STARKVILLE — Xaria Wiggins is serious about basketball.
The fact that Wiggins started to work with personal trainer Nadine Domond, a family friend, on her basketball skills when she was 6 years old tells you all you need to know about her commitment to the sport.
Wiggins started training at such an early age in part because she wanted to be like her sister, Alliyah Floyd, who went on to play basketball at Elizabeth City State (N.C.). Wiggins’ father, Major, also played basketball at North Carolina Wilmington, so it’s easy to see why she is motivated to be the best she can be.
“I want to follow in their footsteps,” Wiggins said.
Wiggins is part of the Mississippi State women’s basketball team’s Class of 2018 that includes Connecticut transfer Andra Espinoza-Hunter, Ole Miss transfer Promise Taylor, Daphane White, the No. 48 player in ESPN’s rankings, and Jessika Carter, the No. 46 player. Espinoza-Hunter and Taylor will have to sit out a year due to NCAA transfer rules.
The three freshmen will have a chance to make an immediate impact following the graduation of Roshunda Johnson, Blair Schaefer, Victoria Vivians, and Morgan William. Those four played integral roles in pushing MSU to the national championship game the last two seasons.
Wiggins, a first-team Class 5A All-State pick as a senior, averaged 11.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in her final season at Prince Anne High School. She had six points and eight rebounds in a 61-45 victory against Edison that helped Prince Anne clinch its fifth-straight Virginia High School League state championship.
Wiggins, a 6-foot-1 wing, was a member of the varsity team for four seasons.
Wiggins said her father was one of her first coaches and that she typically was one of the tallest players on her teams. She said ballhandling was one of the first things her father taught her and that she often had to bring the ball up the court, even if she was considered a “post player.”
Despite always being one of the tallest players, Wiggins never wanted to be only a post player.
“My dad always emphasized that in college there were going to be bigger, taller guards,” Wiggins said. “I knew the leadership that I have and the roles I took on my teams I had to help control the team and play the point guard position, so I definitely wanted to be on the outside more than the inside, but I didn’t have a problem with being on the inside because I like rebounding. I just did what my coach wanted to do.”
Princess Anne coach Darnell Dozier said Wiggins is a coachable player who saw time at nearly every position. He said Wiggins likely would have been able to play point guard if he needed her to because she is capable of handling the basketball with either hand.
“She has a really good outside shot and she can jump through the roof,” Dozier said. “She is really outgoing. She is very friendly, but she can be mean on the court when she has to be.”
Dozier feels Wiggins will fit in equally well at MSU because she is willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win. He said she rebounded more as a sophomore when the team didn’t have a real center. Dozier said Wiggins also worked on her pull-up jump shot as a junior and senior to be better rounded.
Dozier envisions Wiggins playing either of the wing positions at MSU. He said she has “deep range” and can play “really good defense” and “man-on-ball defense,” two things MSU coach Vic Schaefer takes pride in.
Schaefer said Wiggins and the other young players who are new to the program have all worked hard and demonstrated great work ethics. He said he has been impressed with all of the players’ energy and enthusiasm.
“Her frame and her length is a bonus. I think she runs the floor extremely well and gets out and fills the lane,” Schaefer said of Wiggins. “She’ll have a chance to be really special here in the next four years.”
Schaefer likes Wiggins’ ballhandling ability, but he acknowledges she will have to adjust to defenses in the Southeastern Conference. Still, he envisions Wiggins being in the mix to earn playing time because seniors Jazzmun Holmes and Jordan Danberry are the only returning guards who played “meaningful minutes” last season.
“We have to find some guards that can shoot it and stretch the defense and that can press like we press and defend like we defend,” Schaefer said. “We have to find some people who can help us, and quickly.
“I hope (Xaria) can be versatile enough to play the three (small forward) and four (power forward). At the end of the day, I will settle for one position right now.”
Wiggins plans to work hard to meet those expectations. She said discovering she had anemia between her eighth- and ninth-grade years and overcoming it taught her valuable lessons. People with anemia don’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body’s tissues. As a result, they may feel weak or tired. Wiggins moved to a diet rich in foods with iron to help her battle the condition. She said she still takes iron pills to help her breathe on the court.
“I definitely feel like versatility is No. 1,” Wiggins said. “I do feel wherever coach Schaefer wants me to play on the court he can put me there because I know I can do it all. I will definitely help the team win in any way I can. Rebounding, shooting, bringing the ball up the court, defense, whatever. I am ready for it.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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