“Heartbeat of the Team” Bufford steps up in C-USA Play
The sophomore wing has been a key cog in the Blue Raiders’ rotation since returning from injury
Sam Doughton, MT Athletics
1/18/2023
MURFREEBORO, Tenn. — Walking up the ramp to practice in the Murphy Center, Justin Bufford carried himself like he always did. Full of energy, willing to help, ready to work hard that day at practice.
For the past couple of days in October, that meant sitting out and working on the side with trainer Reese Shivers, after Bufford had his knee feel off during a drill earlier that week. There was no swelling in the knee, but the feeling felt strange enough that Bufford had an MRI the day before. But still, the sophomore was optimistic, as he almost always was on the court.
When he saw Shivers and Head Coach Nick McDevitt at the top of the ramp, Bufford stopped in his tracks.
“I was walking up the tunnel, Coach Nick and Reese were looking at me lowkey sad,” Bufford recalled. “I was like 'Why are you looking at me like that?'”
The sad faces for McDevitt and Shivers were well earned. Bufford’s MRI had shown the wing had torn his meniscus and would need surgery to have a chance to return to the court that season.
The good news? There’s a chance the surgery would only require about a month of rehab. Bufford might only miss the very start of non-conference play. The bad news? There was also a chance a more extensive surgery would be needed, taking Bufford out for the year.
It was a blow to Bufford, who had become a key part of the rotation as a freshman in the 2021-22 season after joining the Blue Raiders in the summer from Shelton State CC. But for his head coach, it was a potential problem that loomed even larger, with guard Jalen Jordan’s knee injury already taking him out for the season.
“(Bufford’s) got a voice out here,” McDevitt said. “You hear him, you know when JB is out on the court. And we'd already lost another big voice in Jalen Jordan prior to the season. And now, for the team, your two biggest voices aren't out there.”
Bufford’s voice was one of his traits that might not stuff a stat sheet at the end of a game but made him a favorite of both the coaching staff and his teammates for all the little things he does to make the Blue Raiders better on the court.
Some nights, that might mean he’s guarding the other team’s best perimeter player, where his 6-foot-6 frame can be quite disruptive (the Selma, Ala. native has seven blocked shots in his last two games). Other nights, it might mean attacking the boards to cut down another team’s size advantage inside, like his seven-point, seven-rebound day at Belmont. And while not the prolific scorer he was in high school at Montgomery Catholic, where he averaged 26.7 points a game as a senior, Bufford has emerged a corner threat from outside, shooting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc this season.
“He just does whatever he thinks we need to win the game,” McDevitt said. “We talk about being a tough guy, playing hard and having a great attitude. I can't think of anybody that exemplifies that more than Justin Bufford.”
Bufford says that willingness to do anything starts from a desire not to lose. Bufford is quick to say he’s never been on a team with a losing record, as far back as he can remember. On some teams, that meant he was the go-to scorer. That’s not his role on this one, and that’s fine with Bufford.
“It really doesn't matter to me, because I don't look at stuff like that,” Bufford said. “I just love to win. Losing is something I just don't like doing. Sometimes, you can't help losing, but I feel like a person that thinks about scoring and ME! ME! ME!, you're not a true winner. You really don't care about winning.”
Plus, Bufford points out, having an interest in winning can also be a self-interest motivation as well. Just look around the world at all of the professional teams.
“Winners get paid, if you win, you get paid,” Bufford said. “You've got guys that sit on the bench and get paid because they know how to help others win.”
A year without that attitude would’ve been a big blow to the Blue Raiders’ prospects in 2023. But when he went under the knife a few weeks after his diagnosis, the doctors discovered good news. The more extensive meniscus repair would not be necessary. Instead, a meniscectomy, where the damaged meniscus tissue is trimmed away, rather than sewn back together, was the better course of action.
The result? A month-long rehab instead of a six-month one. Bufford was back on the court with the team during their Thanksgiving trip to Montreal, only missing the team’s first four games of the season.
Bufford wouldn’t get his first bucket of the year until the team’s second game of the week, dunking the ball in transition against Stephen F. Austin, turning to the bench with a look afterwards to say “I’m back!” He found his way back into the starting lineup in the team’s first game of December, where he has not left since.
Now, the sophomore has hit his stride in C-USA play. Not in flashy ways, as the wing still averages just 3.7 points a game alongside 2.2 rebounds. But in hustle, in effort, in leadership. His big blocks against UAB helped spark MTSU’s OT win over the Blazers on Monday. And McDevitt said he’ll continue to keep Bufford playing as long as he’s got him on his roster.
“What he does statistically may not jump off the page at you, when you watch the game, he jumps out at you,” McDevitt said. “He's the heartbeat of the team.”
