STARKVILLE — Technically, Kendra Grant’s shooting form ranks with the best players in the Southeastern Conference.
As Mississippi State women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer puts it, Grant has a “pro shot,” or one that has the potential to help her earn a living playing basketball in the United States or overseas.
Despite having a sweet stroke, Grant enters her senior season with a career shooting percentage under 40 percent from the field. And one season removed from seeing her minutes decrease by nearly 13 minutes a game, you get the sense Grant wants to add something to her game that she hopes will help her and the Bulldogs have a season to remember.
“It seems like everything went by so fast,” Grant said. “Just knowing what it takes to beat major teams, what it takes to defend, and what it takes to make certain shots, I feel like I have a different mind-set. Knowing how much I was in the gym last year and how much more I could have been in the gym, everything I have learned I am taking that into account. I am just doing a lot more than what I used to, so hopefully that will pay off.”
With the addition of a freshman class that was ranked No. 20 nationally, MSU has depth at every position and plenty of go-to players who are accustomed to taking shots with games on the line. That’s why Schaefer said the ability to make shots is the key for Grant and any of the other players.
“There is more to it than just the shot,” Schaefer said. “You have to spend the time in the gym and work at it and develop that consistency. She has the tools. Hopefully, she will get back in the flow of practice this week and has a good week.”
Schaefer said Grant missed the past two weeks due to a concussion. He said she played well Sunday and made some shots in the first half, but her inactivity means other players have stepped into her spot and assumed her minutes. Still, he said he hopes to send Grant and her classmates out with a bang after the team went 22-14 last season and returned to the postseason.
The 5-foot-11 guard from Richland helped fuel that run by averaging 14.3 points per game in the final six games of the season. She was the team’s leading scorer in four of those games, including the final two, a victory against Auburn and a last-second loss to South Florida in the quarterfinals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
As well as Grant played in those games, that stretch also epitomized her struggles last season. After leading the team in scoring in a victory against Missouri and a loss to Florida in the SEC tournament, Grant shot only 4 of 20 from the field in the next two games — victories against Tulane and Southern Mississippi in the WNIT — before leading the way in the next two games.
Grant said she was “pretty inconsistent” for the whole season. She said the “play-hard-or-go-home mentality” kicked in in the postseason in part because she and the Bulldogs realized they were playing well and were capable of winning WNIT. She hopes to carry that mind-set over to this season and continue to be a go-to player her teammates can count on.
“I don’t know what changed, but I guess during that run I was just playing. I was free and I wasn’t thinking too much,” Grant said. “I think when I think too much that is when I try to get too critical and I may make more mistakes. When I just play free, listen to what coach says, and feed off my teammates, I am like a totally different player. I think that is what I need to do.”
Grant finished the season second on the team in scoring (11.4 points per game) and first on the team in 3-pointers (30). Her 39-percent shooting effort from the field was a significant improvement from her sophomore year when she shot 32.9 percent from the field. She shot that percentage in 34 minutes per game, which ranked among the most in the SEC. Last season, she started 16 of 36 games and averaged 21.6 minutes per game, which was sixth on the team.
Schaefer hopes Grant is going to put that new mind-set into action.
“She has to focus more in games on playing smarter,” Schaefer said. “She checked into the game yesterday and didn’t know who she was guarding and that girl made a layup on the press. I think (she needs to improve) the mental approach to the game and the mind-set of I have to find time in my life, if this is important to me, if basketball is important to me and I am going to have a great senior year, if I even want to play beyond my senior year, I have to have the mind-set I want to do that, I am going to do everything I can to ensure that is going to happen.”
Grant said she hopes to play basketball at the next level, whether it is in the WNBA or overseas. To realize that goal, she knows she will have to become more consistent and build off the “loser-go-home” mentality and play with urgency.
“This last year is very important for me,” Grant said. “I’ve got to do whatever I’ve got to do.
“People are going to have expectations for you, but it is up to you to meet them for yourself or for them, and if you them for yourself, you are going to meet their expectations. Having my attitude change, I feel I will be that player.”
Closed scrimmage at UAB goes well
Schaefer was pleased with his team’s performance Sunday in a closed scrimmage against Georgia Tech at Alabama-Birmingham.
Schaefer said MSU played its best basketball in the first half as it built a halftime lead. Despite playing without starters Martha Alwal and Savannah Carter, Schaefer said MSU played well against a team that advanced to the NCAA tournament last season.
“I thought we looked really good,” Schaefer said. “I thought we competed. We played awfully well in the first half. In the second half, we had some lulls and probably got a little tired. But to be without two starters, including a first-team All-SEC player (Alwal), and play the way we did, I was certainly encouraged. It is by far the best we have looked two weeks into a season in the years I have been here.”
Schaefer praised the efforts of Georgia Tech coach MaChelle Joseph and a young team that includes six freshmen. He said the Yellow Jackets hurt his team rebounding, especially in the second half. But he also was pleased with the way his freshmen played, including Victoria Vivians and Morgan William, who were two of the team’s double-digit scorers.
“Rebounding is always going to be a point of emphasis, and after Sunday it will continue to be,” Schaefer said.
Upcoming events
Fans will have their first chance to watch MSU at 6 p.m. Thursday in the team’s Maroon-White Scrimmage at Humphrey Coliseum. Admission is free for the scrimmage. There will be an on-court autograph session immediately after the event.
On Saturday, Schaefer said his team will hold an open practice for fans who are in town to see the football team’s game against Arkansas. He said the team likely will practice from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
On Nov. 4, MSU will play host to the first Hail State Hoops 101 in Mize Pavilion. The event will run from 5:30-8:30 p.m. and will include dinner, a gift, and the opportunity to learn the game from Schaefer and his coaches.
The cost of the event is $25. Students in grades 9-12 are unable to attend due to NCAA rules. Fans interested in attending should RSVP by today at 662-325-0198.
MSU will take on Arkansas-Fort Smith on Nov. 9 in an exhibition game before it plays host to Mercer at 8 p.m. Nov. 14 in the Preseason WNIT.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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