Interviewing Merchant at a preseason press conference, I noticed her wide-eyed look was full of expectations and excitement for the long-awaited season as coach of a team she’s always wanted to be a part of. You could tell she had been waiting since accepting the job in April to get into game mode.

While it was nothing compared to the media attention the men’s team receives, I highly doubt Merchant was fully aware of the amped-up media coverage she was about to experience when taking the reins.

Once the season started, it took off, and as expected, Merchant caught a lot of flack after losing only a few games. Message boards filled up with criticisms and people writing Merchant off from the get-go. After going 1-3 to start the Big Ten season, the reactions she received from some “fans” were as if she had unraveled all the team’s successes under former head coach Joanne P. McCallie.

It’s like they forgot that MSU had the youngest team in the Big Ten with nine underclassmen and that they lost more than their fair share of key players.

But oh, how the tables turn. Once the coaching staff got into the mix of things, and the players started putting their trust in them, things began looking up. Slowly, the team climbed from the bottom of the Big Ten to a fifth-place finish, with just one win separating them from third place — therein instantly silencing the naysayers.

After just barely getting their NCAA Tournament bubble popped, the WNIT was waiting for them. The team was bitter at first, knowing that they had what Merchant called a superior résumé compared to other bubble teams, but eventually realized the extra games would help them.

And while the season ended with a thud against Marquette in the WNIT championship game, Merchant and her coaching staff brought the team a long way. The WNIT and the snubbed feeling leftover from the NCAA selection committee served as motivation for the team, and will help push them to be even better next year.

The WNIT allowed the Spartans five more opportunities to play, get to know each other and learn about their own game.

Freshman forward Kalisha Keane went from throwing up sporadic shots and looking to the floor to leading the team through the WNIT and scoring 24 points in her final freshman showing against Marquette. Freshman guard Brittney Thomas became a powerhouse defender and sophomore center Allyssa DeHaan stepped up her aggression in the paint.

So while Merchant obviously had the same rough conference start that many coaches experience, she wasted no time in picking up the pace and the wins. In fact, Merchant is tied with former MSU head coach Karen Langeland for most wins in her first season at MSU with 23.

If the growth she achieved in her first season is any indication, Merchant has the ability to bring MSU women’s basketball to the next level.