The Next step for Mississippi State is.......

[Charliebball]

I don’t think she does.

she's a volume shooter..................if Coach Vic keeps her on the court and gives her the green light she will score plenty

 

[DaBball]

I’m guessing he will play her similarly to Victoria Vivians, giving her a greenlight most of the time. We saw VV’s % go up drastically over the course of her collegiate career. Espinoza will have more help than VV originally had

 

[oldude]

Miss State sent in a waiver for AEH and Promise Taylor to be immediately eligible. They are expecting to hear next week.

Didn’t know that. Well that’s a horse of a different color.

As for AEH’s shooting, she knocked down 3x3’s during mop-up time in one UConn game. Subsequently she earned some meaningful PT in several games and missed just about every shot she took. She had a particularly rough time vs DePaul with several TO’s and 0 pts. Soon thereafter she was gone. Hopefully she settles down and contributes at MS St whenever she is eligible.

 

[shiverz45]

We will really get a sense of how good they are when they play Texas and Oregon. Oregon couldnt handle McCowan and adding Howard to the equation makes them a lot more difficult.

I don’t really know who will be the biggest SEC threat. I am not at all impressed with South Carolina’s roster this year. Never was and likely never will be impressed with Jennings. South Carolina has better offensive guards (Cooper, Harris, Henderson), but Holmes and Danberry are terrific defenders. I don’t think she can hang with McCowan unless she gets in foul trouble as she did in the SEC tourney. Mizzou likely won’t have the height to play with them but Sophie is so good...

You didn't even mentioned Cuevas Moore, Jackson and Perry who are probably more offensive than the three you named.

 

[Shmermerer]

Let's see if Vic has the Muffet Magic. If those two are eligible this year, MS St could be very good.

Jordan Danberry shared the PG duties with Itty Bitty 50-50 last year. She has a good handle and a good motor. They don't need a point guard, but they do need a shooting guard or two.

Actually Jazzmun Holmes was the backup PG. Danberry played the off guard or wing last year.

 

[LasVegasYank]

An eligible AEH will make them much more of a contender. She would definitely bring size and shooting to the backcourt which is exactly what they need to replace the 2018 class

Just like she did at UConn.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

I tend to think they'll miss Vivians quite a bit. Though I guess McCowan is a gameplan unto herself and one that very few teams will be equipped to answer.

Few teams can match her size, but she's slow. If teams can press State into running, she will be exhausted.

 

[SCspur]

Miss St will be a force for anyone down low but their outside game is below average IMO! Danberry and Holmes only averaged 10 points combined last year and both shot less than 20% from three. They are very good defenders but at the end of the day you must put the ball in the hoop! Bibby will likely be the best shooter and she’s a post. It’s going to be interesting for sure! I still think they’re top 3 in the SEC but I don’t think they should be favorites and I don’t think they should be in the Final Four conversation until we actually see what they can do.

 

[bballnut90]

Last season MS St had a pretty simple plan on offense. They spread the floor with 3 great shooters, rotating the ball, while McGowan worked from side to side in the paint to pin her defender on her back shoulder. Teams couldn’t collapse on McGowan or they were going to get burned from outside. When teams tried to close out on MS St’s shooters, they dumped the ball into McGowan in the paint.

For MS St to be as effective this year, it will be necessary for them to develop new shooters to take the pressure off McGowan in the paint.

The offense was more complex than that most of the year...you’d regularly see Johnson, Vivians and William driving the lane and kicking it back out until an open shot was available, or take their defender to the basket. Vic really did an excellent job of maximizing each player’s ability given that he really didn’t have any size besides McCowan and the overall talent level of Mississippi State wasn’t at the level of most other top 5 teams. I'm not sure what changed, but in the title game Vic stopped utilizing the dribble drive and tried to pound the ball into McCowan even if she didn't have a good angle for a shot or was draped with defenders. Point being though, Vic is capable of putting together a good offensive scheme even though he definitely stands out as a defensive coach.

