Blair Schaefer Q&A
September 15, 2015 | Women's Basketball
HailState.com is speaking with the members of the Mississippi State women's basketball team leading up to the 2015-16 season. Today's Bulldog Q&A is sophomore guard Blair Schaefer:
Dawg Bites About Blair:
Music on your IPod: "Megan Trainer. I love her! I really like Olly Murs stuff and Hailee Steinfeld.”
Favorite summer movie: "The Longest Ride. It is a love movie and I love romance, so that was my favorite.”
Hobbies: “I like to get my nails done. I do that like every two weeks. I like to get pedicures and I also like to bake. Sometimes I just go home to bake and bring them back to my dorm.”
Talk about how the offseason has gone for you and the team?
“It has gone really well, a lot of players have really improved in a lot of different areas. We have made a lot of improvements, and it's looking like we are going to be a good team with lots of chemistry and experience.”
How do you feel that you have improved individually from last year to this year?
“I feel I have improved a lot. My confidence is up a lot more, and my shot is getting more consistent. I have also improved my ball handling, which is what I feel I needed to improve more than anything else.”
What was the toughest adjustment for you to make being a freshman?
“The toughest adjustment is how hard you go every day. I thought high school was hard getting triple teamed and everything, but nothing is really as hard as going 100 percent every day for however many months the season goes. I think that's the biggest adjustment.”
Who has been one of the players you've seen the most improvement in?
“Chinwe (Okorie) has improved so much. She has gotten better with her finishes and her touch, and she is more physical. Her IQ for the game is way higher than it was. She's only been playing 3 or 4 years now, so the improvement she has made is amazing. I think that she has improved the most.”
Talk a little bit about the offseason workout program and what you think about it
“I feel like Coach (David) Deets is helping us with his workout because not only are we getting stronger, but we are getting stronger with our moves on the court. We do a lot of movements with weights that make us stronger in those areas. It's not necessarily just getting stronger just to gain muscle, but gaining muscle that will help us move better on the floor in areas that are basketball related. Our workouts on the court with our coaches are different in the aspect that we have new ball-handling drills and new shooting drills. They have a new way of approaching things, so I feel like that has helped us. I can see a huge transformation with a lot of people just through the summer workouts.
Did you ever think coming in as a freshman you would be a part of such a historic season?
“I always had that feeling that we had so much potential, and to be able to live up to it and to experience that was a once in a lifetime experience. Hopefully it won't be that so we can repeat it again this year and the rest of my career.”
Do you feel like there is more pressure on you coming into this season?
“You know I do. There is a lot more for me to accomplish. I feel like there is more pressure on me to be better at certain things and to have more IQ in certain situations because I was in them last year. Hopefully I can be in more of them this year. If there is no pressure then that's a problem.”
