STARKVILLE — Zion Campbell usually is one of the tallest players on the basketball court.
At 6-foot-3, Campbell has grown accustomed to having her way in the post, whether it has been at Riverdale Baptist School (Md.), St. John’s College (Washington, D.C.) High School, or Hilton Head (S.C.) High.
Part of “owning” the paint involves knowing how to throw your weight around and to bang bodies with opponents to get position for rebounds or to set yourself up close to the basket for an easy shot.
It has taken only a few weeks for Campbell to realize she likely will have to try to new way to utilize her size to help her make an impact on the Mississippi State women’s basketball team.
That’s because Campbell, a freshman center, has joined a program that includes 6-5 junior center Chinwe Okorie and 6-7 freshman center Teaira McCowan, as well as 6-1 senior forward Sherise Williams on a front line that is getting bigger each day.
“I think I have a lot of potential as a post player and a lot of development to go over the summer,” Campbell said. “I think I have grown a lot in the past couple of weeks since I have been here. I think there is a lot more to see.”
Campbell made her comments last week during a media session with the other newcomers to the MSU women’s basketball team. The addition of point guard Roshunda Johnson, a transfer from Oklahoma State, point guard Jazz Holmes, McCowan, forward Jazmine Spears, and Campbell is part of another top-40 recruiting class that gives the Bulldogs depth at every position.
At center, Campbell gives the Bulldogs a long, athletic post player with a similar frame to former MSU standout Martha Alwal. Two years ago, Alwal had the pleasure of meeting Okorie on the court. In one of the team’s first practices of the 2013-14 season, Alwal careened down the floor and tried to dislodge Okorie from the paint by running into her. Okorie didn’t budge.
Early in her first summer at MSU, Campbell already has seen and felt Okorie’s strength in the post. Without going up against McCowan, a Parade High School All-American from Brenham, Texas, Campbell knows she has plenty of work to do.
“It is a lot because we do weight room stuff, but you just have to do extra stuff and put in more work so I can be stronger because I am not very big,” Campbell said. “(Chinwe)could probably break me in half if she tried her hardest. I just have to keep working to get stronger and put in the extra hours.”
Dan Olson, director of Dan Olson’s Collegiate Girls Report and espnW’s HoopGurlz, rated Campbell as the No. 299 player (No. 49 center) in the Class of 2015 after she announced her commitment last year. Olson, a former college coach and longtime women’s basketball recruiting analyst, said of Campbell, “She is a long, athletic low-post insider who rebounds and scores on putbacks. She is mobile in uptempo and can catch in traffic. Her finesse game is developing with her offensive game.”
MSU coach Vic Schaefer isn’t sure how Campbell will fit into the rotation for the 2015-16 season, but he likes the options he has at every position.
“We have a long way before we play a game, and lots of improvement and lots of workouts, so I don’t think anybody is slotting themselves,” Schaefer said. “I am certainly not doing that. We’re just trying to get better as a team right now. We’re just trying to get better as individuals, and I think that is what this time of the year is all about.”
Even though it is summer, Schaefer said the players are staying busy. He said he is only able to spend two hours a week with the players in the gym with a basketball, so everyone is left to find time to work on their games.
For Campbell, that means trying to squeeze extra individual work in, either in the weight room or on the court. Campbell said she will take advantage of every minute to help her adjust to the speed of the game. Not only is the college game quicker than the high school game, but Campbell also said she realizes she faces bigger expectations as a member of a program that won a school-record 27 games and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament last season.
Last season, newcomers like Victoria Vivians and Morgan William played integral roles in helping MSU return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2010. Schaefer said last week he will follow the same plan and play the players who deserve to be on the court, regardless of their class. That is a good sign for Campbell, who recognizes her opportunity to make the most of her situation to watch and learn from the biggest players in the program. She said she will do everything she can to improve her mental and physical strength and to maximize her best qualities on the court: rebounding, boxing out, toughness, defense, and scoring.
“I have a lot to go strength wise,” Campbell said. “It is a good learning experience to see what I will have to deal with when I get into the SEC.
“I think it is going to be a challenge. We do have school right now, so I have school and practice, so I am going to have to put in an extra hour. It is going to be a challenge, pushing myself to do that every day.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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