If Emporia State women’s basketball coach Brandon Schneider was handing out an MVP trophy after 21 games, his choice might surprise some.
At first, Schneider likes to point out that he hates to single out one player — for the 2008-09 Lady Hornets are truly a team without an obvious star player like Michelle Stueve. So it’s only fitting that his selection would be a player that epitomizes a team-first approach, someone willing to come off the bench and play multiple positions. If you haven’t guessed already, Lacy Corker would be Schneider’s selection.
“She’s as valuable to our team as any player we have without question,” he said. “I think she’s definitely been the most consistent in her mental preparation and her readiness to play night in and night out. She’s a player that I know I don’t have to worry about.”
Corker has emerged this season as someone who can do a little of everything. In her first two seasons at Emporia State, she was strictly a pass-first point guard. She averaged 2.6 points per game last season and 3.7 assists, which ranked fifth in the MIAA.
Coming into this year, Schneider had to deliver a message to Corker rarely relayed to any player: Shoot!
“I think last season we had so many key players, like Stueve, who could shoot like crazy,” Corker said. “I felt like my role as a player last year was push the ball and get the ball up the court to everybody and I lacked the confidence when I got out there. So I felt like this year I could be more of a key player than I have been in the past.”
Corker has been one of the best guards at finishing around the rim all season, and she has started to trust her jump shot more lately. She’s shooting 45.6 percent, which is tops among Emporia State’s guards. She also leads the team in 3-point percentage (.406) for anyone with more than 10 attempts. Both numbers could be contributed to her coach’s blessing.
“Once he said, ‘Look, you need to think shoot first, then pass,’ that’s when I was thinking he’s relying on me more this year than he has in the past,” Corker said. “So I’m going to start being more confident with it and that’s what I’m doing.”
Even though Corker is shooting more, she has not abandoned her biggest strength, which has always been getting her teammates involved. She’s averaging more assists this season (4.0 per game) and ranks fourth in the league in assists.
Corker also brings a cerebral approach to the game, evident in her assist-to-turnover ratio (1.91), which is the best on the team and third in the conference.
“She has a great feel for the game,” Schneider said. “Her basketball IQ is really high. She knows when to be aggressive and when not to take chances. She has really good vision. The thing that I really like about her this year is she’s willing to take the big shots at crucial times, and that’s something she really didn’t provide us in the past.”
Although Corker doesn’t start, she is usually in at the end of close games. She plays 24.2 minutes per game, which is the fourth-most on the team, and the only reason she does not start is because she is the team’s only other option at point guard other than Cassondra Boston.
“Absolutely there’s no question that she can be in our starting lineup,” Schneider said. “She understands why we like to bring her off the bench. She’s very unselfish and wants to do whatever is most conducive to helping our team win.”
Corker also comes of the bench, because unlike Boston, she can play multiple positions. She plays shooting guard when she’s on the floor with Boston and has also played power forward.
“I love moving around,” she said. “At first I kind of liked the point guard just so I could push the ball and make the pace of the game faster, but Boston has definitely improved on that this year and she’s pushing it a lot more, so I like playing the off guard, too. I’m not sure if I’m big enough for (power forward), but if it gets me out there playing, I’m down for whatever.”
And if Corker doesn’t get the MVP this year, she might just get the Most Valuable Attitude.