STARKVILLE — Morgan William is learning the enormity of what the word “captain” encompasses.
Last week, the Mississippi State sophomore learned that women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer had named her captain of the 2015-16 team. After not having a captain for his first three seasons at MSU, Schaefer felt the time was right to show his 5-foot-5 point guard how highly he thinks of her by giving her the responsibility of being an even bigger team leader.
The move was significant considering MSU is coming off a season in which it set school records for overall (27) and Southeastern Conference (11) wins and it received its first NCAA tournament bid since 2010. The fact that the Bulldogs return 10 players from that team and have three of their top four scorers back, including Honorable Mention All-American Victoria Vivians (team-high 14.9 points per game as a freshman), provides a sense of comfort for William because she knows many of the players in the program.
Still, as much success and confidence William showed in averaging 9.1 points and 3.6 assists and earning SEC All-Freshman Team honors, she admits she was taken aback when Schaefer told her she was going to be a team captain.
“I know I am not a natural born leader. I can lead by example, but I am not the type of person to tell people what to do because I don’t know what I am doing sometimes,” William said.
When asked to define what the word “captain” means to her, William said a captain is someone who is responsible for “everything” that goes on in a program. She understands she already was regarded as a coach on the floor because she plays point guard. But she admitted she will have to “grow up a little quicker” because she now will be held even more accountable for what the Bulldogs do on and off the floor.
William learned last season how much responsibility Schaefer puts on his point guards. Even though she didn’t start any of MSU’s 34 games, William played more minutes (21.4 per game) than senior Jerica James and often was on the floor at critical junctures at the end of games. She finished third on the team in scoring, shot 35.4 percent from the field, 84.2 percent from the free-throw line, and led the team with 123 assists (103 turnovers). She was second on the team in steals (49).
“I feel like I have to branch out because they want me to be vocal and I am really not vocal,” said William, who has never been a team captain. “I have to open my mouth and tell people what to do because it needs to be done.
William isn’t sure how she will “open up” and learn to be more vocal in practice or during games. She said she will rely on the help of her teammates and hopes that finding her voice isn’t too much different than how she went about her business last season as a lead-by-example teammate.
If she needed an example, William said there recently was a situation in the weight room on the first day of conditioning when things weren’t going right and another teammate spoke up in an effort to set things right. William said the coaches told her after the fact that she didn’t say anything and that she needed to be the first one to speak up and offer encouragement or to help someone get through a difficult stretch.
For someone who admits she “didn’t say anything” last season, finding her voice might take a little time, but William is going to try her best.
“It really didn’t sink in until the next day,” William said. “If I need help, I will ask someone or I will ask coach Schaefer what his guidelines are or what he wants or he wants me to do. I don’t have a problem talking to him.
“I don’t want to fail him. He picked me for some reason, so he believes I can do it, so the least I can do is try.”
Schaefer said William is a mature young woman who understands the responsibility that goes with being captain. He also feels the Bulldogs have more experienced players who will be able to assist William when she needs help.
“She commands your respect as a player and as a young lady,” said Schaefer, who was named SEC Coach of the Year last season. “Her character is unquestioned. Her work ethic is incredible. I think Morgan William is the perfect captain for our team right now.”
Schaefer said he always prefers to have point guards be captains. Entering a season in which MSU has been picked No. 11 in ESPN.com’s preseason poll and No. 6 in Athlon Sports’ college basketball preview magazine, Schaefer believes the Bulldogs “need” someone not to lead for an individual but to lead for the team and the coaching staff to make sure things are done the right way.
“I think that is a piece that we really have been missing is that player who will demand from her teammates certain things,” Schaefer said. “Just because coach isn’t around doesn’t mean we aren’t doing it.”
Another preseason ranking
Schaefer couldn’t help feel “giddy” Thursday when he looked at the Athlon Sports’ college basketball preview magazine.
Considering he inherited a program that was coming off back-to-back losing seasons after a run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament and that MSU won 13 games in his first season, the road back to the national rankings and the NCAA tournament has been long. He feels a sense of satisfaction that the Bulldogs have been able to accomplish a lot of things in a short amount of time, but he knows MSU will have to work extremely hard to cement its place as one of the nation’s top programs.
“We are very humbled that Athlon Sports would think so highly of us,” Schaefer said. “We appreciate their confidence, and while we are very honored, our ultimate goal is to be ranked No. 6 in March, not just September. We realize the target on our back has gotten bigger and we are now the hunted. Now the challenge is to live it, live up to it, and embrace the responsibility that goes with living in the top 10.”
MSU will play Mississippi College at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, in an exhibition game at Humphrey Coliseum. It will play host to Samford at a time to be announced Nov. 13.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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