Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Sutton's leadership key for Lady Raiders
11/8/2019 9:40:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Sophomore point guard is team's top returner
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Experience in a Lady Raider uniform is hard to come by for Middle Tennessee's women's basketball team, forcing one sophomore into a leadership role usually reserved for a senior.
The Lady Raiders only had two upperclassmen on their roster in the season-opening win against East Carolina, and one of those, Virginia graduate transfer Shakyna Payne, is in her first year in Murfreesboro. The other, Charity Savage, made just her fourth career start against the Pirates.
That lack of upperclassman experience makes Taylor Sutton, last year's Conference USA Freshman of the Year, the team's resident experienced leader.
Sutton, though just one year and one game into her collegiate career, represents the top Middle Tennessee returner in almost every statistical category. She made 33 starts last season — the only game she wasn't in the starting lineup was senior night.
Her 852 minutes played make up 65.8% of the team's returning minutes, while her 366 points are 73.9%, 45 rebounds are 41.2% and 55 assists are 79.7% of the team's returning totals. She also made a team-high 65 3-pointers last year, 73% of the team's returning makes.
Statistics aside, Sutton also brings back the team's voice from last year's squad that advanced to the second round of the WNIT. That's been a tough change for the usually quiet sophomore, but one she's embracing.
"If you know me, it's kind of tough for me to do, because that's not my personality," she said. "Coach [Rick] Insell has definitely pulled me out of my comfort zone in that area.
"I definitely feel like I have to step up a lot more, even though I'm a sophomore. I have to be a lot more vocal and step into a huge leadership role for the team."
If there's one thing that seems to be in Sutton's personality, at least on the court, it's a scorer's mentality.
She was the team's third-leading scorer as a freshman with 10.8 points per game and proved to be one of the best shooters in C-USA with her 65 made treys, shooting at a 38% clip from outside.
"The one thing you can say about Taylor Sutton is she's a scorer," Head Coach Rick Insell said. "We won 23 games last year and went to the WNIT, and we wouldn't have been there without Taylor, bottom line. One or two games alone, she kind of won those games by herself … she just has that knack to get the basketball off and do the things you need done at the most opportune time."
Middle Tennessee will need both her scoring ability and newfound leadership traits early on this season, especially.
As has been the case in the now 15 seasons Insell has been at the reins of the program, the Lady Raiders play one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the nation this year. They'll welcome the Kentucky Wildcats, currently ranked No. 13 in the AP Top 25 Poll and 16th in the Coaches Poll, to the Murphy Center Sunday for the home opener.
"We need to get out on the court and know each other's games, because if we're out there and don't know what to do, we'll be lost," Sutton said. "It's really important for us to click with each other and have chemistry early on, which I think we do. We're doing pretty well as a whole team right now."
Building that chemistry early on only comes from getting in the gym together. That's one area where Sutton's leadership has never been in question — she seems to have found a home away from home in the women's basketball facility in the Murphy Center.
"When she's not in class, she's in that film room looking at game and practice film or she's in the gym shooting," Insell said. "Basketball is a priority for her … and I'm excited about her future."
It's clear the Lady Raiders will go as far as Sutton's leadership will take them. Don't be surprised if that's back to the postseason, where they've been for the past 16 years.
The Lady Raiders only had two upperclassmen on their roster in the season-opening win against East Carolina, and one of those, Virginia graduate transfer Shakyna Payne, is in her first year in Murfreesboro. The other, Charity Savage, made just her fourth career start against the Pirates.
That lack of upperclassman experience makes Taylor Sutton, last year's Conference USA Freshman of the Year, the team's resident experienced leader.
Sutton, though just one year and one game into her collegiate career, represents the top Middle Tennessee returner in almost every statistical category. She made 33 starts last season — the only game she wasn't in the starting lineup was senior night.
Her 852 minutes played make up 65.8% of the team's returning minutes, while her 366 points are 73.9%, 45 rebounds are 41.2% and 55 assists are 79.7% of the team's returning totals. She also made a team-high 65 3-pointers last year, 73% of the team's returning makes.
Statistics aside, Sutton also brings back the team's voice from last year's squad that advanced to the second round of the WNIT. That's been a tough change for the usually quiet sophomore, but one she's embracing.
"If you know me, it's kind of tough for me to do, because that's not my personality," she said. "Coach [Rick] Insell has definitely pulled me out of my comfort zone in that area.
"I definitely feel like I have to step up a lot more, even though I'm a sophomore. I have to be a lot more vocal and step into a huge leadership role for the team."
If there's one thing that seems to be in Sutton's personality, at least on the court, it's a scorer's mentality.
She was the team's third-leading scorer as a freshman with 10.8 points per game and proved to be one of the best shooters in C-USA with her 65 made treys, shooting at a 38% clip from outside.
"The one thing you can say about Taylor Sutton is she's a scorer," Head Coach Rick Insell said. "We won 23 games last year and went to the WNIT, and we wouldn't have been there without Taylor, bottom line. One or two games alone, she kind of won those games by herself … she just has that knack to get the basketball off and do the things you need done at the most opportune time."
Middle Tennessee will need both her scoring ability and newfound leadership traits early on this season, especially.
As has been the case in the now 15 seasons Insell has been at the reins of the program, the Lady Raiders play one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the nation this year. They'll welcome the Kentucky Wildcats, currently ranked No. 13 in the AP Top 25 Poll and 16th in the Coaches Poll, to the Murphy Center Sunday for the home opener.
"We need to get out on the court and know each other's games, because if we're out there and don't know what to do, we'll be lost," Sutton said. "It's really important for us to click with each other and have chemistry early on, which I think we do. We're doing pretty well as a whole team right now."
Building that chemistry early on only comes from getting in the gym together. That's one area where Sutton's leadership has never been in question — she seems to have found a home away from home in the women's basketball facility in the Murphy Center.
"When she's not in class, she's in that film room looking at game and practice film or she's in the gym shooting," Insell said. "Basketball is a priority for her … and I'm excited about her future."
It's clear the Lady Raiders will go as far as Sutton's leadership will take them. Don't be surprised if that's back to the postseason, where they've been for the past 16 years.
Players Mentioned
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