STARKVILLE — The work started Monday in earnest for Jazzmun Holmes.
Victoria Vivians is in the WNBA. Blair Schaefer is getting ready for graduate school. Morgan William and Roshunda Johnson are contemplating the next steps in their lives following the completion of their college basketball careers.
For Holmes, the departure of four of the Mississippi State women’s basketball team’s top five scorers in 2017-18 means more opportunities for her. That’s why she worked with assistant coach Dionnah Jackson-Durrett on shooting drills in the 20 minutes prior to practice Wednesday. Holmes took a handoff from Jackson-Durrett to simulate a pass off a screen and went between her legs or behind her back to move inside the free-throw line for short jump shots.
Those shots as well as passes to senior center Teaira McCowan likely will be more plentiful this season as the Bulldogs begin the countdown to the 2018-19 season. The clock started ticking Monday, as MSU held the first of 10 practices to help it prepare for a 10-day trip to Italy. MSU will depart for the trip, which will feature three games, Wednesday, Aug. 8. In addition to playing games against Deep 3 Select at 11:30 a.m. Aug. 11, the Germany squad TK Hannover at 9 a.m. Aug. 13, and International Select at 11:30 a.m. Aug. 16, MSU will visit Vatican City and the Colosseum, where it will participate in gladiator training in Rome, will tour the Accademia Gallery and view Michelangelo’s “The David” in Florence, Italy, as well as see the city of Venice on gondolas. It will wrap up the tour with a couple of days on the shores of Lake Como.
“I am excited for our kids,” MSU coach Vic Schaefer said. “This will be a great educational experience for them. … To give these freshmen a chance to play together and to get these extra practices together is very beneficial, and I think it has been an energy boost for all of us.”
Holmes has been a fixture at point guard the last three seasons. As a junior, she appeared in all 39 games (14.8 minutes per game) and averaged 4.2 points and 1.4 rebounds. She shot 47 percent from the field and was second on the team in assists (105) and was third on the team in steals (45).
This season, Holmes is expected to play even more minutes and to be a mentor for point guard Myah Taylor, who redshirted last season.
“I just know I have to limit my turnovers and try to get my teammates involved as much as I can and do the little things right,” Holmes said.
Holmes acknowledged she feels added responsibility being a senior with McCowan and guard Jordan Danberry. As a point guard, she recognizes she carries an added burden of controlling and leading the team, as well as being the voice that helps set the tone for the Bulldogs.
On Tuesday, Holmes and many of her teammates displayed a willingness to help out younger teammates or to help others finish strong in conditioning drills. Toward the end of practice, Holmes, Danberry, and Nyah Tate supported center Daphane White in sprints.
“I think (helping teammates) is very important considering they just got here and things are new to them and the speed of college and high school is totally different,” Holmes said.
Holmes said she has been impressed with what she has seen from freshmen White, Xaria Wiggins, and Jessika Carter and transfers Andra Espinoza-Hunter (Connecticut) and Promise Taylor (Ole Miss).
“It has been good, but I know we need to work a little bit harder on a couple of things and help the newbies out,” Holmes said. “The freshmen coming in and working hard every day, it has been very surprising (in how hard they have worked and their work ethic).”
Schaefer praised Holmes often for her ability to provide a spark off the bench in her first three seasons. He is confident Holmes will set a great example running the Bulldogs as a senior.
“Jazz is a proven commodity,” Schaefer said. “She has been in the big games, lived in the big moments. We are really fortunate to have her. I think she is going to have a great senior year. We need her to have a great senior year.”
Timing mirrors last trip to Europe
Per NCAA rules, college teams can make international trips every four years.
The last time MSU traveled overseas was in August 2014, when it visited Belgium and France. Senior guard Jerica James and senior center Martha Alwal blogged about the Bulldogs’ experiences. On the court, MSU gained valuable time together with freshmen Victoria Vivians, Blair Schaefer, and Morgan William. The chance to build chemistry paid off as MSU won the Preseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament en route to what was then a program-best 19-0 start.
Coach Schaefer hopes the 2018-19 squad can reap similar benefits as it reloads with a talented new group following back-to-back appearances in the national championship game.
“We were still trying to find our way,” Schaefer said, referring to the 2014-15 team that went on to advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament. “There are some similarities. We have a Teaira and a Jazz, who have been around the block a few times, and Jordan. Those are three seniors who have done a lot in their career. We certainly didn’t have that the last time we took this trip.”
Allen looks good at practice
A torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left leg ended Jacaira “Iggy” Allen’s sophomore season before it had a chance to take flight.
The injury was disappointing for Allen and for Schaefer, who said often Allen looked great in the offseason and in the initial workouts.
On Tuesday, Allen showcased the speed and athleticism that dazzled Schaefer and the Bulldogs prior to the injury. She routinely was in the front of the pack during conditioning drills. She also displayed explosiveness on a variety of moves 15 feet and in, including a developing touch on jump shots.
“She is full speed,” Schaefer said. “I would say she is probably 80 percent. She probably would tell you she is 85 or 90 (percent). She is eight months post-surgery — eight or nine. She is doing good. The thing about Iggy is she has to learn two positions. She is going to play the three (small forward) and the four (power forward). For a kid that hasn’t played a lot — who was expected to play a lot when she got here — this will be a big year for her.”
Two for Bibby, too
Not only will Allen have to learn two positions, but Schaefer said sophomore Chloe Bibby likely will see playing time at the three and four, too.
Last season, Bibby averaged 3.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 37 games (13.6 minutes per game) in her first year with the program. The 6-foot-1 Australian likely will be one of MSU’s top outside shooters in 2018-19. A year ago, she was 15-for-47 (31.9 percent) from 3-point range. The Bulldogs’ other returning players only had six 3-pointers last season. MSU finished the season 278-for-714 (38.98 percent) from beyond the arc in 2017-18.
In Schaefer’s system, the three player typically has been more of a scorer, or someone who can stretch defenses. His four players usually have been versatile players who are asked to do more screeners and passers.
“Chloe has obviously played a little bit more, but Chloe has had a good summer,” Schaefer said. “She has looked good. She has been as consistent as anybody we have had all summer. Three and four will be where she can play. She has to learn some things at the three that sometimes can be a challenge for anybody, but I think she’s made some progress in that area.”
Schaefer praises White
Carter and Wiggins have benefited from being involved in both summer sessions of summer school prior to their freshman seasons.
Schaefer said White, a 6-5 post player from Ocean Springs (St. Martin High School), had to finalize her NCAA eligibility and certification issues and arrived at MSU in time for the second summer session. He praised her efforts to be able to join the program.
“Daphane is going to be a tremendous impact player in her career here,” Schaefer said. “She has been here a little over three or four weeks now. In the last two days in practice I have seen improvement. I think she is going to be a tremendous basketball player for us.
“She worked really hard to get herself in a position where she could be here. I am happy for her and happy for her mother because I know a lot went into that. Her whole community and her high school really support her.”
White, a five-star prospect and the No. 45 player in the Class of 2018 according to espnW, averaged 25.8 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 5.7 blocked shots per game last season. She will wear No. 21, which was worn last season by Jonika Garvin, who has transferred to Palm Beach Atlantic, a Division II school in Florida.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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