On Sunday the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs will play their next to last game of the season in the Hump, but for one senior it will be her first since 2009.
Guard/forward Tysheka Grimes had to sit out while suffering from plantar fasciitis late last year during the non-conference schedule, and re-aggravated the painful foot injury in practice just before the start of the SEC schedule in January. She had been averaging over 11 points and 7 rebounds per game, stats that head coach Sharon Fanning-Otis could have used during the team’s hot and cold January.
Grimes finally returned for the game at Florida, and immediately made an impact, hitting a three that put the Lady Bulldogs up with just seconds left in the first overtime. But more importantly, she gave
Fanning-Otis 21 solid minutes, on her first game in two months. Fanning-Otis said she was surprised at the stamina and energy Grimes showed.
“Ty has been riding the bike and doing some things, but [she’s not] been up and down full court,” she said. “I think once you watch film, you can see there were places where she was not as intense in places where she normally would be. But I felt like she made a positive contribution and hopefully will continue to improve every day.”
One player that may benefit the most from Grimes’ return is senior guard Alexis Rack. Fanning-Otis has often said that even on a team loaded with seniors, Rack and Grimes command the most experience, each having weathered the rugged SEC trenches for four years. Rack’s shooting percentage has declined in recent contests, although she continues to take shots as normal.
“Every great shooter is going to be ready to shoot her shot,” Fanning-Otis said. “I think that’s what makes [Rack] good, you know she is going to play through things. That’s what’s going to define her right now, as a senior leader, how she handles that. If she’s second-guessing stuff, that’s not going to help the team or her.”
With Grimes back in the lineup, there will be someone familiar to Rack on the court to share the load, a relationship that is nothing new for the two women from Louisiana.
“Me and Alexis played AAU [Amateur Athletic Union] basketball together, on the same team,” she said. “And in my senior year in high school, we played in the championship game against each other. It was all fun for us. I won, but she won the bigger trophy.”
The pair stayed in contact through high school, and Grimes said she knew they would be teammates again at MSU. She said the bond they have will let Rack concentrate on her shooting and get her hot hand back.
“We always joke that every time she shoots, I tell her don’t worry about it because I’ll rebound,” she said. “Me and Alexis go way back, all the way to high school, and we have that type of connection. And I think she will be more comfortable with me down there trying to rebound for her.”
Grimes said both players have always fed off the fun and excitement of the game going back to high school, but that this year Alexis was a little more calm and cool under pressure.
“I think that the role [Rack] has to play, especially being her senior year, she is really focused more now than we were then,” she said. “I’m focused, but I just love basketball and the excitement and I do let it show.”
Fanning-Otis said excitement and energy are crucial during the final stretch of SEC games, where each team is clawing for position and every edge counts.
“Every game is so very important,” she said. “It’s going to take a lot of energy, every basketball game in February. You know there’s a lot of parity in the league, and you can go from second to seventh or eighth, overnight.”
With MSU tied in fourth place with South Carolina, and one loss behind third-place Ole Miss, every game has the potential to shake up the league standings. MSU was in Columbia, S.C., last night to take on the Gamecocks. (Results not available at press time.)
Mississippi State will host the Lady Rebels on Sunday, with tip-off set for 4:25 p.m.