STARKVILLE — It wasn’t about how Josh Hubbard started, rather how he finished.
The sophomore guard clanked four consecutive shots to begin Friday night’s 3-point contest.
He then swished nine of his next 11 attempts to advance to the championship. There, he made 11-of-15 3-pointers to outlast women’s basketball guard Jerkaila Jordan and a student competitor who had as many air balls as he had makes.
It was part of Mississippi State basketball’s outdoor “Junction Jam” pep rally just steps away from Davis Wade Stadium. A crowd of fans, cheerleaders and the marching band all huddled around the makeshift court on the crisp fall evening with the start of the men’s and women’s seasons less than three weeks away.
And if Hubbard’s improvement throughout the 3-point contest is reflective of his college career, one has to wonder what could be in store for him after an All-SEC freshman season.
Here are some other highlights from the event.
Michael Nwoko wins dunk contest
Michael Nwoko will be the Bulldog to watch when Mississippi State is on the fastbreak.
The 6-foot-10, 245-pound center from Canada won MSU’s dunk contest with a rock-the-cradle, right-handed dunk. He beat out freshman forward EJ Paymon, Georgia transfer RJ Melendez and redshirt sophomore Martavious Russell.
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Nwoko transferred from Miami after averaging 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game as a freshman.
“They’ve been really good,” Nwoko said of Mississippi State’s practices with coach Chris Jans. “For sure intense. I’ll say that for sure. Coach Jans’ a really good coach. We love him, too. So it’s a real test, but we’re ready.”
Quanirah Montague wins skills competition
The women’s team did not participate in the dunk contest, but had a skills contest instead. Sophomore forward/center Quanirah Montague was the winner.
Contestants wove down the court between dummy defenders, made a left-handed layup at one basket, then went back the other way for another left-handed layup and a free throw.
Montague averaged 2.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game off the bench during her freshman season.
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 wins 3-point contest at Mississippi State ‘Junction Jam’
