SEC Career Look Back: Mississippi State F Abdul Ado
A four-year starter while in Starkville, Abdul Ado was a key part of the Bulldogs roster during his time at Mississippi State.
By Matt Melton
A player who was a four-year starter for the Bulldogs prior to transferring, here is a look back at the Mississippi State basketball career of Abdul Ado.
SEC Career Look Back: Mississippi State F Abdul Ado
Ado originally came to Mississippi State as a member of the Bulldogs 2016 recruiting class, where he was rated as a four-star center out of Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Tennessee. The four-star's on-court debut with the Bulldogs would have to wait a year however, as Ado would redshirt the 2016-17 season due to an injury.
During the 2017-18 season however, Ado would be a major impact player at Mississippi State from his first time stepping on the court, where he would start in all 36 games. Arguably his best single-season while in Starkville, Ado would average 7.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 1.9 BPG on 61.5% shooting from the field (No. 5 in SEC).
Coming off that strong first season in Starkville, Ado would go on to start in 30-of-31 games for the Bulldogs in 2018-19, a team that made the NCAA Tournament. As a sophomore, Ado would average 4.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 1.8 BPG on 61.4% shooting from the field.
Ado would then go on to start in all 31 games for the Bulldogs as a junior, where he would post yet another strong season. During the 2019-20 campaign, Ado would average 5.7 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 1.9 BPG (No. 4 in SEC) on 59.5% shooting from the field.
Returning for his senior season in 2020-21, Ado would arguably rival that 2017-18 campaign as his single-best at Mississippi State. A year where he was named First Team SEC All-Defense, Ado would average 5.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 2.1 BPG (No. 3 in SEC) on 55.4% shooting from the field, while also leading the SEC entirely that season with 68 total blocks.
At the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, Ado would go on to enter the transfer portal, and would later transfer to Cincinnati, ending his Mississippi State basketball career. Across his four-year career in Starkville, Ado would start in 130-of-131 career games with the Bulldogs, averaging a combined 6.1 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.9 BPG on 59.4% shooting from the field.
Ado would also later go on to be undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft.