Schaefer Named Coach of the Year Finalist, Bulldogs Earn All-Region Honors
March 21, 2019 | Women's Basketball
by Brian Ogden, Assistant Coordinator/Communications
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State head women's basketball coach Vic Schaefer has been named a finalist for the 2019 Werner Ladder Naismith Women's Coach of the Year Award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Thursday.
Schaefer is seeking to become just the third coach to win the honor in consecutive seasons. Fans will be able to support Schaefer by voting at NaismithFanVote.com beginning March 22 until April 3. Fan votes will account for five percent of the overall total. The winner will be announced on April 6.
He has already earned his third SEC Coach of the Year honor and was the ESPNW National Coach of the Year this season. Schaefer earned national recognition from the USBWA and WBCA last season.
No. 4 Mississippi State won the SEC regular-season title outright before claiming the program's first SEC Tournament championship. The Bulldogs have played in consecutive National Championship games and will look to advance to a third straight when they open tournament play on Friday.
The Dawgs are 30-2 with a 15-1 mark in conference play and are 6-1 against ranked opponents. MSU has been in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for 93 straight weeks, including a 57-week run inside the Top 10.
Schaefer has developed a roster that features no McDonald's High School All-Americans as he signed the program's first such player in the 2019 signing class.
Of the seven players to start a game for MSU this season, only All-American Teaira McCowan had started for Schaefer before this season. Three of those starters, Anriel Howard, Andra Espinoza-Hunter and Xaria Wiggins are in their first year in the program.
In his seven seasons in Starkville, MSU is 191-55 and has made the tournament for the fifth consecutive season. In the last four years, Schaefer's teams have gone 129-17 and advanced to the SEC Tournament championship game every year.
The Bulldogs lead the nation in scoring margin (+29.2) and boast the No. 2 scoring offense (86.1 ppg) in the country. They top the SEC in field goal percentage (49.2 percent), assist/turnover ratio (1.3), assists (16.6 apg), rebound margin (+12.9) and offensive rebounding (17.3 rpg).
Howard and McCowan were recognized as All-Region finalists for the WBCA Coaches' All-America team as well on Thursday.
McCowan, the SEC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Tournament MVP led State in both scoring and rebounding. The Brenham, Texas, native is fourth among active players nationally with 66 career double-doubles and posted the fourth-highest field goal percentage in the nation, making 65.5 percent of her attempts.
Howard is averaging 15.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in conference play. The Atlanta native posted 10 double-doubles this year and is sixth among active players with 1,265 career rebounds. She averaged 18.7 points and shot 57.9 percent from the field in the SEC Tournament.
MSU opens NCAA Tournament play at home on Friday night against Southern. The Bulldogs will tip off in Humphrey Coliseum 30 minutes after the completion of the first game of the day at approximately 8:30 p.m. CT. The contest will air on ESPN2.
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State head women's basketball coach Vic Schaefer has been named a finalist for the 2019 Werner Ladder Naismith Women's Coach of the Year Award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Thursday.
Schaefer is seeking to become just the third coach to win the honor in consecutive seasons. Fans will be able to support Schaefer by voting at NaismithFanVote.com beginning March 22 until April 3. Fan votes will account for five percent of the overall total. The winner will be announced on April 6.
He has already earned his third SEC Coach of the Year honor and was the ESPNW National Coach of the Year this season. Schaefer earned national recognition from the USBWA and WBCA last season.
No. 4 Mississippi State won the SEC regular-season title outright before claiming the program's first SEC Tournament championship. The Bulldogs have played in consecutive National Championship games and will look to advance to a third straight when they open tournament play on Friday.
The Dawgs are 30-2 with a 15-1 mark in conference play and are 6-1 against ranked opponents. MSU has been in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for 93 straight weeks, including a 57-week run inside the Top 10.
Schaefer has developed a roster that features no McDonald's High School All-Americans as he signed the program's first such player in the 2019 signing class.
Of the seven players to start a game for MSU this season, only All-American Teaira McCowan had started for Schaefer before this season. Three of those starters, Anriel Howard, Andra Espinoza-Hunter and Xaria Wiggins are in their first year in the program.
In his seven seasons in Starkville, MSU is 191-55 and has made the tournament for the fifth consecutive season. In the last four years, Schaefer's teams have gone 129-17 and advanced to the SEC Tournament championship game every year.
The Bulldogs lead the nation in scoring margin (+29.2) and boast the No. 2 scoring offense (86.1 ppg) in the country. They top the SEC in field goal percentage (49.2 percent), assist/turnover ratio (1.3), assists (16.6 apg), rebound margin (+12.9) and offensive rebounding (17.3 rpg).
Howard and McCowan were recognized as All-Region finalists for the WBCA Coaches' All-America team as well on Thursday.
McCowan, the SEC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Tournament MVP led State in both scoring and rebounding. The Brenham, Texas, native is fourth among active players nationally with 66 career double-doubles and posted the fourth-highest field goal percentage in the nation, making 65.5 percent of her attempts.
Howard is averaging 15.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in conference play. The Atlanta native posted 10 double-doubles this year and is sixth among active players with 1,265 career rebounds. She averaged 18.7 points and shot 57.9 percent from the field in the SEC Tournament.
MSU opens NCAA Tournament play at home on Friday night against Southern. The Bulldogs will tip off in Humphrey Coliseum 30 minutes after the completion of the first game of the day at approximately 8:30 p.m. CT. The contest will air on ESPN2.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G/F
/ Women's BasketballWOMEN'S BASKETBALL | Sam Purcell, Favour Nwaedozi vs Florida - 3/4/26
Wednesday, March 04
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | Sam Purcell Media Session - 2/24/26
Tuesday, February 24
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | Sam Purcell Media Session - 2/18/26
Wednesday, February 18
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | Highlights at Arkansas - 2/16/26
Tuesday, February 17