Coming in at just 5-foot-4-inches, freshman point guard Carrie Shephard is Missouri’s shortest player in a sport where height tends to be associated with talent.
But Shephard uses her height to her advantage, primarily through her speed and ball handling.
“You’re playing girls literally a foot taller than you, so for them to come all the way down to guard you when you’re faster than them is so hard for them to keep up with you,” Shephard said. “It’s like Tom and Jerry; they’re trying to catch the person that’s always down there but they can never get her.”
Sophomore guard Lindsey Cunningham said Shephard’s explosive speed is one of her best traits as a point guard.
“She’s definitely a scoring point guard, as well as super explosive and very energetic,” Cunningham said. “That comes from how hard she’s played in high school and how she’s able to bring that to this next level. Keep an eye out for her — she’s going to be a big part of our team.”
Shephard said she embraces the challenges brought on by her entering the collegiate level. She’s no longer guaranteed to be the fastest player on the court like she was in high school, at South Pemiscot High School in Steele, Missouri.
“I like the challenge because it’s so easy to be complacent in high school and tell yourself that you’re at the top of your game,” Shephard said. “But I felt like there was more than that, so I kept working to get to that next level and challenge myself even more.”
Along with her desire to challenge herself, Shephard also brings with her a “fun-loving spirit to the team,” according to Cunningham.
Shephard’s roommate, teammate and fellow freshman Bri Porter called Shephard “one of the most upbeat and energetic and passionate people that I’ve ever known.”
“She’s one of the loudest voices I hear out on the court,” Porter said. “She’s a true point guard in that she always looks for other people’s shots, which makes it really fun to play with her.”
Missouri coach Robin Pingeton said Shephard has a high basketball IQ and brings depth and a scoring mentality to the point guard position for Mizzou.
“She put up a lot of points in high school and has worked very hard in her craft,” Pingeton said.
At South Pemiscot her junior year, Shephard averaged 35 points per game to go along with 7 assists, 9.6 rebounds and 4.5 steals per contest.
Those numbers will be hard to replicate as a freshman at the college level, but she’s working to — despite her height — raise her game.
“I’m learning every day,” Shephard said. “Every day is something new, and every day is another day to work on my strengths and weaknesses. I’ll always call (being a part of this team) a blessing in disguise because I knew nothing about Mizzou women’s basketball at all until my junior year. But now, there’s no place I’d rather be.”
