Wichita State Shockers center Quincy Ballard (15) dunks the ball against the Memphis Tigers during the second half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

It’s been an interesting run for Mississippi State men’s basketball in the transfer portal. And it’s to be expected.

There are two ways to think about the portal in the new, modern era. Yes, it stinks to lose players you’ve watched grow, but on the flip side, it’s not like the Bulldogs were playing in San Antonio in early April.

There’s room to get better with the right mix, but first the team has to know where it stands. Here’s the current situation.

Mississippi State Basketball: Who’s In the Portal?

This doesn’t include Josh Hubbard, who declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft, but could still return if he’s not selected.

Kanye Clary

The 5-11 guard came in from Penn State and suffered a leg injury early on. He only played in seven games, and now he’s off to Oklahoma State.

Jeremy Foumena

Expected to be a big factor inside, the former Rhode Island Ram played jn just nine games and scored ten points with five rebounds.

Riley Kugel

This stings. The Swiss Army knife coming off the bench, Kugel was one of the SEC’s better all-around playmakers at times to go along with a strong defensive presence. Now he’s off to UCF.

KeShawn Murphy

A Bulldog from the start three years ago, the 6-10 rebounding machine averaged 11.7 points and five rebounds as a key part of the rotation. He’ll get a much bigger role wherever he lands.

Adrian Myers

He saw minimal action this season and scored just ten points, but he was a promising 6-6 swing player with plenty of upside.

Michael Nwoko

The 6-10 starter on the inside was good, but he wasn’t quite the factor he should’ve been - KeShawn Murphy was the stronger player on the boards. The former Miami transfer was okay in his one year, and now he’s off to LSU.

Martavious Russell

A two-year bench player for the Bulldogs, he only scored 41 points in his career. There’s promise, but the Bulldogs should be okay at guard.

Mississippi State Basketball: Who’s Joining the Fun?

This doesn’t take into account that the Bulldogs have a strong recruiting class coming in - that’s for another day.

Quincy Ballard

Ballard’s a nice get. The 6-11, 240-pounder makes up for the loss of Murphy and Nwoko, at least somewhat. He didn’t do much in two years at Florida State, but was strong in his third season at Wichita State last season averaging ten points, nine rebounds, and almost two blocks per game.

Ja’Borri McGhee

The UAB shooting guard came on late last season, finishing with over 11 points per game with enough assists and steals to matter - he can D up. He certainly won’t make up for the loss of Hubbard - if the star really does take off to the NBA - but he’ll be an instant factor in the rotation.


Published
Pete Fiutak
PETE FIUTAK

Notre Dame, Kansas, Illinois, and Mississippi State On SI. Publisher of CollegeFootballNews.com since 1998, writing more words about college football than any human ever. Worked for FOX Sports, USA TODAY, The Sporting News, and CBS Sports. America’s radio guest on ESPN, FOX, VSiN and several major market stations. Co-hosted shows on NFL Network, Big Ten Network, FOX Sports Radio, and for eight years was a talking head for Campus Insiders - now Stadium - including as an in-stadium co-host for the first four CFP National Championships. Heisman voter, FWAA Award winner, Doak Walker Award advisory board. Ordered by Keith Jackson to “call me Keith.” BlueSky @petefiutak.bsky.social and X @PeteFiutak