Ex-Miner Moultrie Transfers To Mississippi State

Mississippi State’s 2010 signing class swelled by one on Tuesday with the addition of UTEP transfer Arnett Moultrie, 13th-year Bulldogs coach Rick Stansbury announced.

After sitting out this upcoming season due to NCAA transfer rules, Moultrie will have two years of eligibility remaining beginning with the 2011-12 campaign.

Moultrie had declared for the NBA Draft after the conclusion of the 2009-’10 NCAA season. He withdrew his name from consideration but he and UTEP coach Tim Floyd came to an understanding that Moultrie should continue his career elsewhere.

During his two years with the Miners, the 6-foot-11, 225-pound Memphis native appeared in 70 games and drew 67 starts, averaging 9.3 points and 7.5 rebounds while blocking 62 shots. In that same stretch, he led UTEP on the boards 34 times.

“We are very happy to have Arnett join the Mississippi State family,” Stansbury said in a news release. “He’s a great kid from a good family and brings a lot of experience and versatility to us.”

This past season, he was second on his team in rebounding (6.7), third in steals (1.4) and fourth in scoring (9.8) while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor. He scored 10 or more points 18 times and his team was 15-0 when he shot 50 percent or better.

His career outing came against Arkansas State on Nov. 21, when he totaled 23 points and five assists. In the Conference USA tournament, he earned a spot on the All-Tournament team after averaging 12 points and shooting 61.5 percent from the floor en route to leading his team to the championship game.

As a rookie, Moultrie earned C-USA All-Freshman honors after averaging 8.2 points, 0.9 blocks and shooting 50.2 percent from the field. He also posted six double-doubles, the second-most by a freshman in school history. In addition, he grabbed 302 rebounds, a school freshman record and the fifth-best season total in UTEP history.

He also experienced international play in the summer of 2009 as a member of the USA U19 team that won the gold medal in the FIBA World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand. His team went 9-0 and defeated Greece 88-80 in the title game. In the nine games, he averaged 4.4 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds.

Arnett Nathaniel Moultrie, who prepped at Raleigh Egypt High, is the son of Rebecca Chandler and was born on Nov. 18, 1990, in Queens, N.Y.

He joins Jalen Steele and Brian Bryant as members of the 2010 signing class.