Editor’s Note: The Mississippi State women’s basketball team welcomes five freshmen to a program that is poised to capitalize on its trip last season to the quarterfinals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. Today, The Dispatch will introduce you to Morgan William. For each of the next three weeks, The Dispatch will introduce you to a freshman.
STARKVILLE — A player’s ability to get into the lane is only the first step.
When you’re jet quick and 5-foot-3 and playing in high school or at the Amateur Athletic Union level, you often can use your quickness to make things happen. Odds are Morgan William will find a few more obstacles on her way to the rim when she begins her freshman season with the Mississippi State women’s basketball team. The size of the defenders might not be there in abundance in non-conference games, but William is bound to encounter her share of 6-4 and 6-5 post players blocking her way in the Southeastern Conference.
Don’t worry, though, because William relishes the thought of picking her spots to navigate the dangers of the biggest, baddest — and tallest? — league in the nation.
“Every day after workouts I talk to (assistant) coach Aqua (Franklin),” William said. “I talk to her because she is a great point guard, and she tells me I can get around anybody, but before I get to the paint I am going to have to make decisions about whether to shoot it, pass it to the post player, or to ditch it to the opposite side. She has been telling me to think. I have to get smarter when I get into the paint because I am not in high school anymore and I can’t just throw it over and make a layup because the girls are going to be so big.”
William’s education started in the summer when she arrived at MSU for summer classes. She said she has been working closely with Franklin, a former point guard at Texas A&M who was recruited by current MSU coach Vic Schaefer when he was with the Aggies, about the finer points about being a point guard. She said Franklin has stressed she will need to anticipate things and be quicker on her passes into the post. She and classmates Kayla Nevitt, LaKaris Salter, Blair Schaefer, and Victoria Vivians also will have to adjust to Schaefer’s style of defense.
The freshmen are part of a recruiting class that was ranked No. 20 in the nation by Dan Olson of Collegiate Girls Basketball Report and espnW HoopGurlz. All five players earned their first taste of college basketball last month on MSU’s trip to Belgium and France. The Bulldogs went 4-0 on the trip and showcased an attack that had plenty of balance and versatility.
William figures to bolster a backcourt that returns senior leaders Jerica James, Kendra Grant, and Savannah Carter. Sophomore Dominique Dillingham also returns from a team that went 22-14 last season and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
“We put a lot of faith in Morgan,” Blair Schaefer said. “She is going to be great. She is really quick and she can get past anybody. I think she is mentally ready and all of the physical stuff will come and she will carry our team really well.”
William was a first-team pick to the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 6A All-State team and the 2013 Birmingham News North/East Player of the Year. She averaged 14.1 points per game, shot 53 percent from the field, and had nearly five steals a game as a junior. She said her speed and her long arms help her be a pest on defense and a nuisance on offense who is capable of weaving through a press and making things happen in a flash.
But knowing when to use her speed is going to be a key in transitioning to the college game. In addition to facing taller post players, she also will have to handle guards who are just as quick, if not quicker. That’s why William said “consistency” is something she has been focusing on in workouts as the Bulldogs get closer to the start of practice next month to kick off the 2014-15 season.
“It is kind of difficult, but I am getting used to it,” William said. “I am learning day by day. I know I can’t come in and get everything right. I am working every day to make the right decisions.”
Coach Schaefer said it typically is a bigger adjustment for guards to transition to the faster pace of the college game. He agrees with his daughter in William’s ability to beat defenders off the dribble any time she wants. But he said getting by someone doesn’t automatically mean she will have a clear path to the lane. Still, he is confident William has a well-rounded game that will help her beat people off the bounce, hurt them with her perimeter shooting, or set up her teammates for open shots with her passing ability.
“She is going to be really special,” Schaefer said. “She can shoot it, she can stretch you, she can make the three, she can hit the pull-up. She plays a lot bigger than her size because of her length. She has a tremendous wingspan and tremendous quickness. She anticipates very well. She is a steal machine. You better not leave one hanging because she is going to get it.
“Her biggest challenge is going to be understanding how hard we want to play, especially on the ball, because it sets the tone for everybody behind you.”
MSU will play Arkansas-Fort Smith in an exhibition game at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9. It will open the season against Mercer at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, at Humphrey Coliseum in the opening round of the Preseason WNIT.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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