STARKVILLE — Young. Established. Re-focused.
Timid. Maturing. Changed.
A game of word association can be limiting and revealing at the same time. When Mississippi State seniors Breanna Richardson and Ketara Chapel are asked for one word to describe each of their first three seasons, it’s illuminating to see how their choices reflect the ups and downs of their individual careers.
Through all of the highs and lows, Richardson and Chapel have been integral parts of the greatest stretch in MSU women’s basketball history. The Bulldogs have won 22, 27, and a program-record 28 games in the last three seasons to set the stage for a 2016-17 season that is filled with opportunity.
Final seasons
Opportunity also is a fitting word for Richardson and Chapel, who view their final year in Starkville as a chance to help the program build on its second appearance in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
“Determined,” Chapel said when asked for a word to describe her mind-set entering this season. “I just want to come in and play my role this year and do what needs to be done to win. Since the bar is raised so high this year, just try to get past that and do what I can to help my teammates win.”
MSU’s history-making 2016-17 season has earned it a host of preseason top-10 rankings, including a spot at No. 7 from Athlon and the Sporting News. Slam Magazine has MSU at No. 8, while Lindy’s Sports has the Bulldogs at No. 12. Those rankings also raise the bar for players like Richardson, Chapel, Dominique Dillingham, and Chinwe Okorie, who were part of the recruiting class MSU coach Vic Schaefer and his staff brought in to help reverse the fortunes of the program. A trip to the quarterfinals of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament in 2013-14 set the stage for a return to the NCAA tournament the following season.
Last season, MSU earned its first win against Tennessee as part of a program-record matching 11 Southeastern Conference victories and a trip to the championship game of the SEC tournament. MSU also played host to the NCAA tournament for the first time, beating Chattanooga and Michigan State before losing to eventual national champion Connecticut.
Richardson and Chapel hope to play bigger roles in pushing MSU even higher. Last season, the 6-foot-1 Richardson averaged 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 18 minutes a game, while Chapel averaged 4.7 points and 3.4 rebounds in 20.7 minutes. Their combined total of 10.3 points and 7.3 rebounds was the lowest in their three-year career.
Richardson had her best season in 2013-14, averaging 9.5 points and 5.9 rebounds to earn a spot on the SEC’s All-Freshman team. Chapel has averaged between 4.2 and 4.7 points in her career. Her rebounding total last season was the highest of her career.
Both players believe they can be contributors on a team that returns all five starters and has depth at every position.
“It is kind of scary,” Chapel said when asked if she can hear the clock ticking on her career at MSU. She said she credits Schaefer and the coaches for doing what they said they were going to do when they were hired. She said she hopes to continue to provide whatever she can to help the Bulldogs.
“I want to become a better leader,” Chapel said. “Defense is a big thing for coach, as everybody knows. I want to rebound and do the little things that will help us win.”
Chapel hopes her ability to do those things continues to help the program change for the better. Looking back, Chapel said she is proud of how far she has come, but she acknowledges she can get even better and do more to help the Bulldogs climb the ladder in the SEC and on the national scene.
“I just want to bring it every day in practice and listen to what the coaches have to say,” Chapel said. “The team has changed this year. We have even sophomores and juniors leading. … Everybody is being more accountable. We want to listen to each other and the coaches because that is the right thing to do.”
New mind-set
When thinking about words to describe her first three seasons, Richardson mentioned “struggle” for a junior season that saw her average a career-low 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds, but she changed her mind because she said that wasn’t a good word. She picked “determined, focused, and goal-oriented” as words that reflect her attitude entering this season.
“Last year, I guess I can say I didn’t do all I wanted to, so I said those words because I have a different mind-set and I know it is my last year, so I know I have to change,” Richardson said.
Richardson has worked to improve her ballhandling and her shooting and to cut down on turnovers. She said work on changing her thinking has centered on learning how not to let bad plays affect her. She said she is trying to learn not to take everything personal, even though she said she still does. That can be a challenge when the clock is ticking on your career, but Richardson said she has tried not to focus on the fact that this is her last season. She hopes her new mind-set will enable her to help the Bulldogs face the highest expectations they have seen in the program’s history.
“I want to go out with a bang, so you have got to start somewhere. You have got to change,” Richardson said.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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