STARKVILLE — There’s a “newbie” on the block.
More than a month after his program’s first appearance in the national title game, Mississippi State women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer could sit behind the desk in his office in Mize Pavilion and exhale. He also could break out a label to slap on the Bulldogs that helped described the excitement they generated in their initial appearance in the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.
Along the way, MSU attracted plenty of attention. It defeated Troy and DePaul in front of raucous crowds at Humphrey Coliseum to advance to the Sweet 16. MSU then dispatched All-American and NCAA all-time leading scorer Kelsey Plum and Washington before upsetting Baylor in overtime in the Elite Eight.
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One year after losing to Connecticut by 60 points in the Sweet 16, MSU delivered one of the biggest surprises — at least to everyone not dressed in maroon and white — in the history of college sports when it ended UConn’s 111-game winning streak in the national semifinals thanks to Morgan William’s shot at the buzzer.
MSU tried to complete the marathon, but it fell short in losing to South Carolina 67-55 in the national title game on April 2.
Still, more than a month after beating UConn and losing to South Carolina, Schaefer bubbled with excitement as he talked about the buzz his program created throughout the nation.
“I have had so many people tell me, ‘I don’t even watch women’s basketball, but I watched that game and I am hooked,’ ” Schaefer said. “It is flattering to hear the compliments of my kids. I am so proud of them and my staff.”
Schaefer has plenty of reason to be proud because he has transformed a program without a national profile into one that is a growing powerhouse in the sport.
For its accomplishments, the MSU women’s basketball team’s 2016-17 season is the No. 1 MSU story of the year.
“I will look back on that in my career as one of the real highlights,” Schaefer said. “Not that last year wasn’t a highlight per se (referring to loss to UConn in the Sweet 16), but it was an opportunity to go against the best.
“The two games in Dallas, I couldn’t be prouder of our fans. What they showed the country about Mississippi State and the love affair they have with my players is really, really special. It ain’t like that at most places. The people in that building were wearing maroon and white.”
Schaefer was part of building similar excitement at Texas A&M. Working as an associate head coach under Gary Blair, the Aggies rebuilt their program and eventually reached the pinnacle of the sport when they won the national championship in 2011.
Schaefer brought a similar blueprint to Starkville when he took over for Sharon Fanning-Otis in 2012. The growth was slow at first — 13 wins in his first season — but the pace quickened as the Bulldogs went from 22 to 27 to 28 victories.
But the biggest step happened in 2016-17.
Led by seniors Ketara Chapel, Dominique Dillingham, Chinwe Okorie, and Breanna Richardson, MSU won its first 20 games and established itself as a player on the national stage. Along the way, Chapel, Dillingham, and Richardson became the winningest class in program history with 111 victories. Unfortunately, the seniors who helped instill the tenacity that enabled the Bulldogs to pack the Hump couldn’t get past A’ja Wilson and the Gamecocks.
More than a month later, Schaefer was ready to do it again. As he talked about needing the returning players to show the freshman how they needed to play, Schaefer talked confidently that the 2017-18 team was going to “lay it on the line” and have a chance to be just as good as the 2016-17 squad, even with a bigger target on its back.
The only difference is MSU no longer will be a “newbie.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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