Freshman guard Shanice Cason (5) fights for the ball with two Kentucky Wildcats. (Photo by B. Lambert)
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Look up the word “winning” in the Webster’s dictionary, and one of the definitions states, “successful or victorious.”
There could also be a logo of the MTSU women’s basketball team, given the Lady Raiders’ knack at winning during the past few years.
This season has been no different with the team being on top of the Sun Belt standings early on in the conference season.
Also, the Lady Raiders played well against teams from other major conferences – most notably, last month when it upset Kentucky at the Murphy Center.
The Lady Raiders are full of winners.
The squad is also known for having a hometown advantage in terms of keeping some of the area’s best players at home.
Especially, when given a chance to play for one of the best women’s teams in the state.
Siegel High School graduate and freshman guard Shanice Cason wants to continue that trend, and so far, so good.
“She is born with some things you do not coach,” said Lady Raider head coach Rick Insell. “She is tough-minded, has a good touch, and has speed. Those things you do not coach. You either got them or you do not have them. She puts them to good use.”
Cason moved into the starting lineup in the point guard position Nov. 26 during the contest against East Tennessee State, and she has also started 14 out of the 17 games this season.
She is coming off a December where she handed out a total of 38 assists.
She gives the credit to her older teammates for helping her make the transition from high school to college ball.
“I learned how to control the game when it gets out of hand, and knowing when to do certain things. They are great role models,” Cason said.
Since taking over the MTSU program before the 2005-06 season, Insell’s teams has been the most successful inside the Sun Belt, with four tournament titles and five trips to the NCAA tournament.
Cason said in an interview after practice last week that previous success is one of the reasons she decided to play for her hometown university.
“I told my mother before I committed that any school that offers me has to be up and coming,” Cason said. “I felt like MTSU was up and coming, and we want to do great things. I want to be a part of it.”
During her career at Siegel, she was named all-region and all-district all four years as a Lady Star.
In her senior year, she led the team to a 24-8 overall record.
She was also a part of the 2010 Premier 64 and Battle of the Boro tournament winning AAU team the Tennessee Flight Silver.
“She has placed herself with winners,” Insell said. “She is a winner herself.”
Cason got that winning attitude from racing against her sister Shantika while growing up.
“She just gave me that drive to want to beat her,” she said. “I do not want to lose, and I’m very hard on myself when I lose.”
Insell said he was told by another high school coach in the Rutherford County area that coached against Cason, he needed to take another look at her.
Insell took the advice.
He said he saw new things from the current Lady Raider point guard when he watched her again.
Cason said the coaching staff was another reason, she joined the team.
Part of it was because how they cared about her outside of basketball, she said.
“The coaching staff was open-hearted,” Cason said. “They checked on you for not only basketball but also to see how you were doing in school. They also checked to see how my family was doing.”
She added she likes that the staff has always been straight forward with her.
Cason follows two other hometown players who have made their mark on the program in the past few years, former Riverdale High School players Krystle Horton and Anne Marie Lanning.
However, Insell said he does not care about whether the players are from inside the state. He just wants the best ones to stay in Tennessee.
Cason added she followed Lanning growing up and thought she was a phenomenal player.
As for Cason, she just wants to help the Lady Raiders continue their winning tradition and achieve bigger goals than ever before in school history. |
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