STARKVILLE — Staying humble is important to Vic Schaefer.
In his five seasons as Mississippi State women’s basketball coach, Schaefer has made a point to credit opponents and coaches in his post-game comments. Even more often, Schaefer will give the glory to God in his opening comments before he offers his analysis.
Schaefer’s approach hasn’t wavered because he has been through his share of ups and downs in 30-plus years as a coach. In that time, he has discovered plenty of things can happen to disrupt a team’s momentum and great players can make coaches look pretty darn smart.
Don’t expect Schaefer to change just because MSU has started a season 18-0 for the second time in three years. If possible, Schaefer is going to try to be even more humble because he knows his program is in a special place with No. 1 Connecticut as the only undefeated teams in NCAA Division I women’s basketball.
“I think the recipe for any team’s success is you have to stay humble and stay hungry,” Schaefer said. “The minute you start reading your press clippings and thinking you’re all that and a bag of beans, that’s when somebody whacks you by about 25 and brings you back down real quick. I think our kids know that and understand that. I have been real pleased with their approach, for the most part. We’re not a great practicing team. Some days are better than others, but when the lights have come on, they have done a very good job of executing. That is sometimes what a veteran team will do for you.”
No. 4 MSU will try to stay humble at 6 tonight (SEC Network) when it plays host to Ole Miss at Humphrey Coliseum. A win would help MSU set a program record for consecutive wins to start a season. It also would help the Bulldogs (18-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) extend their best start in the league and earn their sixth-straight victory against the Rebels (13-4, 2-2 SEC).
A non-conference schedule that saw MSU play only three of 14 games at home steeled it for the challenge of being a marked team. With all five starters back from last season’s program-record 28-win squad, the Bulldogs have blossomed on offense and are rounding into form on defense.
Despite shooting 46.8 percent from the field and beating teams by a margin of 26.7 points, Schaefer isn’t going to let his players get overconfident.
“They’re not drinking the Kool-Aid,” Schaefer said Thursday night following an 82-49 victory against Florida at Humphrey Coliseum. “I am not going to let them. We ain’t serving it. They have just gone about their business and continued to work.”
Schaefer feels the Bulldogs have done a good job of going game to game and not thinking or looking ahead. There is little chance the Bulldogs will look ahead tonight against a rival that would like nothing better to get a signature win and prevent them from making history.
If MSU does lose focus, senior point guard Morgan William said Schaefer will be there to get their attention. She said Schaefer is the reason the Bulldogs haven’t drank the Kool-Aid or gotten too caught up in the attention of being undefeated or claiming program-record rankings in The Associated Press and USA Today polls.
“He keeps us level and lets us know we can get beat any day (and that) we have to come to practice and work hard,” William said.
Schaefer credits his players for staying grounded after their share of tough wins in tough venues. He feels they recognize there is a bigger goal the Bulldogs are trying to reach and that they have to continue to push themselves if they are going to get there.
William agrees. In fact, she said the team only needs to look back to last season and a 98-38 loss to eventual national champion UConn in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament to know it has more work to do.
“We know we can get better,” William said. “We know Connecticut is a very good team, so we have to work hard every day so we can get to their level.”
Schaefer said he likely won’t allow any of his players to drink the Kool-Aid until May, when his team usually holds its end-of-the-year banquet. Even then, Schaefer will encourage his players to take their drinks humbly because he understands how hard it can be for a team to live with a bull’s eye on its back.
“Every day I am on to the next one and wanting to get better and we are trying to keep them grounded. I think humble goes a long way in college athletics. Being humble and hungry can take you a long, long way. I think they have adapted to that. They’re kind of living with that right now. That is a good place to be.”
NOTES: Humphrey Coliseum doors will open at 4:30 p.m. The game will be a “We Back Pat” game in memory of longtime Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt. It will be broadcast live locally on WKBB-FM 100.9. … Tickets are $5 for adults. Students and fans 18 and under get in free. MSU students also get in free with a valid student ID. … Students also will be able to enjoy the Student Lounge, which is located outside the student entrance. It will be open from 3:30-5:45 p.m. and again at halftime.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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