With the addition of some key transfer players, it looks like Sam Purcell is looking forward to the way the Mississippi State women’s basketball team will look this season.
The Mississippi State women’s basketball team was pretty solid on offense a season ago, but it sure sounds like MSU head coach Sam Purcell wants more out of the Bulldogs’ offense in this coming season.
Purcell has plenty of reasons to be excited about this season with the way his team was able to retain Jessika Carter and JerKaila Jordan, but also the Bulldogs brought in a number of transfer players who might make an already solid offense even more impressive.
During SEC Media Days, Purcell was asked about the way the Bulldogs looked on offense a season ago. And while he was supportive about the way the Mississippi State women’s basketball team looked last season, he seems pretty excited about the offensive potential this new team has this season.
Mississippi State basketball: Sam Purcell seems excited about Bulldogs’ potential on offense
And a lot of it has to do with how Purcell wants to play with an uptempo, high-scoring system. A key factor in being able to run the offense the way he wants is how the Bulldogs retained a core group of players from last season’s team that went 22-11 and also integrating several impact transfers.
“I can’t say enough great things about the excitement for me as a head coach for next year,” Purcell said, according to ASAP Sports’ transcript of SEC Media Days. “This is why, all right? Again, I’m forever grateful for that first group that I inherited, all right? We were able to retain a special group, then immediately get in the portal late in the season and put a team together.”
Bringing back experience returning players who understand his style is important. Adding transfers who are (at least theoretically) a more natural fit for his offense? Well, that’s important as well.
“In year two to be able to recruit the vision I have with the pieces I’ve got, our fans should be ready,” Purcell said. “I think that’s why they’ve already bought out the lower season bowls and the club seating because there’s an excitement like no other. That excitement in the gym is only going to make my young women play harder. When playing harder, you can see a lot more on the offensive end, quicker tempo.”
Given that the Bulldogs averaged a respectable (but not spectacular) 71 points per game last season, it’s going to be interesting to see what things look like this season. Add in an influx of speed and quickness in the way that Purcell prefers and maybe this offense gets considerably more dangerous this season.