Fralick building reputation with her game plans
PHOTO: Robyn Fralick’s game planning helps the Spartans advance in NCAA Tournament.
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By TOM SHANAHAN
RALEIGH – Someday Michigan State women’s basketball coach Robyn Fralick – if her trajectory continues — will be remembered for her game plan against one of the nation’s most explosive scorers in the 2025 NCAA Tournament as a seminal moment to her rising career.
The Spartans learned on Sunday night, March 19, they were seeded seventh and facing No. 10 seed Harvard the first-round. Harvard’s Harmoni Turner scored 40 points in the Ivy League Tournament semifinals and 24 to win the title game. She’s the kind the talent that can lift a No. 10 seed past a No. 7.
During the week the Spartans’ players learned the game plan of how to defend Turner. Fralick rotated three defenders on Turner – Jocelyn Tate, Nyla Hampton and Jaddan Simmons. Their task was to keep her off the three-point line and when she tried to penetrate, pressure her at the point of attack and depend on layers of help.
“Coach’s game plan was very specific, and we followed it,” said Michigan State junior guard Theyrn Hallock.
MORE OF MY NCAA COVERAGE RALEIGH
March 19: Reynolds wraps history around basketball in the South and the women’s game – Tom Shanahan Report
March 23: Michigan State’s women face 22-game homecourt winning streak and Final Four veterans – Tom Shanahan Report
March 23: Fralick building reputation with her game plans – Tom Shanahan Report
March 24: NC State’s hot hands end Michigan State’s season – Tom Shanahan Report
On Saturday in the first-round game at Reyolds Coliseum, the Spartans frustrated Tuner into 7-of-22 shooting from the field and 2-of-10 from three-point range. She finished with 24 points, thanks to 8-of-9 from the free throw line.
Seventh-seeded Michigan State (22-9) advanced with a 64-50 victory to play No. 2 seed North Carolina State (27-6) at noon on Monday at Reynolds Coliseum on NC State’s campus. The Spartans seek their first Sweet 16 since 2009.
PHOTO: Michigan State’s Theyrn Hallock says the Spartans trust coach Robyn Fralick’s X’s and O’s.
“I think, when it comes to every team, they all have that feeling when they play us, they haven’t seen a defense like ours because of the way we pressure is a bit unique,” Hampton said. “Harmoni is a great player, but I think we have some of the best defenders on this team, which helps quite a bit. With our coaches and our game plan, we trust them fully and completely lock into whatever they tell us to do.”
Harvard coach Carrie Moore and Turner both admitted the defensive scheme caught them off-guard.
“That defense looked different than what we’ve seen throughout the season,” Moore said. “It took Harmoni a while to settle. It took time to settle in and make plays.”
Added Turner, “Michigan state is a really great team, and they have really great coaches. I feel like it was something I hadn’t seen before. We know the work we put in. Kudos to Michigan State for getting a lot of stops on defense.”
Now the task is to slow down a four-guard offensive with the foursome each averaging in double figures. Senior 5-foot-10 guard Aziaha James averages 17.8 points a game, sophomore 5-10 guard Zoe Brooks 14.4, senior 6-1 guard Saniya Rivers 11.8 and 6-0 graduate Madison Hayes 10.8.
Fralick explained formulating a game plan and then teaching it in practice.
“Every game plan takes a lot of time and intentionality, and I think it’s a combination of, okay, how do we stay systematic and really key in on the most important things for the opponent?” Fralick said. “With that, every team looks a little bit different, but we’ve got to be able to merge those. How do we guard, and how do we stay in a system that we’re confident in and try to minimize the most important things?”
Fralick fit in at Michigan State quickly with her two-for-two run in the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to arriving at Michigan State, she enjoyed success at two Ohio colleges — Ashland University (2015-18) with a 104-3 record and rebuilt a woeful Bowling Green (2018-23) program with an 88-73 record.
But her roots are Michigan State’s backyard. She was known by her maiden name of Robyn Flewelling at Okemos High playing basketball, soccer and softball. She was enshrined in Okemos High Hall of Fame 2017.
Fralick took over a Michigan State program that had missed the NCAA Tournament two straight years and three of the previous four. The turnaround was quicker than expected with last year’s 22-9 overall record and NCAA bid as a No. 9 seed.
“I think she’s done tremendous things in the past two years,” said Hallock, who played her freshman year under the coach who recruited her, Suzy Merchant. “I’m very grateful to be on her team.
“She’s also very smart. She’s a very intelligent coach. She knows a good game plan and knows how to do her job, and I’m very proud to play for her.”
The Michigan State-NC State game also reunites Fralick and Wolfpack coach Wes Moore as opponents.
Fralick played her college career at Davidson (2000-04) in North Carolina. At the time Moore was winning Southern Conference titles as Tennessee-Chattanooga’s head coach. The Moccasins and Davidson played annually as conference rivals.
“Yeah, I remember Robyn well,” said Moore, who is now 67 years old and in his 12th NC State season. “To be honest, it kind of slipped my mind, but yeah, you know, a very smart player. And Davidson had some really good teams back in that period.
“For a minute I thought, ‘Wow, she really moved up the ladder quick.’ But then after looking at it, 2004, okay, maybe it has been 20 years. It’s a great accomplishment for her to be at a Power Four school like Michigan State, and she’s done a heck of a job with it.”
He’ll soon find himself rating her ability to game-plan an opponent.
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Tom Shanahan is an award-winning sportswriter and frequent contributor to Spartanmag.com in addition to posting on his website. His new book on Michigan State leading college football integration is, “THE RIGHT THING TO DO, The True Pioneers of College Football Integration in the 1960s.” His first book was “RAYE OF LIGHT, Jimmy Raye, Duffy Daugherty, the Integration of College Football and the 1965-66 Michigan State Spartans.”
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My books tell the true story of college football integration in the 1960s and address the myths and fiction that allowed a false narrative surrounding the 1970 USC-Alabama game to usurp the credit from the true pioneers. As I said when I spoke at the National Sports Media Association book festival, no two books provide an accurate portrayal more than RAYE OF LIGHT and THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
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Click here to purchase The Right Thing To Do
THE RIGHT THING TO DO
The True Pioneers of College Football Integration in the 1960s
Foreword by Ruffin McNeill
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Click here to purchase Raye of Light.
RAYE OF LIGHT
Jimmy Raye, Duffy Daugherty, the 1ntegration of College Football and the 1965-66 Michigan State Spartans
Foreword by Tony Dungy
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