STARKVILLE — Kendra Grant is ready to go.

The Richland High School standout selected Mississippi State because she knew she would have a chance to make key contributions as a freshman.

Grant saw Sunday just what kind of opportunities she will get this season, and she is confident she will deliver.

“I am not satisfied with it,” Grant said. “I still have plenty of time. It is just an exhibition game. Not saying it is a just a game I can wave off, but it is a start to get the jitters out. I feel like it will be better.”

As one of two freshman in the starting lineup, Grant was 2 of 12 (2 of 9 from 3-point range) and had nine points in 30 minutes in MSU’s 84-48 exhibition victory against the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith at Humphrey Coliseum.

Grant likely will be a starter again at 7 p.m. Friday when she and MSU play host to Jacksonville State at Humphrey Coliseum in the season opener for both teams.

Grant averaged 14.2 points and 18.7 points per game in her final two seasons at Richland High. At 5-foot-11, Grant is a lean, athletic player who has a similar body type to former MSU player Armelie Lumanu. Grant’s length and quickness could help her be just as good a defensive player as Lumanu, who was the 2010 Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Grant’s skill as an offensive player, particularly her ability to shoot from 3-point range, puts her ahead of Lumanu and gives the Lady Bulldogs a replacement for senior Mary Kathryn Govero, who was second on the team in scoring (12.7 ppg.) and led the team in 3-pointers (71) last season.

“We know she can shoot and she can dribble a lot better and she can flash with the ball,” MSU senior point guard Diamber Johnson said. “We’re looking for her to drive in and trying to get her wide open shots. We trust her, like we did MKat, that she is going be able to knock it down.”

Grant looked comfortable stepping into that role in the exhibition game. She didn’t hesitate to shoot from anywhere on the court. She also had three turnovers and two steals and said she knows her job on the team is to come in and knock down outside shots. If she does that, she knows she will create opportunities for Johnson, senior guard Porsha Porter, and other perimeter players as well as players in the post.

“I shot a lot, so I am not scared to shoot, but I just have to knock them down,” Grant said.

Grant said she wants to do a better job stepping into her shot, figuring out what is a good shot, and knocking it down. Johnson and MSU coach Sharon Fanning-Otis believe Grant will be able to figure those things out and play a key role on both ends of the floor.

“We’re trusting her to be out there, and I hold her to every aspect like everybody else,” Johnson said. “You’re not a freshman anymore. You have this role, this is what you came here for, but I don’t treat her like she is a freshman. I tell her to be confident because you’re out here for a reason and to remember what you did to get here and remember why you’re here and stay with that.”

Said Fanning-Otis, “We’re talking consistently about great shots and not just shots. If she gets the backspin on there, she is pretty much on. If she gets the sidespin, they’re going to rim out just a little bit, so she is going to have to pull that elbow in and get that ball a little higher and be consistent with it.”

“You can tell she has a knack for the game (out Saturday jacked by Porter). It is a freshman learning to get tougher, to get better position, learning to be out and to come back in, but they have to get confidence as they go along.”

Grant showed she was a freshman at least on two occasions as she lost a pass for a turnover and then was stripped of the ball near midcourt. But Grant’s ability to shoot from the outside gives the Lady Bulldogs three options on the wing, which is something they lacked last season in a 13-17 season. Just as it is her job to knock down shots, Grant knows she will play a key role in helping MSU reverse its fortunes and get back to the NCAA tournament.

“Coach always tells me I have the green light,” Grant said. “But as far as me picking which is the best shot, I still have to work toward that. That is what I have them for (pointing to Johnson and Porter) to keep me on the right track and to stay on my head and to make sure I have good looks.”

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