STARKVILLE — Chemistry has been a key ingredient in the success of the Mississippi State women’s basketball team this season.
Coaches never know how the personalities on each team will mix, but MSU coach Vic Schaefer hasn’t had to worry about that dilemma. The only problem that has plagued Schaefer has been trying to find playing time for 14 talented players.
Thanks to the willingness of those players to coexist and to challenge each other, MSU has secured a spot in both national polls (No. 14 in The Associated Press, No. 16 in USA Today) and has matched a program record for wins in a season with three regular-season games to go.
No. 14 MSU will try to set a new record at 2 p.m. today when it takes on Alabama (13-15, 2-11 Southeastern Conference) at Foster Auditorium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
“I think you have to give our kids credit for (the team chemistry) especially those who are coming of the bench,” Schaefer said. “(Senior guard) Kendra (Grant) has just been a joy to coach. She is a very unselfish young lady. I give her mom a lot of credit for the way Kendra is, but Kendra has been wonderful. I think you have to give her, Van (Savannah Carter), who started last year and is coming off the bench, a lot of credit for their unselfishness. They don’t have the quote unquote ‘I’ on their forehead.”
MSU is coming off its second bye of the season. Schaefer said Thursday he gave the players Monday and Tuesday off to help them regroup for the three-game stretch against Alabama, South Carolina, and Ole Miss to end the season.
At 24-4 and 9-4 in the SEC, MSU would be the No. 5 seed for the SEC tournament if it started today. Texas A&M’s 81-69 victory against Kentucky on Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky, dropped MSU into a three-way tie with Texas A&M and LSU. Texas A&M would be the No. 3 seed thanks to its victory against LSU, while LSU would be the No. 4 seed thanks to its 71-69 double-overtime victory against MSU on Jan. 15 in Starkville. Kentucky (8-5 in the league) is the No. 6 seed. The top four seeds in the tournament get a bye until Friday at the event March 4-8 in North Little Rock, Arkansas.
Considering MSU was picked eighth in the preseason SEC poll, it says a lot that it is in the mix to finish in the top four behind South Carolina and Tennessee. It is even more significant when you remember MSU played much of the non-conference slate without seniors Martha Alwal, Savannah Carter, and Kendra Grant 100 percent healthy. Of the three, Alwal is averaging the most minutes (24.9, third on the team). She also is averaging the most points (9.5 points per game, second).
When seniors who have played key roles as juniors or earlier in their careers don’t see as much playing time, it can lead to chemistry issues. But MSU apparently has avoided those problems and has found a way to blend the talents of everyone.
“The seniors bring the juice every day in practice,” MSU sophomore Breanna Richardson said.
For Grant, who is shooting a career-high 45.4 percent from the field, that means being a designated “pinch hitter” extraordinaire. Even though she is averaging a career-low 6.6 ppg in 11.5 minutes per game, which is ninth on the team, the senior’s shooting percentage is the highest of her career. She entered this season not having shot above 39 percent from the field in her first three seasons.
Last week in a 75-62 victory against Florida at Humphrey Coliseum, Grant proved how valuable she is to the team by coming off the bench and scoring nine points in 10 minutes.
“Who else in the country has a Kendra Grant that can come off the bench and be instant offense and shoot the ball with the confidence that she shoots it with?” Schaefer said after the game against Florida. “We are really fortunate to have her.”
Grant has embraced her role behind freshman and leading scorer Victoria Vivians thanks to an aggressive mind-set. She seems to understand what is needed from her when she comes into the game and is entering games ready to shoot. Even though she airballed a 3-pointer in the first half, Grant responded and scored all of her points in the second half to help the Bulldogs pull away.
“It felt good being back out there,” said Grant, who missed the game against Kentucky due to illness. “The first practice I was back (Friday following the game) I could barely make it through, but I have been able to get my energy back.
“I just felt like I had to redeem myself. I hate air-balling (a shot), so when I airballed that three, it gave me a different mind-set, and, luckily, I was able to knock down some shots.”
While Jerica James has started all 28 games at point guard, classmate Carter has appeared in 17 games and is 10th on the team in minutes (9.4). Her averages of 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds might not appear substantial, but Carter’s defense against Courtney Walker late in the game and in overtime was a key reason why MSU was able to earn a 63-61 overtime victory against Texas A&M on Feb. 8 in Starkville.
“We need Van every day,” Richardson said. “She keeps practice going. She always has another level. She always has energy. KG (Grant) is always knocking down shots in practice, JJ is running the floor and running the team, and you always have Martha in there. They make sure the competition is always good. Even though it is competitive, they’re still teaching us to get better every day.”
Richardson said the example the seniors set in practice has helped everyone stay together. She also said the team’s trip to Belgium and France in August — in which it went 4-0 — helped the players get to know each other and to build the bonds that only have become stronger as the season has progressed.
Schaefer said he is asking for leadership from all of his players. He said Vivians, the team’s leading scorer at 15.0 ppg., is becoming more and more like “the greatest player” he has ever coached because she has a pure joy for the game — whether it is practice or a game — just like former Texas A&M great Danielle Adams. He said Richardson is the same way, which has helped bring everyone — old and young — together.
“I think we have a lot of uniqueness to everyone,” Schaefer said. “Some are more like each other. Some are completely different from each other. You have to give our kids a lot of credit for their ability to adapt to one another and to respect one another. You’re not going to have chemistry on a team, especially with 14, unless there is a level of respect. I think, also, they just have fun with each other.
“I think the comment today in practice was I feel like the ring leader in the circus sometimes. I have the tigers and the lions and everybody and I am trying to wear the top hat and get them all in the right spot.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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