STARKVILLE — Nikki McCray-Penson is flipping the old Mississippi State regime’s offensive philosophy on its head.
With Vic Schaefer and the bulk of his staff off to Texas, McCray-Penson has done away with the slow, methodical, dribble-drive, motion offense that was a staple of MSU teams of years past. Rather, the first year head coach has brought from Old Dominion a more modern offense predicated on speed, up-tempo play and ball-handlers galore.
“It was very fast paced,” McCray-Penson said of the team’s first official practice last week. “It was almost like a track meet.”
Speaking with the media Monday, McCray-Penson talked at length about offensive identity and her preference for a team that can fly up and down the floor both offensively and defensively.
By her calculations, a team is in transition 63 percent of the time, whether that’s chasing a missed shot, or getting up the court. With this in mind, McCray-Penson noted physical fitness has been an early obstacle given the varying levels at which players could work out during quarantine.
That said, the new MSU coaching staff has tailored practices to where the Bulldogs are physically at present, while also working to bring the squad into game shape ahead of the late November season start date mandated by the NCAA earlier this summer.
While fitness will come, there will be more positionless elements to what the Bulldogs trot out onto the court, particularly offensively. Monday, McCray-Penson noted that sophomore guard Rickea Jackson will be asked to handle the ball more.
As a freshman, Jackson lit up the Southeastern Conference to the tune of 15.1 points per game on 48.3 percent shooting from the floor, earning second team All-SEC honors. With one dynamic season in tow, the former five-star recruit will now likely be tasked with more responsibilities off the bounce and in stretching the floor.
In 27 starts a season ago, Jackson flashed an ability to knockdown shots from the outside, converting at a 41.9 percent clip from 3-point range, though that came on just 31 attempts. Both Monday and in prior media sessions this offseason, McCray-Penson has stressed Jackson’s need to be ready to play from the moment she steps off the bus. In 2020, that should translate to a heavier load behind the 3-point line and more time with the ball in her hand.
“That’s another level,” McCray-Penson said of Jackson maintaining consistency while adding volume to her 3-point shooting. “It’s going to open things up a little bit more for her. Her being a 3-point threat, but being an efficient 3-point threat is going to be key for us.”
Beyond Jackson, sophomore guard Aliyah Matharu and junior center Sidney Cooks should also shoulder heavier loads in 2020 despite being relative mysteries on last year’s squad.
With Jackson and incumbent starting point guard Myah Taylor likely solidified in the starting lineup, Matharu should offer a high-upside, volume scorer in the backcourt to their sides. Limited to just 9.9 minutes per game last season, the Washington, D.C. native was oft-maligned by Schaefer for her defense. Despite that, Matharu lit up the score sheet over her final five games last season, averaging 15.4 points per game in that span compared to her season average of 7.1 points per contest.
As for Cooks, she sat out last winter after transferring from Michigan State. A former five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American herself, she was lauded for her ability to stretch the floor in practice and gives the Bulldogs another capable perimeter scorer in lieu of her size at 6-foot-4.
“Sydney is a person that we’re able to have her handle the ball for us and getting her comfortable with that to where she’s not always out letting it to our point guard, but allowing her to have the freedom to be able to come up and make a decision,” McCray-Penson said.
Heading toward the tail end of October, it’s still unclear when MSU will actually open its season. The Bulldogs are slated to play in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge with UConn, Quinnipiac and Maine on Nov. 28 and 29, though any further planning has yet to be decided publicly.
Taking over a team that was rated No. 6 nationally in ESPN’s latest Way-Too-Early Top 25 poll released Sept. 28, McCray-Penson is still in the early stages of reconfiguring the roster and fitting pieces where they’ll fall. But if anything’s for certain based on Monday, her Bulldogs are going to play fast.
“You just want to be able to play fast and definitely play under control,” McCray-Penson said. “But I think for us being on the run is going to give us a very good chance to be successful, just because of what we have and how our kids like to operate in space.”
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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