Intensity Marks #HailStateHoops? First Practice
October 07, 2015 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Hail State Hoops officially returned to the court Tuesday night as the Mississippi State women's basketball team held its first practice of the 2015-16 season.
Under the guidance of fourth-year coach Vic Schaefer, the reigning SEC Coach of the Year, Mississippi State put in an intense effort for nearly three hours on the Humphrey Coliseum floor.
“It was great to be back out there. I'm really excited about this group, and I love how hard they play the game,” Schaefer said. “I thought we practiced with a lot of energy. We had some mistakes, but I thought we made mistakes going hard. There was a lot of teaching today, especially with our younger players. I'm really excited about getting our first practice under our belt.”
The Bulldogs spent most of the workout focusing on different drills on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor.
“Practice was good. I was excited for this practice and it went well,” sophomore point guard Morgan William said. “Everyone went hard and gave a good effort.”
The Bulldogs enter the season ranked No. 6 by Athlon Sports and No. 8 in Lindy's preseason publication, but the early accolades did not change how Schaefer and his squad approached the workout.
“Our formula for success has been proven over time. My staff and I are used to practicing like this. We are doing what we said we are going to do when we came to Mississippi State,” Schaefer said. “This practice today wasn't much different from the first practice we had when we arrived here. Blue-collar toughness is what we try to wear every practice and every game. Our team embraces that and knows that's what wins for us.”
It's that hard-nosed effort that helped Mississippi State to a historic 2014-15 season in which MSU set school records for overall (27) and SEC (11) wins while claiming the program's first NCAA Tournament nod since 2010.
Four starters and 10 letterwinners return from that squad, which finished No. 12 in the final Associated Press poll and made an SEC-record 10-spot jump to third in the league standings.
Mississippi State is allowed 30 practices in 40 days leading up to the Nov. 13 opener, a 5:15 p.m. tip against Samford at the Hump.
On Friday, both the men's and women's teams will participate in Maroon Madness, slated to begin at 9 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum.
Season tickets remain on sale for the 2015-16 season. Reserved tickets (sections 114-118) cost $95 each, while general admission tickets are priced at $35.
Fans can order tickets for the Bulldogs' 16-game home slate online at www.hailstate.com/tickets or via phone at 1-888-GO-DAWGS.
