Mississippi State Men's Basketball Lands Commitment From RJ Melendez

The transfer portal may be closed, but The Bulldogs are adding more depth to their roster.

Mar 14, 2024; Nashville, TN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs guard RJ Melendez (15) celebrates after a basket / Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

STARKVILLE - The transfer portal has been closed for some time but this will not stop Mississippi State from bolstering its roster.

As many know, head coach Chris Jans likes to have a deep rotation of players on his roster and now with the commitment of Georgia forward RJ Melendez, he has started to make plays to fill his bench with quality of quantity.

#hailstate🐶 pic.twitter.com/DYruZCM93s

— RJ Melendez (@MelendezRamses) May 4, 2024

Born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Melendez started his collegiate career in the Big 10 with Illinois. He spent his freshman and sophomore years as a consistent role player for the team and moved to the SEC last year to play for Georgia.

During his junior campaign, he started to form into a complete player increasing his scoring average by five points and providing consistent rebound and free-throw shooting. He is also a lengthy wing defender which coincides with Jans' defensive coaching mentality,

What is more impressive is his free throw shooting percentage. For his career, he has been an 88 percent free-throw shooter, which will bring relief to the Bulldogs who have been one of the worst free-throw shooting teams in the country over the past two years. That is if he can stay consistent with his charity stripe shooting for the maroon and white.

A shot-blocking big man is still something the Bulldogs are searching for in the portal. However, MSU is getting closer to filling out its roster for next season, and on paper, there have been improvements in all areas for the team.