HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Southern Miss head men’s basketball coach Jay Ladner has announced the signing of Rashad Bolden to the 2021-22 signing class.

“Rashad is of course one of the top prospects in Mississippi,” Ladner said of the Jackson native. “He fits in our recruiting priority of hitting the state first. He’s had incredible success as a high schooler in an outstanding program at St. Andrew’s. He’s the son of one of the best coaches in the state in Randy Bolden. We get a point guard with a coach’s son mentality, which is a plus. We’re excited about Rashad in what he brings to the table in the future of our basketball program. We couldn’t be more excited.”

Bolden, a two-time Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen honoree as well, led his St. Andrew’s program to three state titles in four years, the only ones in its history, including scoring a game-high 23 points in this year’s championship game. Other key points of his resume include scoring 35 points in one quarter and averaging 25.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and four assists as a sophomore.

He was also named the state’s MVP of the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Classic in March, scoring a team-high 25 points with three steals and two assists.

Bolden’s father, Randy, was a two-time SWAC Player of the Year at Texas Southern before embarking on a professional career. He returned to his native Jackson area to coach high school and junior college before being named Mississippi College’s new head coach last Thursday.