Skip to main content
Mississippi State
Join Now

Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard wins record-breaking 3rd Howell Trophy

Mississippi State beat writer Colin Dammsby: Colin Damms04/15/26Colintheshots95

Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard made history yet again on Wednesday. The Bulldog guard took home the Bailey Howell Trophy for the third time in three seasons. He is the first player in history to win the award more than two times.

The Howell Trophy is given annually to the top men’s college basketball player in Mississippi. Hubbard is the fourth consecutive winner for Mississippi State, marking the eighth win in the last nine years for the program.

Hubbard has represented Mississippi State in all three years at the award ceremony. He was in attendance to receive the award from the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame at Pearl River Resort on Wednesday.

Hubbard took home the trophy in both his freshman and sophomore seasons. He becomes the first three-time winner after a Top 10 scoring season of 22.1 points per game. He also recorded two 40-point games and a historic 46-point performance in a win over Auburn.

Hubbard shot 42.2% from the floor with a 34.7% hit rate from three-point range last season. He also averaged 3.6 assists on top of his individual scoring numbers. He finished with a third All-SEC honor in three seasons and earned a second selection to the SEC Community Service Team.

At 1,947 points, Hubbard ranks fourth in the program’s all-time scoring leaderboard. Only Jeff Malone, Bailey Howell and Quinndary Weatherspoon have more in Mississippi State history.

The Bulldogs struggled throughout the 2025-26 campaign despite a prolific year from their star guard. The team finished with a 13-19 record, 5-13 in SEC play, the worst finish in four years under head coach Chris Jans. It was the first time Jans and co. missed the NCAA Tournament as well.

Hubbard returned for his junior season after exploring the NBA Draft process in 2025. He has not announced whether he will stay for his senior season at Mississippi State or explore other options. Hubbard has not yet entered the transfer portal either. The window to enter the portal closes next week.

You may also like