Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Lady Raiders stifle opponents on the perimeter thanks to preparation, Whittington
2/16/2022 5:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Middle Tennessee is No.3 in the country this season in opponent 3-pt FG percentage
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Alexis Whittington starts her homework after practice. Both the homework with her major, nutrition, of course, and the homework from the Lady Raider coaching staff. She has the scouting packet from their film session, with meticulous notes on all aspects of the opposing team from the assistant on staff in charge of the scout for that game.
But Whittington's favorite part comes later, when she gets the individual clips of the player she'll be guarding. With a well-earned reputation as a defensive stopper, Whittington almost always draws whoever the best perimeter scorer is on the opposing team. And those clips are where she gets to work.
"Our coaches do a great job telling us exactly what this person does and getting film up," Whittington said. "For me, I like to know exactly what they like to do. Where do they like to get most of their shots from? How do they like to create their shots?"
It's that embracing of the scout and attention to detail that has helped this year's Lady Raiders to some staunch defensive numbers not only compared to their peers in Conference USA, but nationally. Entering this weekend's slate of games, Middle Tennessee women's basketball is No. 2 in the league in scoring defense, with opponents averaging just 55.36 points per game against the Lady Raiders.
And much of that success comes from MT's ability to lock down the perimeter. Opponents have made 85 three-pointers against the Lady Raiders this season on 350 attempts, resulting in a paltry 3-point shooting percentage of 24.3 percent for all opponents across the team's 22 games so far this season. That opponent three-point field goal percentage is the third best in all of Division I basketball entering the weekend.
"We don't really emphasize it as much by saying eliminate the three-point shot," assistant coach Matt Insell said. "We want to eliminate all catch and shoots. We want to eliminate any rhythm threes or rhythm jump shots from 15 feet. Force them to play off the bounce, force them to make 15 footers off the bounce."
Insell said that eliminating the catch and shoots is a critical part of the team's overall defensive philosophy, along with keeping the ball out of the middle of the court and eliminating easy finishes at the rim.
How that can manifest game to game might vary. Some nights have seen the Lady Raiders trap the ball a lot in the corner, forcing turnovers or at least long skip passes to contested shots. Other nights see them deny the opposing post the chance to even touch the ball, letting wing defenders like Whittington and Jalynn Gregory contain opposing scoring threats on the perimeter.
All that work as a team, however, can be traced back to the scouting process, which Insell said this team has embraced better than teams in the past.
"Last year's team tried to rely heavily on athleticism and things like that," Insell said. "Where this year's team, where we may lack a little bit athletically, we don't lack mentally, we don't lack from a mentality stand point of playing hard every possession."
The recall of the Lady Raiders is particularly evident the closer one gets to the court during game time, where you can hear the communication between the bench and players on court every time an opposing coach calls a set. Middle Tennessee immediately adjusts where they're going, knowing exactly where the opponent is trying to get the ball to, and usually stopping the set before it can get any momentum.
"We practice it all the time, and off the court too," Whittington said of their scout. "It makes it so much easier out there playing defense, because we know exactly what they're going to run, exactly what they're going to do and it just makes it so much easier."
It's also easier to execute a scout with a defender of Whittington's caliber. Building a reputation as a defensive stopper all the way back at Riverdale High School en route to three straight Class AAA Tennessee High School State Championships, Whittington relishes the chance to shut down the opponent's best offensive player.
There was MT's second game this season at VCU, where reigning All-Atlantic 10 first teamer Taya Robinson was held to just five points by Whittington, shooting just 1-12 from the field (Robinson is currently averaging 15.2 points per game this season). Or at home against Vanderbilt, where Commodore standout Brinae Alexander left the Murphy Center with just nine points on 3-of-8 shooting (the former Riverdale teammate of Whittington has averaged 15.6 points per game this year).
And of course, just this past Sunday, when Octavia Jett-Wilson, preseason Co-Player of the Year in C-USA, entered the game averaging 19 points per game and was held to just nine points, 2-9 from the field, and 1-8 when Whittington was directly on her.
"We give her the assignment, the best player on the other team," Insell said. "Do what you do. I don't lose a wink of sleep at night worrying about who the other team's best player is, because I know she'll handle her task."
And even when Whittington doesn't suffocate her opponent like she did in those three instances, she often holds top players blow their average, like Marshall's Savannah Wheeler (entered MT's 80-41 win averaging 20 ppg, finished the night with 15 on 4-9 shooting, 7-7 at the free throw line) and North Texas' Quincy Noble (entered MT's 80-52 win averaging 16 ppg, finished the afternoon 5-13 from the field for 13 points).
And while Insell and Whittington both want her offensive production to improve in the final stretch of the season, that kind of defensive impact is something this team can feel and build off of every game.
"A lot of other players get a lot more awards right now," Insell said. "But inside Murphy Center, inside our office, inside our locker room, inside our program, Alexis Whittington is somebody we can't do without. She's somebody that every single day puts an emphasis on what she's doing defensively, offensively.
