Kacie Cryer bent over, hands clenching her knees and a whistle in her mouth, irate at her team’s sudden lack of attention and communication.
“Listen,” the first-year McNeese State women’s basketball coach finally yelled.
Assistant coach Edie Higgins gathered the 11 Cowgirls around her, explaining the proper way to bump a cutting offensive player and the value of keeping communication open as the ball moves around the perimeter.
The team ran the drill again. Their voices were heard, directing teammates to rotate on open shooters and slide over to help in the post. Cryer applauded, finally satisfied with her team’s effort.
Wednesday morning practice inside Burton Coliseum centered solely on the Cowgirls, a luxury when an 0-11 Sam Houston State team is McNeese’s next opponent.
Cryer was adamant the Bearkats and longtime coach Brenda Welch-Nichols, a Jennings native with whom Cryer is very close, will play with a vigor not reflective of that record.
Cryer’s worries are if her team will match it.
Much of her ire following Monday’s 96-65 letdown against Stephen F. Austin stemmed from her team’s apparent lack of motivation or interest in the game. Cryer benched all five of her starters midway through the first quarter — a quarter the Cowgirls won 17-15 — displeased with the effort they exhibited.
“Very concerning and probably why I’m the angriest,” a visibly exacerbated Cryer said following the game. “I don’t see how you can’t get up to play a conference game. I told them that I’ve been staying up so late I can’t sleep, getting us prepared, getting us ready. We were prepared for that game but we didn’t choose to execute today … Why wouldn’t you show up ready to go today? Who’s fault is that? It’s your fault that you didn’t show up ready to go.”
The Cowgirls shot 31 percent Monday and 19 percent from 3-point land, a showing Cryer attributes to treating the basketball as if it is a “hot potato.” Cryer will change that starting lineup “a little bit” Thursday night in hopes of a better start and an offense not reliant on rushed shots.
Leading scorer Victoria Rachal, who played the fewest minutes (17) of any Cowgirls starter Monday night against the Ladyjacks, ran with the second team for most of practice Wednesday.
Mercedes Rogers, who played only 19 minutes and specifically drew Cryer’s fury for “not showing up ready to go,” was back with the first team.
“I think everybody showed up, but when coach Kacie started getting on us, some people shut down and then they got mad and got into their own heads,” Rogers said Wednesday. “Coach Kacie was saying people who were wide open didn’t want to shoot and they were getting mad because they were getting taken out of the game.”
Rogers admitted the entire starting five were surprised at their early benching, but understood after the game why it was required. It was a “wake-up call,” Rogers said, one the team didn’t necessarily welcome, but one it may have needed early in conference play.
“Our league is so wide open,” Cryer said. “You just have to do you, and that’s what we’re focusing on right now is Cowgirl basketball and the things that have gotten us to where we are. We did not do those things on Monday night that had gotten us to where we are, regardless if we would have won those games or not.”
Guidry returns to Cowgirls
Gabby Guidry, a reserve guard who missed McNeese’s last six games with a concussion, practiced fully Wednesday and will be in uniform for the Cowgirls’ game against the Bearkats.
Guidry, who was concussed in a 66-56 loss against Louisiana Tech on Dec. 4, has played in six games this season.
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