The Mississippi State women’s basketball team will open its 2009-10 season tonight against Arkansas Pine-Bluff in the Hump as the first act in a double-bill with the men’s team.
Do not make the mistake of calling this team an opening act for the men. This Lady Bulldogs squad is as solid as they come.
MSU returns 11 players from last year’s team that went to the second round of the NCAA tournament, where some say they were robbed of the win over Ohio State due to poor officiating.
This year’s squad includes eight seniors, making for one of the Lady Dawgs’ most experienced teams ever, apparent in last Saturday’s 106-34 drubbing of Arkansas-Monticello in an exhibition.
The Lady Dawgs will be tested early as the Maryland Terrapins, national champions in 2006, come to Starkville on Nov. 22, the last game of the home stretch that begins tonight.
Head coach Sharon Fanning-Otis said this season will require some adjustments from her players.
“They’re not going to have a whole semester to get ready for the SEC because we’re going to face opponents that are top teams in the country very early on,” she said. “But it’s an opportunity for this group [of seniors] to say what their legacy is going to be. And hopefully; it’s going to be very positive.”
With so many experienced players, Fanning-Otis said a strong bench that can come in on short notice will be the key this season.
“As a coach, I cannot give quality minutes to a lot of these players,” she said. “Whether they get three or four minutes, it’s what you do with those. Everybody that is on the bench right now is in the picture, and three or four are going to have to step up.”
One such player Fanning-Otis said she is expecting to rely on is forward Rima Kalonda, who had 15 points in last weekend’s match with Monticello. The 6’3″ senior from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, said the points were good, but not all she wants to contribute to the team.
“I can score, but anybody can score,” she said. “But defense is hard to play. If we play good defense, I think we will win. Everybody is going to score.”
Another player Fanning-Otis pegged as crucial to Lady Bulldog success is sophomore guard Diamber Johnson. She averaged 14 minutes last season as a true freshman, coming in for All-SEC senior Alexis Rack.
Johnson said having her coach’s confidence was important to her, but also said strong fan support in the Hump makes all the difference.
“Having a lot of fans in the seats makes us go harder,” she said. “Because if you don’t have people believing in you, you’re not going to believe in yourself.”
The Lady Bulldogs often play to a mostly empty Humphrey Coliseum, except for big games like Ole Miss. Fanning-Otis said that is what you expect with women’s basketball, and you work around it.
“As women, you just deal with it,” she said. “Whether there’s people in the gym or not, let’s be the best we can be and focus on that.”
Fanning-Otis said winning and fan support goes hand in hand, and this season especially, the Lady Bulldogs need fans in the stands.
“Friday’s opportunity is one that doesn’t come along often,” she said. “We can have folks that come in for the men’s game, that maybe would not be in town. It makes a difference for us.”
Tip-off for the women’s matchup tonight with Arkansas-Pine Bluff is at 5 p.m., and Sunday’s match against East Tennessee State is set for 2 p.m.