OXFORD — Matt Insell can’t believe the transformation Shandricka Sessom has made.

In just two years, Sessom has gone from a player who was reluctant to

take her shot and to assert her will on games to being one of the go-to players on the Ole Miss women’s basketball team.

Now, Sessom is ready to add a running mate who can match her shot for shot.

The addition of Kentucky transfer Chrishae Rowe, who was the Pacific-12 Conference Freshman of the Year at Oregon in 2013-14, figures to help Insell balance the court with another dangerous wing scorer. But it wouldn’t work if Sessom hadn’t matured from a player who was hesitant about shooting to one who now is confident enough to tell her teammates to go ahead and get their points because she knows she is going to get hers.

“She is such a great kid,” Insell said. “She is on the court now and plays carefree. She takes some shots when I saw her as a freshman that I begged her to take. I want her to take those shots. She has matured on the basketball court and as a person. Every point she handles with great confidence.”

Trip to Costa Rica

Sessom plans to showcase that confidence next month when Ole Miss embarks on a 10-day tour of Costa Rica. The trip, which runs from Monday through Aug. 10, includes three exhibition games that will help the team build chemistry for a 2016-17 season Insell hopes will transform the fortunes of a program that went 10-20 (2-14 in the Southeastern Conference) in 2015-16.

The trip also will give Ole Miss a chance to work freshmen Shelby Gibson, Kaitlyn Rodgers, and Bree Glover as well as Rowe into the mix. Even though Rowe won’t be eligible to play until December, Insell said the Rebels have been working with the 5-foot-10 guard in their practices to prepare for their trip. Insell has loved what he has seen from Rowe, who led the Ducks in scoring (21.6 points per game). Her 690 points were the most by a freshman in Oregon history, and the 12th most in Pac-12 single-season history.

Factor in sophomore guard Madinah Muhammad and senior Erika Sisk, who will work with sophomore Alissa Alston at point guard, and Insell believes the Rebels have weapons to put teams back on their heels.

There is no question, though, Sessom has matured into a leader Ole Miss can count on.

“Shandricka is an explosive athlete who can just explode above you and make shots and make things happen at the goal,” Insell said. “Chrishae is more of a physical wing player that we can use in a lot of different ways. Chrishae can make some real tough shots and get to the free-throw line. She is a very, very physical player with exceptional ballhandling ability who can really score in traffic. Madinah Muhammad can really shoot the basketball. We have to find a way to put them in great spots on the court and see how they can help each other.”

Breakout season

Sessom averaged only 5.3 points per game as a freshman, but she broke out last season and was a finalist for the C Spire Gillom Trophy finalist, which is awarded to top collegiate women’s basketball player in the state of Mississippi. She averaged 15.6 ppg. and 5.1 rebounds in 30 games. She also was Ole Miss’ leading scorer in Southeastern Conference play (13.4 ppg.).

The 5-10 guard from Byhalia is looking forward to playing with Rowe and trying to keep up with Sisk, a former track and field standout, who is one of the quickest players in the SEC. She believes the addition of Rowe will take some pressure off her to be the team’s leading scorer every night.

“(Rowe) can come in and be the same kind of player I was last year,” Sessom said. “They will have to balance who they want to guard each game, or each play. It will bring so much pressure off me and then we can balance that pressure and help our team.

“She has that scorer’s mentality and she is a hard worker. She really wants it.”

Last season, Sessom was the only Ole Miss player whose scoring average was in double figures. She took double the number of shots of every player on the team except one last season. Insell figures that will change this season with more scoring balance. He also knows Sessom isn’t the kind of player who covets 20-25 shots a night. In fact, he said she is happy taking fewer shots. He said consistency is a key for Sessom to take another step forward.

“She made a big adjustment in the weight room and is in incredible shape in terms of strength and conditioning,” Insell said. “She got in the gym and developed more of her game. She was making 400 3-pointers a day earlier this summer and was on pace this summer by Oct. 1 hits for the first practice to have hit 50,000-60,000 3-pointers.”

Areas of improvement

Insell said Sessom also has worked with assistant coaches George Porcha and Brittany Hudson to improve her ballhandling. The biggest difference so far, though, might be her improved shooting stroke. Last week, Insell had to stop his post players and remind them they needed to crash the offensive glass. The only problem was the post players saw Sessom was shooting and knew she was going to make it, so they turned and headed back down the court.

“Coach, she ain’t missing,” the post players told Insell.

That’s the kind of confidence Insell loves to hear from his post players. He already has seen it blossom in Sessom.

“She is a very, very confident person academically, socially, and when it comes to athletics,” Insell said. “That is something you want to see. She carries herself in a very confident way. It is something I have challenged and begged her to have and wanted her to have, but I see it now. Our strength coach called me (earlier this week) and raved at how well she is doing in strength and conditioning and being a leader and stepping up and stepping out. She wouldn’t do that last year, or two years ago.

“She is the leader of the perimeter players. I am excited about all three of them, but Shandricka is the leader that holds them all together.”

Sessom has matured so much Insell can now throw her out of his office for being too confident. With so many talented players in the backcourt, Insell said Sessom told him she was willing to come off the bench if it helped Rowe and Muhammad play better.

If Sessom continues to make shots like she has all summer, she won’t see very much time of the bench.

“I told her to get out of my office (after she said she was willing to come off the bench),” Insell said. “That is the maturity level she has now. She wants to do what is best for the team.

“Shandricka Sessom has taken an even bigger jump going into junior year than she made last year. Madinah Muhammad has gotten herself in the best shape of her life and become that knockdown shooter for us. Chrishae Rowe is probably one of the top two or three players in our league. She is at that level offensively. I don’t feel scoring will be that big of an issue for us. (With Muhammad’s development and the addition of Rowe), Shandricka won’t have tired legs. (Last season), she played well for three quarters and then tired. This season, we have other people to take pressure off her, and you can see in practice she is playing pressure free.”

Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor

Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.