Thanks to a talk with coach Vic Schaefer, Ketara Chapel intends to make the most of her opportunities.
It’s not that the Mississippi State forward wasn’t doing her best to make her mark in her first season in Starkville. It’s just that the rigors of Southeastern Conference play have highlighted what MSU needs from Chapel. With a lack of front-court depth and the girth of some of their SEC peers, Schaefer encouraged Chapel to shoot the ball with confidence and to try to match the physicality of the players she defends. Schaefer also talked to Chapel about adding weight to her 6-foot-1 frame.
The latter part of the message likely will have to weight until next season, but Chapel wants to make it clear she has heard Schaefer and she will do her best to deliver.
“I feel more comfortable and confidence ever since the (Texas) A&M game,” Chapel said. “Coach Schaefer and I had a talk and I am more confident shooting the ball. He always tells us freshmen that we are not freshmen anymore, so we just have to go out there and play.”
Chapel will try to continue her stretch of solid play at 2 p.m. today (CSS) when MSU (15-7, 2-6 Southeastern Conference) plays host to Georgia (15-6, 3-5) in a key SEC matchup at Humphrey Coliseum. WKBB-FM 100.9 and WXWX-FM 96.3 will also carry the game along with the live audio stream available to HailStateTV subscribers at www.hailstate.com/hstvlive.
This will be the first of two meetings between the teams, which are vying for better positioning in the league. MSU is coming off a loss to No. 14 LSU on Thursday, while Georgia upset No. 13 Kentucky at home.
Chapel matched her career-high with 27 minutes in the 65-56 loss to LSU. Playing in place of freshman forward Breanna Richardson, who was saddled with foul trouble, Chapel had only three points and two rebounds. She attempted only three shots and had to body up against 6-5 center Theresa Plaisance. Schaefer felt Chapel did an “admirable” job giving up that much height and weight to Plaisance, but he said he needs more from whoever is playing in the four position, power forward, because that is a key spot on the floor for how the Bulldogs try to attack opponents.
Despite only scoring three points against LSU, Chapel has shown flashes of being able to give MSU more. She hit two key jump shots in 15 minutes in a home victory against Missouri last week. That effort came on the heels of a career-high 12-point performance in an overtime loss to Ole Miss in Oxford. In that game, Chapel played so well and took the ball aggressively to the basket that the Bulldogs called plays for her on multiple possessions late in the game and in OT.
“She has been playing really good,” Schaefer said. “I definitely think her confidence has improved. When we recruited her, we saw her play and shoot it like a two guard. It is obvious she is not a two guard, but she has range. It is just a matter of all of our kids getting in the gym and spending time shooting because we don’t have enough time in practice to do enough shooting for everybody.”
Chapel is averaging 4.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game. She is shooting 37.3 percent from the field playing a position that MSU uses in the high-low game with junior center Martha Alwal. The Bulldogs also expect the four player to be a key cog in the offense when it comes to finding the best player to get a shot. That’s a lot to put on the shoulders of freshmen, but Chapel feels she is settling in.
“I do feel more at ease,” Chapel said. “In high school, I shot the ball really well and when I came here I was kind of nervous and timid to shoot the ball. As I have built confidence my shot is finally starting to fall.”
Chapel is focused on building strength and gaining weight so she can compete with bigger bodies. She acknowledges that will be an adjustment because she considers herself more of a “finesse” player. Still, she believes she can mix her skills to become tougher and more physical. She said coming in with a tough mind-set and working hard in the weight room will be keys for her to continue to deliver consistent production.
Schaefer is confident Chapel can be the “universal” player he and the Bulldogs need.
“There is no doubt in my mind she will get there,” Schaefer said. “I think all of our freshmen are growing up right before our eyes, and she has, too. She has been playing well here lately. I think she will continue to improve and grow and mature.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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