Rick Stansbury couldn’t stop talking about him. The Mississippi State head coach kept showering him with compliments.
“He gives us toughness and energy,” Stansbury said. “He’s been playing with reckless abandon on the floor and so far, he’s one of my most impressive players on the floor.”
Who? Winsome Frazier, perhaps? Maybe he was talking about reigning Southeastern Conference Player of the Year Lawrence Roberts. Perhaps even energetic point guard Gary Ervin. Nope.
“I’m very high on Dietric Slater,” Stansbury said. “You can write that down.”
Consider it done.
The fact that Stansbury is so high on Slater comes as a surprise since the sophomore guard/forward played sparingly last year. Stansbury sees it as a year of experience doing its job.
“There is no substitute for experience and maturity,” Stansbury said. “Last year he was a freshman, and the mental part of the game as a freshman was so tough for him. Now he’s more comfortable mentally and it’s allowing him to use his athleticism and toughness out there for us.”
Slater agrees with Stansbury’s assessment.
“Last year, coming in as a freshman, I really didn’t know how hard I had to work to get playing time,” Slater said. “This year I knew I had to step up my game a whole lot more than last year.”
Slater didn’t really have a position during his days at Wayne County High School in Waynesboro.
He really didn’t need one. The team just got him the ball and he would slash his way through the defense to the hoop.
Finding him a position in college has been somewhat difficult.
Last year he came off the bench mostly at the shooting guard or small forward position. But this year, with the lack of depth at point guard, he has been working mostly at that position.
“In high school I played a little bit of everything because I was a scorer,” Slater said. “Playing point guard is a little more frustrating because it’s hard to learn but the way I’m learning it now it’s starting to get easier as practices go along.”
While Slater may be having a tough time adjusting to point guard, one thing that he has never had to adjust is his defense. Stansbury is not the only one raving about Slater’s defense. His teammates are also heaping on the praise.
“He’s an animal on defense. His hands are so active. He’s going to be another me,” Winsome Frazier said with a smile.
“He’s got the capability of being a lockdown defender,” Shane Power said. “He is very quick and hardnosed. He may not be the biggest guy in the world but he’s always diving on the floor and sticking his nose in places that it probably shouldn’t be. He’s not afraid to do the dirty work.
Slater had two good defensive role models to look up to when he arrived on campus last year.
“The coaches wanted me to watch Winsome Frazier and (former point guard) Timmy Bowers because they always dive after loose balls and don’t stop hustling on defense until the whistle is blown,” Slater said. “I try to look up to them in playing defense.”
The most consistent thing talked about Slater by Stansbury and other players was Slater’s toughness.
“There’s no question about his toughness,” Stansbury said. “I’ve got to find some more pieces that give me some of that toughness and I feel real good where Dietric Slater has put himself in position.
“You need a couple of players like Dietric (to be successful),” Power said. “If we can get that kind of energy and enthusiasm from the whole team, we’ll be in good shape.”