Every morning, Arnett Moultrie wakes up and heads straight to the gym. His morning workout consists of a strenuous individual workout, lengthy trip to the weight room and intense five-on-five scrimmage. Several hours later, the power forward is back on the court and working just as hard during his afternoon session.

This is a typical day for Moultrie, who is working out twice a day, five days a week to prepare for his first season with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. After transferring from UTEP following his sophomore season and then sitting out last year, Moultrie is excited to resume his collegiate career and get his NBA dreams back on the right track.

“This is a fresh start for me,” Moultrie told HOOPSWORLD. “I’m going to treat this like my senior year. I’m going to get the job done and then hopefully move on to the next level. It’s my dream to hear my name called on draft night.”

Moultrie has been projected as a first-round pick, and he continues to expand his game. He’s a versatile power forward who is capable of attacking opposing defenses inside and out. His size and athleticism allow him to score in the paint, and his range extends to fifteen feet. Moultrie, who models his game after Kevin Garnett, has been on the NBA’s radar for quite some time.

At Mississippi State, he’ll be able to showcase his talents and form a dominant duo with Renardo Sidney. Moultrie has high expectations for the frontcourt and believes they’ll help the Bulldogs become an elite team.

“We should be the best frontcourt in the country,” Moultrie said. “We should dominate the paint and grab every rebound. We’re going to try to win as many games as possible. Our goals are to win the SEC and then make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.”

Moultrie wasn’t as optimistic about the future in El Paso. After Tony Barbee, the head coach that recruited him, left for Auburn and Tim Floyd was hired, Moultrie realized he needed to transfer.

Floyd made it clear to his players that UTEP wasn’t the place to be if they had NBA aspirations and didn’t always see eye-to-eye with his team. Rather than put his future in jeopardy, Moultrie decided it was time to leave and find a better situation.

“After my coach left in May, they hired Tim Floyd and we didn’t really get along,” Moultrie said. “I didn’t want to put myself in that same situation this year so I decided to go ahead and transfer.”

Once he decided to leave, transferring to Mississippi State was an easy decision.

“They’ve been recruiting me since high school,” Moultrie said. “Once they found out that I was transferring, they started recruiting me all over again. I really wanted to be closer to home so that my family could come to more games. “

Now, he’s ready to prove that he selected the right path. His first chance to don a Mississippi State jersey will come this weekend, when the Bulldogs kick off their European exhibition tour in Amsterdam. MSU will be one of 19 teams participating in the international games, and Moultrie can’t wait to make his debut.

“I’ve been working extremely hard,” Moultrie said. “I’m putting myself in the best position to be successful next year.”

It’s time for the hard work to start paying off.