MSU’s great run has raised expectations
Bulldogs will return 10 of 14 players next year
DALLAS – The odds are strong that South Carolina and UConn will make the trip to next year’s Final Four in Columbus, Ohio. Traditional powerhouses Notre Dame, Baylor and Stanford are good bets, too. Now, Mississippi State has joined the exclusive club.
Expectations will be high for the Bulldogs after they knocked off UConn and reached the national championship game before losing to South Carolina on Sunday to end their best season in program history.
That is the case partially because of what Mississippi State accomplished, but also because of what the Bulldogs will bring back. Mississippi State is expected to return 10 of its 14 players. The group of returnees included leading scorer and guard Victoria Vivians, starting point guard Morgan William and starting center Teaira McCowan.
No wonder Vic Schafer confidently said at the end of Sunday’s new conference that the Bulldogs would be back.
Mississippi State won’t be without question marks, though, and will need to figure out how to fill significant spots and receive production from critical areas — defense and post production are two that first come to mind.
The Bulldogs will graduate starters Breanna Richardson and Dom Dillingham along with key reserves Chinwe Okorie, who actually started every game during the regular season, and Ketara Chapel.
Dillingham was the team’s best defender. Schaefer said that when he goes out recruiting, he is looking for the next Dillingham – a tough, hardworking, stalwart defender and unselfish guard. Schaefer believes he found someone similar in three-star guard Bre’Amber Scott out of Arkansas.
Scott is part of a top-20 recruiting class that also includes five-star Olive Branch star Myah Taylor and three-star Terry standout Nyah Tate. Both Magnolia State products are guards. Schaefer has said that he anticipates Taylor, a three-time Gatorade Player of the Year winner, to make an immediate impact.
Taylor can provide the second-option on offense with the ball in her hands that MSU lacked at times this season. There is a solid chance she quickly gets into a deep rotation of guards that also includes Vivians, William, Roshunda Johnson, Blair Schaefer, Jazzmun Holmes and Iggy Allen.
While Johnson and Blair Schaefer were mainstays off the bench and could replace Dillingham in the starting lineup, Vic Schaefer described Holmes and Allen as two players to watch next year.
“That’s our future,” he said. “Those two are going to be really good for us.”
In the post, McCowan, who is 6-foot-7, has the ability to take another step after emerging as the SEC’s Sixth Player of the Year. Okorie was a solid complement to McCowan, a sophomore, because the senior had experience and is 6-foot-5. Okorie will leave a void that Schaefer will have to fill with freshmen Ameshya Williams and Zion Campbell. Schaefer is particularly high on Williams, a former Dandy Dozen who averaged only three minutes per game.
“The kid makes things happen when she comes in the game,” Schaefer said. “She’s my bull in the china cabinet. She and Teaira like playing together.”
Both Williams and Campbell may have to play minutes as forwards with the departure of Richardson, who consistently did a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs.
“Having come this far, we are motivated to keep going and keep pushing,” Campbell said. “Next year, we just know that we want to get back here and will do everything we can to do that. For us, that means knowing our roles and playing to the best of our abilities.”
Schaefer referred to the expectations as the new “monster” they have created. While they can be a double-edged sword at times, Schaefer added the situation is better than the alternative, which is irrelevance. Plus, there is reason to believe the Bulldogs can fulfill them.
“They have a really good group coming back, honestly, they really do,” Okorie said. “The great thing about this coaching staff is they work to improve your skills. So it’s not like what you see today is what you will see next year. You’ll see even better players next year.”