"You hope that other people in the league see what we know and how good she is defensively. And that she ends up getting the award, all defensive team or defensive player of the year, that she deserves."
But Whittington's favorite part comes later, when she gets the individual clips of the player she'll be guarding. With a well-earned reputation as a defensive stopper, Whittington almost always draws whoever the best perimeter scorer is on the opposing team. And those clips are where she gets to work.
"Our coaches do a great job telling us exactly what this person does and getting film up," Whittington said. "For me, I like to know exactly what they like to do. Where do they like to get most of their shots from? How do they like to create their shots?"
It's that embracing of the scout and attention to detail that has helped this year's Lady Raiders to some staunch defensive numbers not only compared to their peers in Conference USA, but nationally. Entering this weekend's slate of games, Middle Tennessee women's basketball is No. 2 in the league in scoring defense, with opponents averaging just 55.36 points per game against the Lady Raiders.
And much of that success comes from MT's ability to lock down the perimeter. Opponents have made 85 three-pointers against the Lady Raiders this season on 350 attempts, resulting in a paltry 3-point shooting percentage of 24.3 percent for all opponents across the team's 22 games so far this season. That opponent three-point field goal percentage is the third best in all of Division I basketball entering the weekend.
"We don't really emphasize it as much by saying eliminate the three-point shot," assistant coach Matt Insell said. "We want to eliminate all catch and shoots. We want to eliminate any rhythm threes or rhythm jump shots from 15 feet. Force them to play off the bounce, force them to make 15 footers off the bounce."
Insell said that eliminating the catch and shoots is a critical part of the team's overall defensive philosophy, along with keeping the ball out of the middle of the court and eliminating easy finishes at the rim.
How that can manifest game to game might vary. Some nights have seen the Lady Raiders trap the ball a lot in the corner, forcing turnovers or at least long skip passes to contested shots. Other nights see them deny the opposing post the chance to even touch the ball, letting wing defenders like Whittington and Jalynn Gregory contain opposing scoring threats on the perimeter.
All that work as a team, however, can be traced back to the scouting process, which Insell said this team has embraced better than teams in the past.
"Last year's team tried to rely heavily on athleticism and things like that," Insell said. "Where this year's team, where we may lack a little bit athletically, we don't lack mentally, we don't lack from a mentality stand point of playing hard every possession."
The recall of the Lady Raiders is particularly evident the closer one gets to the court during game time, where you can hear the communication between the bench and players on court every time an opposing coach calls a set. Middle Tennessee immediately adjusts where they're going, knowing exactly where the opponent is trying to get the ball to, and usually stopping the set before it can get any momentum.
"We practice it all the time, and off the court too," Whittington said of their scout. "It makes it so much easier out there playing defense, because we know exactly what they're going to run, exactly what they're going to do and it just makes it so much easier."
It's also easier to execute a scout with a defender of Whittington's caliber. Building a reputation as a defensive stopper all the way back at Riverdale High School en route to three straight Class AAA Tennessee High School State Championships, Whittington relishes the chance to shut down the opponent's best offensive player.
There was MT's second game this season at VCU, where reigning All-Atlantic 10 first teamer Taya Robinson was held to just five points by Whittington, shooting just 1-12 from the field (Robinson is currently averaging 15.2 points per game this season). Or at home against Vanderbilt, where Commodore standout Brinae Alexander left the Murphy Center with just nine points on 3-of-8 shooting (the former Riverdale teammate of Whittington has averaged 15.6 points per game this year).
And of course, just this past Sunday, when Octavia Jett-Wilson, preseason Co-Player of the Year in C-USA, entered the game averaging 19 points per game and was held to just nine points, 2-9 from the field, and 1-8 when Whittington was directly on her.
"We give her the assignment, the best player on the other team," Insell said. "Do what you do. I don't lose a wink of sleep at night worrying about who the other team's best player is, because I know she'll handle her task."
And even when Whittington doesn't suffocate her opponent like she did in those three instances, she often holds top players blow their average, like Marshall's Savannah Wheeler (entered MT's 80-41 win averaging 20 ppg, finished the night with 15 on 4-9 shooting, 7-7 at the free throw line) and North Texas' Quincy Noble (entered MT's 80-52 win averaging 16 ppg, finished the afternoon 5-13 from the field for 13 points).
And while Insell and Whittington both want her offensive production to improve in the final stretch of the season, that kind of defensive impact is something this team can feel and build off of every game.
"A lot of other players get a lot more awards right now," Insell said. "But inside Murphy Center, inside our office, inside our locker room, inside our program, Alexis Whittington is somebody we can't do without. She's somebody that every single day puts an emphasis on what she's doing defensively, offensively.
"You hope that other people in the league see what we know and how good she is defensively. And that she ends up getting the award, all defensive team or defensive player of the year, that she deserves."
Players Mentioned
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