Molinar, Brooks named to All-SEC teams

MISSISSIPPI STATE ATHLETICS- Iverson Molinar and Garrison Brooks secured All-SEC Preseason Team selections from the coaches announced Tuesday by the conference office.

Molinar was named a consensus All-SEC Preseason First-Team pick after being chosen by the league media last week. Brooks garnered All-SEC Preseason Second-Team status. It marks back-to-back seasons where Brooks has captured all-conference preseason accolades.

Molinar heads into the 2021-22 season with 684 points and 109 assists during 61 career games. He has racked up 31 games in double figures and fired in 10-plus points during 30 of his 37 starts. The Bulldogs are 8-1 when Molinar has amassed 20-plus points.

Molinar is coming off a breakout sophomore season where he captured All-NIT Tournament Team honors. He buried 47.8 percent from the floor (183-of-383), 43.6 percent on three-pointers (44-of-101) and 80.4 percent (90-of-112) at the free throw line.

Molinar was among the SEC leaders in 16.7 points per game (4th), 47.8 field goal clip (5th), seven games of 20-plus points (T-7th) and 80.4 foul line mark (12th). His 500 total points was eighth-highest for a sophomore in program history.

Molinar improved his scoring average by 10.8 points per game between his freshman and sophomore seasons, the seventh-largest jump in the SEC over the last decade. He teamed with Tolu Smith and D.J. Stewart Jr. to average 45.3 points per game, which was second-best trio in the SEC.

Brooks racked up 1,276 points, grabbed 798 rebounds and started 108 of 133 games over his four seasons at North Carolina. He registered 43 of his 60 games in double figures, headed by 12 of his 13 outings of 20-plus points during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

Brooks ranked among the ACC’s top five in points (16.8 – 4th), rebounds (8.5 – 5th) and field goal percentage (53.5 – 2nd) en route to the 2019-20 ACC’s Most Improved Player of the Year award and was an All-ACC Second-Team selection.

Brooks upped those marks in conference action to an ACC-leading 18.8 points per game, while his 9.0 rebounds per game and 53.5 shooting clip were second. The last UNC player to lead the ACC in scoring during league play was three-time All-America and 2008 National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough in 2007-08.

Brooks dialed up 10.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season after being named the ACC’s Preseason Player of the Year in addition to a Naismith Player of the Year and Karl Malone Award candidate. He is the son of MSU assistant coach George Brooks and is ranked No. 6 nationally among ESPN’s top transfers for 2021-22.

The Bulldogs begin the season with a four-game homestand versus North Alabama (Nov. 10 – 7 p.m. CT), Montana (Nov. 13 – TBA), Detroit Mercy (Nov. 17 – 7 p.m. CT) and Morehead State (Nov. 21 – 2 p.m. CT).

Mississippi State has landed a quartet of impact transfers in Garrison Brooks (North Carolina), D.J. Jeffries (Memphis), Rocket Watts (Michigan State) and Shakeel Moore (North Carolina State), coupled with a solid freshmen class which features ESPN top 100 recruit KeShawn Murphy, Alden Applewhite and Cam Carter.

The Bulldogs also return two of their top three scorers in Iverson Molinar and Tolu Smith from 2020-21. Molinar ranked among the SEC’s top 10 in points per game (16.7 – 4th), field goal percentage (47.8 – 5th) and 20-plus point games (8 – T-7th), while Smith was the SEC leader in rebounds per game (8.5) and double-doubles (8) last season.

Mississippi State captured a runner-up finish at the 2021 NIT as the Bulldogs earned a bid in postseason play for the third consecutive time when postseason tournament have been played. State won seven of its last 10 games, highlighted by a combined five NCAA NET Quad 1 and Quad 2 victories down the stretch.