Moody casts a C Spire Howell vote, 43 of them, in fact…

Posted on: March 03,2016

Rick Cleveland

Stefan Moody doesn’t have a vote for the C Spire Howell Trophy, but he cast a ballot the best way he knew how Wednesday night in Oxford.
Moody, a senior playing on Senior Night, poured in 43 points to lead the Ole Miss Rebels to an 86-78 victory over arch-rival Mississippi State.
Fellow Howell Trophy finalist and senior Gavin Ware of Mississippi State scored 28 points and pulled down nine rebounds, a remarkable effort in a losing cause.
But Moody’s performance was one for the ages.
Said Mississippi State coach Ben Howland, “We probably should have played a triangle and two defense and the two should have been on Moody. That’s how good he was.”
Moody became the first Rebel to score 40 points since Gerald Glass poured in 53 points against LSU on March 4, 1989. That was the night the former Chris Jackson (now Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf) scored 55 in a losing cause in one of the most memorable games in Mississippi basketball history.
Glass, a Mississippi Sports Hall of Famer, was watching Moody’s performance on TV Wednesday night.
“He was unstoppable,” Glass said of Moody. “He reminded me some of Chris, because neither one of them is a big guy but both can get off a shot any time they want it. There are a lot of differences, but there are some similarities.
“Chris was so smooth, he would lull you to sleep and then just jump over you and shoot. Moody is more aggressive. He goes right at you.”
Moody is listed at 5 feet, 10 inches. Jackson was listed, perhaps generously, at 6-1.
“Moody is so quick and so strong for his size,” Glass said. “And he’s fearless. He’s not afraid of anybody or any situation. He’s an amazing player. His vertical is off the charts.”
Moody won the C Spire Howell Trophy in 2015. Ware and State freshman Quinndary will join Moody as finalists at Monday’s C Spire Howell-Gillom Awards Luncheon at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.
State’s Victoria Vivians, last year’s Gillom Trophy winner, is one of three finalists for the women’s trophy, along with Chelsey Rhodes of Delta State and Shandricka Sessum of Ole Miss.
Tickets and tables remain available for the Monday, March 7, luncheon. Call 601 982-8264 to purchase tickets.
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https://msfame.liquidcreative.net/new/c-spire-howell-and-gillom-trophy-presentation/
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Cast your vote in the fan balloting here.