She’s a pro: Roshunda Johnson, Mississippi State’s X-factor
By Ben Dull
COLUMBUS, Ohio — This season, Roshunda Johnson is playing 17 more minutes per game than she did in 2016-2017. She didn’t even average 17 minutes per game last season. But make no mistake, Johnson isn’t merely plugging a hole for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. She’s a key cog that makes their high-powered offense go.
“When we got her three years ago, I thought, man, she is a pro. Roshunda Johnson can do so many things with the basketball,” Mississippi State head coach Vic Schaefer said Thursday. “She can take you off the bounce. She can create her own shot. She can stretch you deep. She can bail you out of some really bad sets and make shots.”
Johnson isn’t the only player on the roster seeing a jump in her minutes load this season. Blair Schaefer, a 41.7% three-point shooter and charge-taker extraordinaire, has seen her role grow as well.
The Bulldogs returned their three leading scorers after last season’s run to the national championship game. Victoria Vivians has improved her shooting percentages across the board, scoring effortlessly at every level. Teaira McCowan has dominated in the paint on both ends of the ball, and Morgan William continues to run the show at the point.
More from High Post Hoops
- Bet $5 on Sparks vs. Sky, Win $150 Instantly with Limited-Time DraftKings Promo
- Cash in for Over $2,000 With WNBA Promo Bonuses from FanDuel & Caesars
- FanDuel WNBA Promo Code Gives You $2,500 Bonus for ANY Game Tonight!
- Unlock $200 GUARANTEED With Crazy DraftKings WNBA Promo
- Unlock Over $4,500 Bonus With 3 Best WNBA Sportsbook Promos!
The question is often asked of William, though: Why doesn’t she look to score more often? Simply put, she hasn’t needed to do so. Schaefer is seen by most as a defense-first coach. According to HerHoopStats, they allowed just 82.5 points per 100 possessions last season — 22nd best in the country.
That mark has been even better this season for the Bulldogs. Their offense, however, has taken an even bigger leap, up from 108.4 (12th) to 117 points (4th) per 100 possessions.
Much of that credit goes to Vivians, who earned AP All-American honors along with McCowan. The polished wing scorer playing as a stretch four paired with a 6’7 force inside makes the Bulldogs nearly impossible to stop.
“You aren’t going to stop them,” Louisville head coach Jeff Walz said Thursday in previewing his team’s Final Four matchup with Mississippi State. “That’s one thing I can tell you for sure. There is no stopping Vic and that offense, and the way his kids can shoot the basketball and score.”
Credit William and Jazzmun Holmes, her very capable backup, as well. The two point guards are not lights out three-point shooters, though William has had her moments as a scorer in big games. Schaefer is the type of shooter opponents rarely help off of even if one of her teammates has a clear lane to the basket.
That leaves Johnson, who shot a higher percentage from three than she did on two-pointers last season. This season, she’s shooting 42.5% on threes, attempting nearly half of her shots from out there.
William knocked down a pair of key three-pointers in the first half of the team’s Elite Eight win over UCLA, though Johnson is the one that got the party started.
UCLA came out in a 2-3 zone in that game. The Bruins are loaded with long and athletic defenders. The rationale was clear: keep a close eye on Schaefer and Vivians and rebound, knowing the zone takes the Bulldogs away from a recent Vivians-McCowan pick and roll action they’ve unveiled along with their patented dribble weave action.
Vivians hit one from the parking lot to open the game, though that didn’t come as a major surprise. The one flaw in UCLA’s plan? They may have underestimated Johnson. She knocked down a pair of three-pointers early in the game, and the Bruins quickly abandoned the 2-3 zone altogether.
“Roshunda Johnson has really been a tremendous addition for us and has made our team what it is today, in my mind,” Schaefer said. “I mean, we don’t have Ro, we have a different kind of player there, now people can guard us a little differently. So she’s really special.”
Expect Johnson to draw the bulk of the duty on Louisville AP All-American guard Asia Durr. Walz was right to shine a light on Mississippi State’s offense. His team, of course, can light it up as well. Johnson will be vital to the Bulldogs’ chances of returning to the national championship game. Durr is a 40+%, high volume three-point shooter that can also be ruthless enough to go after people in isolation. (Don’t believe me? Just ask Stanford.)
On the other end of the ball, Louisville too prides itself on playing great man-to-man defense, pressuring opponents several feet out beyond the three-point line.
Whereas Johnson helped shoot UCLA out of a zone early on, she’ll simply need to continue to do the many things her coach has praised her for doing all season. Mississippi State relies on that dribble weave action, especially if they stagnate for a couple of possessions or if Vivians isn’t cooking in isolation.
That weave action depends on Vivians, Johnson and the point guards to all be credible threats to drive the ball into the paint to score or dime up the open teammate.
Vivians may be in for one of her toughest matchups of the season. Louisville’s Myisha Hines-Allen is one of the most athletic players in the tournament. Johnson, on the other hand, may well be guarded by Durr. Vic Schaefer would certainly welcome a few hard drives to the rim to potentially put the Cardinals star in some foul trouble.
Johnson may not be the leading scorer or frontrunner for the biggest individual accolades. What she has been: the final piece to Mississippi State’s puzzle, allowing them to play with four around one, opening up the paint for McCowan and driving lanes for Vivians to go at people one-on-one.
“Ro has really been that X-factor for us that allows us to,” Schaefer said, “you know, people run out of defenders some nights. You can put a good one on [Vivians], or you can put a good one on [McCowan], or you can put a good one on Ro. Well, there’s two other players now, and you’re out of good defensive players.
“So I think that’s the beauty of this team is you’ve got to find all five of ours. It’s hard to double off of any of them because they can all beat you.”
Johnson has helped the Bulldogs beat a lot of teams in an elevated role this season. Back in the Final Four, they’re now just two victories away from a national championship.