STARKVILLE
Chad Harrison is an honest man.
The former Scott Central High School girls basketball coach heard a lot of sales pitches in his day. He listened as college coaches told him about their plans and dreams for his players.
Vic Schaefer piqued his curiosity.
Hired in March 2012 to take over the Mississippi State women’s basketball program, Schaefer talked about things being in place in Starkville to win championships.
Like a lot of people, Harrison wasn’t sure, but he gave Schaefer the benefit of the doubt as he made Scott Central High standout Victoria Vivians one of his priorities. After signing a strong initial recruiting class, Schaefer knew it was crucial for him to keep Vivians at home in his second class. He believed convincing Vivians to choose MSU would bolster his chances of transforming the program and ultimately result in titles.
Harrison wasn’t convinced — at least not initially.
“I’m a Mississippi State fan and I knew how great she was, but based on history and everything that happened, I think I’d have to be really honest and say that maybe we felt some of those opportunities and things like this might not be there coming here,” Harrison said. “I will say coach Schaefer did sell her on the fact that they would win a championship and sold me on that dream.”
While Harrison talked, the dream Schaefer sold was unfolding on the Humphrey Coliseum court. No. 2 MSU had just defeated then-No. 17 Texas A&M 76-55 Sunday to clinch its first Southeastern Conference title. The championship also is the first by a women’s sports team at MSU.
With streamers scattered on the court, Schaefer and the Bulldogs accepted the SEC regular-season championship trophy and proceeded to take enough pictures to fill up 9,933 photo albums. The players then took turns climbing a ladder to cut down a piece of one of the nets for a memento many thought would never come.
For Harrison, the ceremony was especially sweet because he played an integral role in preparing Vivians for college. At Scott Central High, Vivians was a two-time first team All-American, a five-star prospect, and the No. 24 recruit in the nation, according to ESPN/HoopGurlz.
Harrison believed Vivians would make a difference wherever she went after watching her score 5,745 points in her career. Still, Harrison knew it would take a special combination to come together to realize Schaefer’s dreams at MSU. Looking out at the court, Harrison saw the family Schaefer envisioned years ago rollicking in the streamers and reaping the rewards of the six years of hard work.
“I am proud as I can be,” Harrison said. “I am proud of him. I am proud of his family. I am proud of the girls and all of their families and all of the kids who have played before now. I also want to remember the foundation coach (Sharon) Fanning-(Otis) established, too, because when coach Fanning got here this was the worst program in the conference. She was at least able to do some special things with it that showed it can be done. Coach Schaefer came in and really took it to another level. It’s unbelievable. I believe it now.”
Harrison isn’t the only one. Sold-out crowds at the Hump have become believers. All of them have watched Vivians mature into a first-team All-American and the SEC Player of the Year. Vivians enters MSU’s game against Auburn at 7 p.m. Thursday third in the league in scoring at 19.9 points per game. She is 14th in the SEC in field goal shooting percentage at 50.1 percent. Consider the fact that Vivians’ highest field goal shooting percentage entering the season was 38.2 and you get a sense of how much her game has evolved and how hard she has worked to improve.
“You either have got this stuff in you or you don’t,” Harrison said. “She had it. Coach Schaefer and his staff have done a great job of getting it out of her. I just think getting older and being more mature and, quite honestly, a lot healthier. Last year, she was banged up a lot. It affected things. A lot of people don’t know how banged up she was, but coach has just done great job.”
Harrison added Vivians has accepted coaching to become a “complete” player on a team that put five players in double figures Sunday to write the latest chapter of history in an incredible run. At 117 wins, Vivians and senior classmates Blair Schaefer and Morgan William have shattered the program record for victories in a career. Ketara Chapel, Dominique Dillingham, Chinwe Okorie, and Breanna Richardson set the old mark with 111 last season. The final victory was one of the biggest in the history of the sport, a 66-64 overtime win against four-time reigning national champion Connecticut that snapped the Huskies’ NCAA record 111-game winning streak.
It remains to be seen if a victory of that magnitude — or an even bigger one — will happen this season. If you ask Harrison, he believes the Bulldogs can do it.
After seeing what MSU has accomplished in the last six seasons, there’s no reason Harrison or anybody else should doubt Schaefer or the Bulldogs ever again.
“They just all have that competitive spirit and that will to win,” Harrison said. “It is like one cohesive group. They seem to pick each other up when somebody is down a little bit. They are the true semblance of what we call team. You just look at all of the people who are (in the Hump). They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t a team. They wouldn’t be here if (the Bulldogs) didn’t have heart, guts, and character — all of those things that coaches want to talk about and have. They have it. I am going to be honest, they may not win the national championship, but they are good enough to win it, and they are going to make a heck of an effort to win it.”
Adam Minichino is sports editor of The Dispatch. You can email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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