Articles by Adam Minichino
Georgia next test for No. 10 MSU women
STARKVILLE — It doesn’t matter where you look, the Mississippi State women’s basketball team has climbed into the upper level of Division I.
MSU is ranked No. 10 in The Associated Press and the USA Today national polls. It is all alone in second place in the Southeastern Conference, which is regarded as one of the nation’s best leagues every season.
The Bulldogs also are fifth in the country in turnovers forced (24.2 points per game) and third in Division I with a +9.6 turnover margin.
Those statistical categories typically are ones MSU fourth-year head coach Vic Schaefer highlights after every game. To date, MSU has earned a lot of circles on the final stat sheets for all of the good things it has accomplished in building a 17-2 record and a 4-1 mark in the SEC.
Starkville Academy sweeps Heritage Academy
Two coaches took different approaches in an attempt to find the same ingredient Tuesday night.
In the first game, Starkville Academy girls basketball coach Glenn Schmidt opted not to raise her voice when she talked to her team after Heritage Academy built an 11-point halftime lead. Instead, Schmidt decided to do something atypical — she sat down. She then laid out her plan of attack.
In the nightcap, Starkville Academy boys basketball coach Bruce Allsup invoked a higher power in a spirited halftime speech after he watched Heritage Academy outhustle his team and take a 10-point advantage into intermission.
The different approaches delivered the same result.
Being the Bre she wants to be
STARKVILLE — Breanna Richardson didn’t hesitate.
It didn’t matter that the Mississippi State women’s basketball team was leading Ole Miss by 28 points with less than five minutes remaining. It also didn’t enter Richardson’s mind she was seeing her first action after a hard fall to the floor against Auburn forced her to miss two games.
William leads MSU’s victory train
STARKVILLE — The swagger is back.
When Morgan William burst onto the Division I scene last season, she did it with a flair that dared defenses to stop her. She backed up that confidence with a lightning-quick first step and nifty ballhandling that helped her score in double figures in seven of her first nine games with the Mississippi State women’s basketball team.
MSU attendance record could fall tonight
STARKVILLE — Crowds for Ole Miss-Mississippi State women’s basketball games typically haven’t been record-setters.
Prior to last season, only two of MSU’s 10 biggest crowds at Humphrey Coliseum came against Ole Miss. The same is true at Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford, where none of the Rebels’ top 15 home crowds have been against the Bulldogs.
But a MSU-record crowd of 7,326 for a 55-47 victory against Ole Miss last season at Humphrey Coliseum signaled a change. At the time, the crowd was a record for a women’s basketball game in the state of Mississippi.
Insell confident Ole Miss will find right chemistry
Don’t try to claim that Ole Miss women’s basketball coach Matt Insell isn’t a positive man.
The Rebels’ third-year head coach might be the most upbeat coach in the Southeastern Conference. It’s not surprising. After all, Insell guided Ole Miss to a seven-win improvement and a postseason berth last season.
Entering this season, Insell had one of the youngest and most athletic teams in the SEC and was picked sixth and seventh in the SEC preseason poll by the media and league coaches, respectively. It is the first time Ole Miss has been picked in the top half of the league since it expanded to 14 teams.
MSU women look to regroup from road loss at Missouri
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer used the word “difficult” Friday afternoon to describe his team’s latest game.
New Hope catcher Godfrey signs with Mississippi Delta C.C.
Face-planting typically isn’t a way to make an impression with a college coach.
Heritage Academy’s Oswalt signs with East Central C.C.
Kaitlyn Oswalt knows she can’t rely on one pitch in the circle.
No. 7 MSU women look to start 4-0 in SEC for first time
STARKVILLE — Coaches throw out platitudes all of the time in their post-game news conferences.
That’s why it wasn’t surprising to hear Arkansas women’s basketball coach Jimmy Dykes praise No. 7 Mississippi State on Sunday after his team dropped an 80-55 decision at Humphrey Coliseum. Dykes said the Bulldogs are more than a one-player team even though sophomore guard Victoria Vivians — the team’s leading scorer at 17.9 points per game — attracts most of the attention, at least when it comes to offense.
Freshman Holmes learning on the fly for seventh-ranked Bulldogs
STARKVILLE — Jazzmun Holmes doesn’t remember much about her performance against Auburn.
Chapel has one of best days in MSU’s win vs. Arkansas
STARKVILLE — Confidence has been an elusive quality Ketara Chapel has tried to corral to be a consistent contributor for the Mississippi State women’s basketball team.
In some stretches — like last season in MSU’s run to the Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament championship — Chapel has showcased the inside-outside game and skill set to be one of the most effective forwards in the Southeastern Conference. In other stretches, though, Chapel has been a non-factor and has failed to assert herself, especially on offense.
MSU women return home to face Arkansas
STARKVILLE — Victoria Vivians leads the Mississippi State women’s basketball team in scoring, steals, and minutes per game.
New Hope’s Younger will play soccer at ICC
Brooke Younger doesn’t know if she was in denial.
It’s not that the New Hope High School senior had lost her love for soccer. Far from it. It’s just that Younger wasn’t sure if she was good enough or if any college coaches would be interested in giving her a shot to play soccer at the next level. Instead of fretting about it, Younger thought her next step was going to take her to East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, where she would concentrate on her studies.
Noxubee County’s Simmons will play in U.S. Army All-American Bowl
Jeffery Simmons might not need it, but he is going to get one more chance to make a final impression.
But Simmons will get that opportunity at noon Saturday when he is one of 90 of the nation’s top players to participate in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The game, which will pit the East vs. the West, will be broadcast live on WTVA.
No. 7 MSU women show toughness in win against Auburn
STARKVILLE — The approach sounds simple: Attack pressure with pressure.
Vic Schaefer has devised enough suffocating defenses to know nothing is as easy as it sounds, especially when you get into Southeastern Conference play.
But the fourth-year Mississippi State women’s basketball has enough confidence in his players to realize they can take an opponent’s best shot and give it right back to them
No. 7 MSU will try to extend winning streak in SEC home opener
STARKVILLE — Less than 10 days ago, Mississippi State women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer talked about reverting to a “gruff old bear” in an attempt to affect a change in his team.
MSU’s fourth-year head coach was understandably disappointed with his players following a lackluster showing in an 81-41 victory against Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 28. He said he didn’t want to coach the Bulldogs that way, but he suggested a possible change because he was tired of seeing inconsistent performances from his squad.
Columbus sweeps Starkville in basketball
Cameron Douglas didn’t want to settle.
The Columbus High School senior also wasn’t going to put his head down and take another loss, especially to archrival Starkville High, so as he listened to coach Luther Riley on Monday night before taking the court, Douglas promised himself he was going to play with more intensity and make an impact.
Holiday Handcrafts Bazaar accepting vendor applications
July 12, 2025
By
