Schnider Herard to Mississippi State: Bulldogs Land 4-Star C Prospect

Mississippi State added critical size to its 2016 recruiting class with the commitment of center Schnider Herard, who announced his commitment to the Bulldogs at a ceremony at his school Wednesday, per Courtney Cronin of the Clarion-Ledger.

"(Ben Howland) has been to the Final Four three times before and he has so many guys in the league already that used to play for him," Herard said during his announcement, per Cronin. "He's going to develop me to be the best I can be."

The 6’10”, 240-pound big man is a 4-star prospect, per 247Sports’ composite rankings, and is the No. 43 overall player, the No. 5 center and the No. 7 recruit from Texas in the 2016 class.

Herard is a native of Haiti but plays high school basketball in Texas. Despite his presence on the Texas circuit, he drew interest from a number of schools across the country, including Kansas, Connecticut, Mississippi State, Purdue, Texas Tech and California.

His guardian, Derrick Shelby, commented on his thought process and plans during the recruiting cycle, per Paul Jones of 247Sports:

"

Once that last visit ends we will just sit down, look at everything and make a decision. I think the main factor is being able to play right away and that is No. 1. I would say No. 2 is about development and finding the right coaching staff that will develop him. He always wants to win and play in the NCAA Tournament. So that will play a part in his decision. But playing right away is the single-most important thing to him.

"

It is not surprising that many marquee programs expressed interest in Herard. He is a physical force at 6’10” and already has a college-ready frame before arriving on campus. It's not difficult to envision him stepping onto the floor as a freshman, controlling the glass and swatting shots at the rim.

He will also muscle his way to a number of easy baskets in the paint.

Herard is an intimidating post player, but he discussed expanding his skills outside the blocks, per Jacob Savage of Inside the Hall.

“I’ve been working on my outside game, working on my jump shot," he said. "Trying to make that better and then learning to really run the floor as a big man.”

Big men who dominate the boards, score from down low and develop their games to the point where they have soft touch outside the paint often make the NBA. He will first have to dominate at the collegiate level, but the skill set is already in place.

An impressive collegiate career on his way to the NBA would be perfectly fine for Herard's new school.