WSU senior Rangie Bessard ready for the challenges the AAC will bring

After traveling to Philadelphia for the American Athletic Conference media day on Monday, Wichita State senior Rangie Bessard has seen the best the conference has to offer.

The move to an AAC that includes Connecticut will be a challenging one for the Wichita State women’s basketball team, but it’s hoping the raise in competition will bring out the best in their senior star.

Last season, Bessard led the team with 17.3 points and 7.6 rebounds, as she earned first-team All-Missouri Valley honors. She wants to up those averages in the AAC for the Shockers, which were picked to finish 10th out of 12 teams in the preseason coaches poll.

“You’ve got a lot of great players in this conference and it’s an extremely high level of talent,” WSU coach Keitha Adams said. “You’ve got to bring your best every day and you’ve got to play at a high level because you are competing against people who are really good. So I think with Rangie, the more she is challenged, the more it’s going to bring out of her.”

Bessard has a specific goal in mind for her senior season in the new conference.

“My coach wants me to go out there and give her a double-double in rebounds and points and I can do that for her,” Bessard said. “I’m really excited to travel to these different schools and maybe taste a little bit different food in different cities this year.”

Bessard was a force in the Missouri Valley with her 6-foot-1 frame and ability to stretch the defense out to the three-point line. She expects to find similar success against bigger and better competition in the American, as she has been refining her game this summer.

The thing she’s most proud of adding to her game is a consistent jump shot from the free-throw line.

“I’ve really been working on that elbow-to-elbow shot and I feel more comfortable that I can hit that shot at a high percentage,” Bessard said. “I always have that low-block, turn-over-my-shoulder, face up...that’s my go-to. But I’ve worked on adding a hook shot since I’ll be going up against taller players. I’m looking at different things to give me a better angle to the basket and create more distance to really stretch out the posts this year.”

Her teammates know if Wichita State is going to be competitive in the new conference, Bessard will likely have to be the focal point of the offense.

“She’s a great player and we know we’re going to have to play off of her since she’ll probably see some double teams,” senior guard Diamond Lockhart said. “We have to knock down shots and play off of her game because she’s going to get that attention.”

The growth of Angiee Tompkins, a 6-2 forward, last season was an encouraging sign to Adams. She thinks having them on the floor at the same time can give WSU an advantage on offense.

“I think Angiee is going to help take some of that pressure off of Rangie,” Adams said. “Rangie is going to be able to show off her versatility. She can score inside and outside. We’re going to utilize that and hey, we’re going to get after it.”

On a team with eight seniors, Bessard is looking forward to seeing what the Shockers can accomplish under Adams for the coach’s first season.

“We understand that we are the underdogs in this situation, but I do feel like we are capable of finishing in the top three,” Bessard said. “When you see we’re picked 10th, the competitive side in you says, ‘Oh man, I’m ready to go out there and play.’ But when you think about it, we have to work for everything we do this year. Nothing is going to come easy. Every game is going to be tough.”

This story was originally published October 17, 2017 at 5:22 PM with the headline "WSU senior Rangie Bessard ready for the challenges the AAC will bring."