STARKVILLE — Danielle Rector is getting closer.
The junior has shown in flashes she has the ability to contribute to the Mississippi State women”s basketball team. Whether it is stretching defenses with her 3-point shooting or keeping post players honest with her driving ability, the 6-foot-1 forward has provided positive minutes on the offensive end.
Rector hopes to deliver more of those plays as she builds her conditioning and returns to 100 percent following two surgeries in the offseason.
“It is still a work in progress,” Rector said. “I definitely feel better than I did at the beginning of the season. I am coming in every day and working hard and increasing my lung capacity.”
Rector said in November she felt back to “70-ish” percent after having surgery on her ankle in April and on her lungs in June. She is averaging 4.5 points and 1.6 rebounds a game and will help lead MSU (8-12, 0-8 Southeastern Conference) against the University of Alabama (11-11, 0-9) at 7 tonight in Humphrey Coliseum.
Both teams enter the game on nine-game losing streaks. They will meet again at 6 p.m. Feb. 24 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The ankle surgery Rector has to tighten ligaments has hampered her quickness, which coach Sharon Fanning-Otis said is apparent on defense. She said Rector has tended to leave too much space in the lane, which has allowed opponents to work for offensive rebounds or to make cuts.
The surgery Rector had on her left lung, a left upper lobe anterior apical segmentectomy, cut out 30 to 50 percent of her lung to remove the cystic mass. It affected her lung capacity, which left her playing catch-up in conditioning drills.
Despite traveling a long road back to 100 percent, Rector hopes she can contribute more. She is averaging only 11 minutes per game but could work her way into an even bigger role considering junior center Catina Bett (23.4 minutes) and junior forward Ashley Brown (28.1 minutes) also are working to find their rhythm.
Last season, Rector averaged 3.3 minutes in 25 games in the Lady Bulldogs” 21-13 season that ended with a loss to Florida State in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
“When Danielle had her offseason surgery, they told us it would be January or February (before she would be back to 100 percent),” Fanning-Otis said. “She is not one who is going to play extended minutes in a row. But her basketball knowledge and understanding of things make us a better basketball team. The thing she has to get is from a defensive standpoint is I can”t see the big spaces when somebody pushes off and letting the ball go over her. She has to come around and (senior forward Ashley) Newsome has to come around. There may be a couple of more options on the bench. We have got to really push this team to play harder and to stay focused.”
Rector knows Faning-Otis would like her to improve her defense. She said she focused on that area of her game in practice and knows her ability to improve will dictate if she gets more minutes.
“Coach has told me I need to be able to give more minutes in the game,” Rector said. “I definitely feel there is an opportunity there for me.”
Rector said she is gaining confidence in her play every game. She said she is comfortable in her role and hopes to do what she can to deliver more production from the front-court players.
“We do need more production out of our post players,” Rector said. “But that is just another area that as a young team we”re continuing to learn. It is a work in progress. I think every day in practice I see improvements in areas and that there has been a huge improvement since the beginning of the SEC season.”
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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