Offensively, they'll miss Vivians big time this year. She was by far their best playmaker and was one of the best offensive players in the country. McCowan is an absolute beast inside but she’ll have her work cut out for her with a young and inexperienced roster. She made her living on putbacks and uncontested layups but she is going to get a lot more attention from physical defenders this upcoming year. Guessing we'll see a lot of teams play a sagging zone to try and force Mississippi State's guards to shoot perimeter shots, not too dissimilar from what we saw UCONN do to South Carolina in the Elite 8 this year.

Almost every team has question marks entering this year, Mississippi State included. What we consistently see year after year is that the best coaches can adjust to any shortcomings they have and still put together great seasons. Vic is unquestionably one of the very best coaches in WCBB. Last year he nearly went 38-1 and won a title with a roster that had zero McDonald's All Americans or top 20 recruits, and he started 3 guards ranging from 5-2 to 5-7. He'll make Mississippi State dangerous once again.

 

[southofnorth]

I know Miss State requested that she be cleared to play but don't remember if the NCAA said OK......AEH is a streaky shooter but when she's on she's really on....I've seen her hit 5 or 6 three pointers in a row from NBA range on multiple occasions and I think at one point she went on a pretty long streak averaging close to 40 points a game in high school.....she certainly has the skills to be a 15-20 point scorer in the SEC.

Streaky shooter that will take shots from anywhere? Sounds a lot like Victoria Vivians.

 

[Bigboote]

Actually Jazzmun Holmes was the backup PG. Danberry played the off guard or wing last year.

Oops! Thanks for the correction; it was Jazzie I was thinking of. IIRC, they're both really good defenders (but then it IS a Vic Shaefer team), but not high scorers.

 

[bballnut90]

Streaky shooter that will take shots from anywhere? Sounds a lot like Victoria Vivians.

Vivians had much better shot selection her senior year, hence why she shot 48.5% from the floor and over 40% from deep. If AEH is anything like Vivians, Mississippi State will be in good shape. They need 3pt shooting badly.

 

[bballnut90]

Oops! Thanks for the correction; it was Jazzie I was thinking of. IIRC, they're both really good defenders (but then it IS a Vic Shaefer team), but not high scorers.

Holmes shouldn't be much of a drop off at all from William...similar players in that they play tough defense, are capable offensively but aren't going to light it up. Most importantly, they're extremely efficient in that they don't turn the ball over and are pass first point guards. Mississippi State needs a couple of players to step up and prove their threats from deep to create spacing for McCowan inside. Players like Howard and Bibby are capable, but how consistent they'll be remains to be seen.

 

[Shmermerer]

Holmes shouldn't be much of a drop off at all from William...similar players in that they play tough defense, are capable offensively but aren't going to light it up. Most importantly, they're extremely efficient in that they don't turn the ball over and are pass first point guards. Mississippi State needs a couple of players to step up and prove their threats from deep to create spacing for McCowan inside. Players like Howard and Bibby are capable, but how consistent they'll be remains to be seen.

Freshmen Xaria Wiggins has a smooth shot. She may contribute right away especially if AEH doesn't become elegible. Holmes has a solid mid-range jumper but youre right, she is a pass first point guard.

 

[Shades]

Howard went from attempting two three point shots as a sophomore to taking 31 three point shots (even while playing with Carter) at not a terrible conversion rate. Maybe that’s an area of her game that will continue to evolve as a senior. It might help the team and it would certainly help her draft ranking if it did improve. Like Gabby, she’s probably too short to be serious PF at the next level.

 

[DaBball]

Wiggins will likely get a decent amount of meaningful minutes as a freshman, and lots of them if she can find her stroke early. She’s a big athletic guard. She started for them in Italy when they were without Howard.

 

[southofnorth]

Vivians had much better shot selection her senior year, hence why she shot 48.5% from the floor and over 40% from deep. If AEH is anything like Vivians, Mississippi State will be in good shape. They need 3pt shooting badly.

