STARKVILLE — LaKaris Salter wants to go longer this season.
Fans of the Mississippi State women’s basketball team know how effective the 6-foot-1 forward was last season when she was inserted into the lineup. Called on to provide a boost, Salter often did that with flair and an accompanying roar from the crowd at Humphrey Coliseum.
Whether it was her ballhandling, shooting, or passing, Salter played with an energy that showed she realized her role was to spark her teammates.
But Salter wants to play a bigger role and to be on the court for more minutes this season, which is why she has returned for the 2015-16 season with a new mind-set that she hopes will put her in position to excite the crowd and her teammates and coaches more often.
“Sometimes I wish I had the attitude I have now last year,” Salter said. “It is definitely a learning point from being a freshman.
“Last year, I didn’t think it took much to play on the next level. I thought it was just going to be the same in high school, where you just go out there and play. But getting out there, seeing the competition and playing — even the SEC games — it was like, OK, it is a whole different speed and level. It turned my attitude to the point where I have to want to keep going. I can’t stop and get breaks that I usually would get back then. I have to keep going to keep pushing myself.”
Salter averaged 4.2 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in 5.3 minutes last season. Her scoring average was more than five of her teammates, including four who played in more games than she did.
Even though Salter played in only 19 games, there is no denying she is capable of making an immediate impact. She had a season-high 16 points in nine minutes in the second half in a victory against North Dakota State. She scored 10 of those points in a stretch of 1 minute, 22 seconds.
Salter also scored in double figures against Southeastern Louisiana and Mississippi Valley State. But her biggest contribution in the most meaningful game came against South Carolina, when she scored 14 points in six minutes. She hit 4 of 5 from 3-point range and made two free throws in a 69-50 loss in Columbia, South Carolina.
Salter said she realized she had to look inside herself to improve if she was going to get a chance to play more minutes. She said she knows she needs to play better defense and to be a better rebounder if MSU coach Vic Schaefer is going to pick her from a crowded group of players at the four position (power forward).
With senior Sherise Williams and juniors Breanna Richardson, Ketara Chapel, and junior college transfer Jazmine Spears, Schaefer has plenty of options, which is part of the reason he has tried Richardson at the three (small forward). He said Richardson has been the strongest player at that position in the Bulldogs’ first week-plus of practice. The key, he said, will be getting everyone to improve their all-around games. He believes Salter is doing that.
“The conditioning factor allows her to play longer stretches and to play harder,” Schaefer said. “She has to be more of a consistent player defensively, and she has to make shots consistently. We all have seen her make shots in stretches, but she has improved her conditioning and has worked really hard to do that.
“I would love to get her on the floor more because offensively I think she can really allow us to be really good on that end. But I need her to rebound more and play defense better. She knows that. Those are things we continue to emphasize that and work on that every day.”
Salter said her improved mind-set will allow her to focus on her game and not worry about why she isn’t playing. She said there were times last season when she wondered why she wasn’t playing and that thinking held her back from doing the things the coaches wanted her to do to get on the court.
“I had to make trust with myself (and honestly answer the question), ‘Do I think I was ready?” Salter said. “Looking back at it, I wasn’t. I thought about it all last year, and that is the reason I wanted to change it this year. I don’t want to be that person that regrets not doing something I know I can handle.”
This season, Salter said her new attitude has helped her come back in better shape. She said last week she feels better physically than she did a year ago, even though she was still tired from practice. She said she didn’t think she pushed herself as hard last year as she has pushed herself this year.
“As far as us doing more running and doing more transition stuff, I feel comfortable with it, whereas last year I probably would have been uncomfortable and I probably would have wanted to say, ‘I can’t do this,’ ” Salter said. “Now I am like, ‘I can do this. I can run with the guards. I can run with them.’ I feel great. I feel better. I am not done yet, but I can see my progression going forward.”
Salter said part of her change comes from the competition at forward. She said the forwards are pushing each other in practice, which she feels will give MSU a chance to improve on its school-record 27-win season and trip to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2014-15.
But Salter doesn’t want to lose focus or try to figure out what the coaches or her teammates are thinking. Instead, she wants to concentrate on her game so she can put herself in the best possible position to help the Bulldogs.
“If I do what I do, I go hard at practice, I make the best of it and I show (coach Schaefer) I want to play and I am improving, I think there comes the opportunity for me to be able to do more with my sophomore season,” Salter said. “I just want to get better and do more.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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