STARKVILLE
It’s time for the bear to come out of hibernation.
When Vic Schaefer arrived at Mississippi State three years ago, he paced the sidelines and coached with an urgency that dared his players to match his intensity.
Three years ago, Schaefer had to coach like that because he was trying to transform a MSU women’s basketball program that lost to Winthrop, UC Santa Barbara, and Central Florida on consecutive days at a tournament in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
The highs in that 13-win season were epic. The lows were just as memorable. It’s difficult to forget the emotion Schaefer showed when his band of upstarts upset No. 11 Georgia 50-38 in Starkville. After all, nearly two months earlier, Vanderbilt beat MSU by 51 points in the Southeastern Conference opener, so it wasn’t surprising to see Schaefer bear hug his players and tear up in the post-game media session.
Nearly three years later, Schaefer’s comments painted a stark contrast following a much different result. On Monday, No. 8 MSU dispatched Southeastern Louisiana 81-41 to raise its record to 12-1, but Schaefer wasn’t happy. In the first minute of his opening comment, he laid into his team in muted fashion by praising an opponent that was “unintimidated” and “took it to us.” To say MSU was “flat,” like Schaefer described, was an understatement magnified by the fact that, as he said, it has played like that too many times in the first 13 games to suggest it is an anomaly.
Schaefer didn’t stop there. With junior Chinwe Okorie and sophomore Morgan William, the team’s captain, joining him on the podium for the post-game interviews, Schaefer said MSU lacks one or two players who “grab” their teammates and demand everyone to go harder.
“It’s concerning, really, at this time of year to be looking as lethargic as we looked,” Schaefer said.
That’s why it’s time for the bear to return. Schaefer is that bear. To think a 27-win season and a trip to the second round of the NCAA tournament has satisfied Schaefer would be a mistake. But watching MSU against Southeastern Louisiana and against many of its non-conference opponents you almost would think it is coasting, unaware it should be pushing itself to reach a higher standard, and satisfied that it can turn it on and off in stretches to beat teams.
Schaefer knows better. That is why the bear has to return.
Schaefer has tried to let his young team grow. He has called the Bulldogs “young” numerous times in the first two months of the season. But with No. 20 South Florida looming today and Florida up next Sunday in the SEC opener, it is time for MSU to grow up. It is time for a leader to emerge.
The bear has to do what he can to hasten that transformation. Too many times a cocked head and a stare with arms folded tightly to his chest haven’t worked. There have been too many unforced and careless mistakes made by players who — by their own admission — worked hard in the offseason to improve and to correct the same mistakes they made a year earlier. The bear has remained largely silent as the mistakes have continued.
On Monday, Schaefer offered a glimpse that things are going to change. He challenged Okorie and William by saying the Bulldogs need leaders. He challenged several of his players to live up to their potential. He chastised all of the Bulldogs for having a “burn” on them defensively for getting beat or not boxing out.
“These are things that are going to rear their ugly head in about a week, really going to rear their head in two days (today) when we go play a top-20 team (USF),” Schaefer said.
Schaefer said he didn’t expect the effort he saw Monday. He was honest when he said he expects a “different level of intensity” in the same breath that he praised the Bulldogs for forcing 12 offensive fouls, many by taking charges.
But the lack of intensity MSU showcased Monday has led to a lack of consistency and accountability from the players. Schaefer accepted the blame when he said he would have to “turn into that gruff old bear” who wasn’t going to enjoy things for the next few months because he was going to have to push his players in a way he shouldn’t have to.
To her credit, William admitted Schaefer was right. She said she had to change and be a better leader. She said she had to “get out of her comfort zone” so she could become a better leader.
Okorie, who is arguably one of the strongest players in the SEC, also agreed. She chided herself for not taking her time on several post moves and not paying attention to details on the offensive end. When asked if the team’s performance was “frustrating” or “concerning,” Okorie offered the best comment of the evening.
“We won by 40 points, but we feel down. We feel like we didn’t even win,” Okorie said. “Coming off the court, we were like, ‘We need to step up.’ We’re winning, but we’re not happy about the win. It is something coach is going to say is an ‘ugly win’.”
That’s why the bear has to emerge. The bear has to polish the national championship ring he won as associate head coach at Texas A&M and challenge the Bulldogs to play like champions. He has to find players who are going to deliver the intensity and consistency MSU needs to live up to its No. 8 national ranking.
It might take a little yelling. It might take sitting players for their mental or physical lapses. MSU can’t afford those mistakes today or in any of its next 16 SEC games.
There’s no denying MSU has the talent and potential to be one of the nation’s best teams. It also has showed it can leave a lot to be desired when it comes to focus, intensity, and consistency. Those intangibles often are the differences between champions and also rans. It’s the job of the “gruff old bear” to make sure his players make the right choice when they decide what they want to be.
“If I have to be the gruff old bear, it is not why I got into coaching, but I can play that role real easy. I can wear that hat,” Schaefer said.
Adam Minichino is sports editor of The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @ctsportseditor. You can reach him at [email protected]
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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