It took Vivians her entire college career to figure that out. Based on what I saw from AEH while she was at UConn, she’s got some learning to do as well.

 

[Charliebball]

Just like she did at UConn.

not sure you can predict a player's career based on how they play in their first few games of their freshman year..............

 

[bballnut90]

It took Vivians her entire college career to figure that out. Based on what I saw from AEH while she was at UConn, she’s got some learning to do as well.

Most players who are volume shooters take a while to improve shot selection. Some never learn (ex. Meighan Simmons). Even great players like Kristi Toliver, Cappie Pondexter and Diana Taurasi take ill advised shots. Arike Ogunbowale is unquestionably one of the best players in the country and even she has a reputation for poor shot selection. As long as McCowan is on that roster, you can be sure Vic will keep AEH or any trigger happy player on a tight leash if the offense loses focus.

 

[bballnut90]

Howard went from attempting two three point shots as a sophomore to taking 31 three point shots (even while playing with Carter) at not a terrible conversion rate. Maybe that’s an area of her game that will continue to evolve as a senior. It might help the team and it would certainly help her draft ranking if it did improve. Like Gabby, she’s probably too short to be serious PF at the next level.
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Guessing we’ll see more of a perimeter game from Howard this year. She stated she was looking for a school that would compete for a title and give her a role where she can improve her draft stock. In the pros she’d be a 3, but she needs to refine her perimeter skills and improve her jumpshot. I’m guessing playing more on the perimeter was top priority for Howard when she picked her school.

 

[southofnorth]

Most players who are volume shooters take a while to improve shot selection. Some never learn (ex. Meighan Simmons). Even great players like Kristi Toliver, Cappie Pondexter and Diana Taurasi take ill advised shots. Arike Ogunbowale is unquestionably one of the best players in the country and even she has a reputation for poor shot selection. As long as McCowan is on that roster, you can be sure Vic will keep AEH or any trigger happy player on a tight leash if the offense loses focus.

Wholeheartedly agree. I just hope he’s better about it with AEH than he was early on with Vivians.

 

[DaBball]

At times he needed VV to be like that.

I definitely expect Howard to see time on the perimeter this year. She and Chloe Bibby will likely split time inside and outside. Vic also has a 6’5 freshman who can play the 4 and looked really good in Italy. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her and McCowan on the floor at the same time, especially against a team like Texas (an early matchup) or Baylor (if they face them in the post season).

 

[southofnorth]

He needed Vivians to make shots to keep the defense honest so I agree with you there. I meant that he needed her to take good shots and put time in the gym to get better at making those shots. No shooter ever gets better without practice.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

Teams are going to sag, sag, sag and sag some more on McCowan. Just as they did Wilson last year. Miss State guards will have plenty of opportunities to prove that they can shoot. If they can, it'll be a good year for them but if they can't.. good luck.

SC's guards are not going to shoot you out of the gym... but they have experience and depth. We have a solid mix of good offensive guards whether it's shooting or getting to the basket, guards that can facilitate and guards that can defend.

Based on matchups, I can see South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri giving Miss State trouble at the guard spots. On the other hand, Miss State is going to be a handful for everybody down low. It balances out.

I’m not sure McCowan is athletic enough to handle the defensive attention she’s going to be getting, but I agree she and Howard figure to clean the boards.

Miss state loses a ton of experience and grit. And their best player.

 

[Bigboote]

I’m not sure McCowan is athletic enough to handle the defensive attention she’s going to be getting, but I agree she and Howard figure to clean the boards.

All the athletic McCowan needs is strong hands (which she has) and avoiding the instinct to bring the ball down to her waist upon catching it. She's strong enough in the upper and lower body to back any defender down to 6' from the basket; all she needs is to get a good high pass and hold onto the ball.

Note that the not bringing the ball down to her waist and getting a good high pass are not givens.