Sparkplug guard at home with MSU

By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
Jan. 26, 2004
STARKVILLE Gary Ervin's accent is a dead give away the Mississippi State University freshman point guard is not from the South.
The 5-foot-11 guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., may not sound like he would easily feel at home on the MSU campus, but make no mistake, the East Coast native has comfortably moved into his new surroundings.
But his speech pattern is not the only thing that has made the reserve guard a standout on the college basketball court. Ervin entered the 2003-04 season with the 20th-ranked Bulldogs, after starring as a fifth-year player at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass., with plenty of hype.
He came to MSU ranked on nearly every college basketball list for incoming players, and he was highly recommended by former Bulldogs points guard Todd Myles, who led the 1999-2000 MSU team in assists.
After the Bulldogs' gut-wrenching, one-point loss to then-No. 5 Kentucky on Jan. 13, everyone could see why Ervin, who backs up Timmy Bowers at the point, received so much praise before bringing the ball up a college basketball court for the first time.
Ervin tallied 11 points, four assists and four steals in 21 minutes against the Wildcats, a performance Bulldogs coach Rick Stansbury called "no question Gary's best of the season."
The backup point guard followed his breakout performance against Kentucky with a 13-point, two-assist effort against LSU on Jan. 17 in 26 minutes of play, the most time he as logged on the floor this season. MSU won the game 64-54.
Ervin has averaged 19.5 minutes per game in the Bulldogs' last two games, wins over Florida on the road and Georgia at home, and he has combined for seven points and seven assists in those two contests.
That good role for Ervin is right behind Bowers. Ervin said he has developed a close relationship with Bowers, who with the win over Georgia Saturday has become the program's all-time winningest player with 82, and has learned a lot from the senior player.
As much as Ervin has learned in his 17 games with the Bulldogs, Stansbury said the young point guard's basketball knowledge still has room to expand.
Mainly, the Bulldogs coach would like to see Ervin's defense improve. The freshman has tallied 19 steals.
But as high as the coach's expectations may be, Ervin's desires for himself may be even higher.