Team USA aka Mississippi State Bulldogs.... Napoli, Italy in July

[militarydog]

I would have Promise-Rickea-Bibby-Myah..

And our last spot is SG by committee between J'Mya Young, Espinoza-Hunter, and Bre'Amber Scott. Whoever is hot should be our main SG whenever they're hot. I can see why Vic chose to play Andra so much during the stretch near the end of last year, because she was on fire shooting over 50% from 3.

I have Promise because I'm hoping her volleyball days mean she has better agility to stop that pick-and-roll which gave T a lot of trouble.

I also noticed our team looks different when Myah Taylor is in vs when Holmes is in. Examples are Texas A&M and Australia where the whole team played differently once Myah was subbed in. We won the 2nd quarter in both those games where Myah played the 2nd quarter yet lost the 1st where Holmes played.

Lastly I think we have an easier hill to climb this year compared to last year. A few reasons for that, but mostly I think McCowan is our only big loss. I think the others will be reloaded up pretty fast with this stacked roster, so I'm not worried.


..

I’m not ready to be a doomsday prophet but I have some concerns going into the season that temper my expectations.

C Bibby, our overall best player when you count talent, mental toughness and production is coming off a major injury.
P Taylor, who many are projecting as a starter, is also coming off a major injury.
T McCowan is an incredibly talented and physically dominating player. She was double and triple teamed last year on a near nightly basis. On defense her presence alone made our other defenders better because she could clean up a lot of mistakes and gambles. The team also fed off her toughness.
If you look at many posts about Mississippi State’s projected lineup next season you get several different picks. Even the most consistent picks, R Jackson, C Bibby and M Taylor all have major questions. R Jackson is a freshman that has never had to play this grueling a schedule and practice with this demanding a staff. Some are even projecting M Taylor will get pushed by the freshmen.
Again I’m hopeful for the season. We have top to bottom the most talent and the coaching staff has been very consistent in their success. However I think we will have some growing pain moments this season.

 

[SimpleDawg]

Every new pic or short clip I see of Rickea getting acclimated to Starkville, I find her so stylish and her hair is really cool.

 

[SimpleDawg]

Mississippi State conference schedule released. I wanted Texas A&M twice, but these are rotations that go around by year. Our last 4 games look somewhat like a breeze - I like at Ole Miss last game of the year though . That stretch of Tennessee, A&M, and Kentucky looks challenging. Of the teams that can beat us (Kentucky, A&M, South Carolina, Missouri, and Tennessee) only 1 out of 5 we play at home, so I'm expecting an absolute nuts crowd for the A&M game.


Jan. 2 (Thu.), FLORIDA
Jan. 5 (Sun.), at Georgia
Jan. 9 (Thu.), at Missouri
Jan. 16 (Thu.), LSU
Jan. 20 (Mon.), at South Carolina
Jan. 23 (Thu.), at Vanderbilt
Jan. 26 (Sun.), OLE MISS
Jan. 30 (Thu.), AUBURN
Feb. 3 (Mon.), GEORGIA
Feb. 6 (Thu.), at Tennessee
Feb. 9 (Sun.), TEXAS A&M
Feb. 16 (Sun.), at Kentucky
Feb. 20 (Thu.), at Auburn
Feb. 23 (Sun.), ALABAMA
Feb. 27 (Thu.), ARKANSAS
Mar. 1 (Sun.), at Ole Miss