STARKVILLE — Porsha Porter’s smile could be a deadly weapon for the Mississippi State women’s basketball team this season.
Like anyone who has had braces, the senior guard is getting used to a smile that lights up a room.
The comfort level Porter feels in her second season with the Lady Bulldogs could give her even more reasons to flash her new look.
Porter showcased her pearly whites and an ease in her game Sunday with a 20-point performance in an 84-48 exhibition victory against the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith before a crowd of 850 at Humphrey Coliseum.
“From last year coming into the SEC, yes I was nervous,” Porter said. “But now since I have gotten used to the system I understand the game more, so I am very comfortable playing with my teammates and making sure I am in the right position and the posts are getting the ball at the right time.
“Last year, I wasn’t really sure when to throw the ball or when to do something. I am very comfortable with that.”
Porter, a transfer from Jefferson College (Mo.) spent the first part of the 2010-11 season adjusting to life at the Division I level. It wasn’t until the final third of the season that she appeared to be more comfortable attacking the basket and using her speed and quickness to dictate tempo on defense.
Still, she finished third on the team in scoring (9.8 points per game), led the team in steals (56) and was second in assists (62).
MSU coach Sharon Fanning-Otis hopes Porter and the classmates Catina Bett and Ashley Brown, two other transfers who joined the program last season, can make bigger contributions this season.
“Her effort is something we have definitely noticed in the fall,” Fanning-Otis said. “She was our best defender last year, and I think she has really stepped up and taken that on as a role and said, ‘Hey, I will be the best defender, I am going to be the best hustler, and I am going to give this team energy. That is a very important role. It is contagious.”
It remains to be seen if Porter’s smile will be catch on with her teammates. Midway through the second half, she took advantage of a break in the action to talk with official Joe Cunningham in the right corner. She smiled at Cunningham and then turned into assassin, moving off a screen at the top of the key and taking a pass from Bett to drain a 17-foot jump shot.
Porter was second on the team with 35 3-pointers last season, but she shot only 30.2 percent from the field (35.9 percent overall). Porter said she feels more confident in her ability to play in the Southeastern Conference and is excited about making a bigger splash this season.
“Everybody has their own role,” Porter said. “Some people might feed off my energy, some people might feed off her scoring. There are certain things we do on the team.
“If we feel like we’re comfortable to shoot the ball, we’re going to shoot the ball. If we feel like we want to get the post the ball, we’re going to get them the ball. It is going to come to us throughout the season.”
Fanning-Otis said she has seen senior point guard Diamber Johnson and Porter take on a bigger leadership role. She said Porter is “expecting a lot of others” and is taking a more vocal role in prompting teammates to play to their potential.
Porter was 8 of 9 from the field and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line in 22 minutes. She spent most of her time at two guard, but saw some action late in the game at point guard. With plenty of depth in the backcourt, Porter can take comfort in knowing she won’t be counted on to carry the load every game and that she can play with the ease she showed in the exhibition game.
A comfortable and confident Porter likely will get plenty of chances to show more officials and opponents her new smile this season.
“I can see more confidence, and success breeds success,” Fanning-Otis said. “She was a big key in the spring on her game stepping up and us becoming a better team.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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