Schaefer Named Werner Ladder Naismith Coach Of The Year Semifinalist
March 03, 2017 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A day after Victoria Vivians was named a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy, Vic Schaefer was selected a semifinalist for the Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year award.
Schaefer was tabbed one of the 10 semifinalists after guiding the Bulldogs to the best regular season in school history.
His fifth MSU squad wrapped the regular season 27-3 overall, the second-most wins in program history. State has claimed the Top 3 wins in program history the last three seasons.
Schaefer guided Mississippi State to its fourth-straight 20-win season. Prior to his arrival in Starkville, the Bulldogs had only won 20 games four times.
State also opened the year with a program-record 20-straight wins, finishing its run as one of the final two unbeaten women's teams in the nation and one of three men's or women's squads.
MSU went on to post a school-best 13-3 SEC mark en route to tying its top league finish with a second-place finish. This year's squad claimed the program's best SEC Tournament seed at No. 2.
The Dawgs claimed their first victories at Tennessee and Texas A&M en route to claiming a school-record 12 road wins and another program first with three-straight double-digit SEC win campaigns.
The success on the court translated to the national polls, where MSU moved into the Top 5 for the first time. The Bulldogs also claimed program bests with a No. 3 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 and a No. 2 rating in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Schaefer helped put his Bulldogs among the nation's best despite being just one of two teams in the Top 10 without a McDonald's All-American on its roster.
The success he has brought on the court has translated to the Humphrey Coliseum turnstiles, as MSU has set attendance records the past three seasons. This year has seen MSU bring a program-best 6,793 fans per game to the Hump, an average attendance that is seventh in the nation and a 1,600 increase from last season.
State drew 10,500 for its regular-season finale, the second-largest crowd in program history behind last season's 10,626 for its game against South Carolina.
Under his guidance, the Bulldogs have notched the Top 3 all-time largest women's basketball crowds in the state of Mississippi. The Top 10 crowds and 17 of the Top 20 have come under Schaefer's watch.
Werner Ladder Naismith Coach Of The Year Semifinalists
Karen Aston, Texas
Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
Brenda Frese, Maryland
Wes Moore, N.C. State
Mike Neighbors, Washington
Robin Pingeton, Missouri
Scott Rueck, Oregon State
Vic Schaefer, Mississippi State
Sue Semrau, Florida State
Tara VanDerveer, Stanford
Schaefer was tabbed one of the 10 semifinalists after guiding the Bulldogs to the best regular season in school history.
His fifth MSU squad wrapped the regular season 27-3 overall, the second-most wins in program history. State has claimed the Top 3 wins in program history the last three seasons.
Schaefer guided Mississippi State to its fourth-straight 20-win season. Prior to his arrival in Starkville, the Bulldogs had only won 20 games four times.
State also opened the year with a program-record 20-straight wins, finishing its run as one of the final two unbeaten women's teams in the nation and one of three men's or women's squads.
MSU went on to post a school-best 13-3 SEC mark en route to tying its top league finish with a second-place finish. This year's squad claimed the program's best SEC Tournament seed at No. 2.
The Dawgs claimed their first victories at Tennessee and Texas A&M en route to claiming a school-record 12 road wins and another program first with three-straight double-digit SEC win campaigns.
The success on the court translated to the national polls, where MSU moved into the Top 5 for the first time. The Bulldogs also claimed program bests with a No. 3 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 and a No. 2 rating in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Schaefer helped put his Bulldogs among the nation's best despite being just one of two teams in the Top 10 without a McDonald's All-American on its roster.
The success he has brought on the court has translated to the Humphrey Coliseum turnstiles, as MSU has set attendance records the past three seasons. This year has seen MSU bring a program-best 6,793 fans per game to the Hump, an average attendance that is seventh in the nation and a 1,600 increase from last season.
State drew 10,500 for its regular-season finale, the second-largest crowd in program history behind last season's 10,626 for its game against South Carolina.
Under his guidance, the Bulldogs have notched the Top 3 all-time largest women's basketball crowds in the state of Mississippi. The Top 10 crowds and 17 of the Top 20 have come under Schaefer's watch.
Werner Ladder Naismith Coach Of The Year Semifinalists
Karen Aston, Texas
Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
Brenda Frese, Maryland
Wes Moore, N.C. State
Mike Neighbors, Washington
Robin Pingeton, Missouri
Scott Rueck, Oregon State
Vic Schaefer, Mississippi State
Sue Semrau, Florida State
Tara VanDerveer, Stanford
Players Mentioned
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