Sessions, Mitchell fight for starting role
Coach Dawn Staley acknowledges that a full season of college basketball can be overwhelming for the four freshmen on her team, which has led her to make a change in her lineup.
Freshman guard Tiffany Mitchell, a starter for No. 14 USC for most of the season, has been coming off the bench for the past two games, with freshman Khadijah Sessions earning the start in USC’s wins over Mississippi and Mississippi State.
After the team practiced Wednesday, Staley said she still had not decided which player will start when South Carolina (22-5, 10-4 SEC) faces SEC-newcomer Missouri on the road tonight.
“We’re very fortunate that we’re in a position that we feel good starting either one of them,” Staley said.
Sessions has responded to her new role with two consecutive 11-point games, well above her average of 5.5 for the season. Mitchell provided a spark off the bench with 15 points against the Rebels, but she had two in 21 minutes against the Bulldogs. She said she has not allowed the change in her role to affect her.
“I just stuck to what I was doing and didn’t get the ‘starter or not’ thing in my head,” Mitchell said.
Staley said Mitchell earned the right to start with her production early in the season, but she needed to “see the game a little differently.” The challenge of earning her starting spot has helped the guard get her edge back.
“Sometimes, when you’re a freshman, the season can get long for you, and you lose focus a little bit,” Staley said. “You press a little bit, and I thought that’s what happened to Tiffany.”
The mentoring by older players has helped the newcomers accept their roles, even when they have not been able to play as many minutes as they would like. Staley said senior captains Ieasia Walker and Ashley Bruner had a similar experience when they were freshmen, allowing them to provide perspective for their teammates.
The Gamecocks are in fifth place in the conference heading into the final week before the SEC tournament. They will end their regular season hosting Florida at Colonial Life Arena Sunday afternoon.
Staley has repeatedly said that even as USC fights for one of the top four spots in the conference, the team will only worry about what it can control.
Against Missouri (15-13, 4-10), its biggest challenge will be defending the 3-point shot. The Tigers rank fourth in the conference in 3-point field-goal percentage, while the Gamecocks are last.
“If they’re able to attempt them, they’re pretty good at making them,” Staley said of the Tigers.
She added that Missouri is not a one-dimensional offense, but defending the 3-point line will be South Carolina’s focus.
The Gamecocks currently lead the SEC in scoring defense, but Staley said the team is prepared for a demanding game at Missouri.
“They take a lot of jump shots, so there will probably be long rebounds,” Staley said. “They’re a pretty gritty basketball team, and they’re going to play 40 hard minutes. We have to make sure that we’re winning the hustle play battle.”