Abdul Ado wants to do anything possible to help the Mississippi State Bulldogs get wins.
Even though the Bulldogs came up short in doing that Saturday in losing 76-68 to the Auburn Tigers, Ado continued to show an ability to be active in the post.
Ado had his second-straight double-double and third of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Still he felt like he could have done just a little bit more.
“If a double-double is not enough (to get a win), then I need to do more to help my team,” Ado said.
MSU coach Ben Howland said his redshirt freshman from Lagos, Nigeria, has been playing well lately and the team must continue to find ways to play through him.
“We were able to do that a little bit at Florida,” Howland said of Ado on the offensive end. “He’s not turning the ball over and making good decisions.”
With two blocked shots, Ado has 36 now for the season and only needs one more swat to tying Wiley Peck for fifth most as a freshman with the Bulldogs.
Howland wants Ado to stay on the court as much as possible because of what he can contribute.
“He impacted the game in so many ways,” Howland said. “When I took him out to try and give him a blow, it’s hard to find someone who does what he does with his size, defensively, as well as with his screens.”
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl got a real close look at the player that he tried to recruit on Saturday.
Pearl was impressed with what Ado was able to do and pinned a flower on the MSU coaching staff for landing him in Starkville.
“I’m so proud of Abdul,” Pearl said. “We wanted the kid really badly and came close. What a great kid and what a warrior. He is really a good player and is going to be a great player.”