Mississippi State women's basketball's season came to an end three weeks ago. The Bulldogs reached the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons under head coach Sam Purcell, picking up a first round victory before being eliminated. It was a solid year for the program, potentially one that could be built upon with several quality players able to return.
What's happened since, however, has the program entering a near-total reset. Seven Bulldogs chose to enter the transfer portal, including starters Madina Okot, Debreasha Powe, and Denim DeShields along with a regular contributor in Quanirah Montague. With team-leader Jerkaila Jordan and bucket-getter Eniya Russell both out of eligibility. Mississippi State has now lost six of their main eight contributors from last season.
And while guards Chandler Prater and Destiney McPhaul were both good players for the Bulldogs who will be back, MSU has to practically reconstruct its starting lineup in one offseason. And if there's any hope of being back in NCAA Tournament, that reconstruction will require adding several high-level players to the roster.
That's why now is when we learn whether or not Sam Purcell can truly live up to his reputation as a coach.
Sam Purcell must live up to hype as a recruiter to reload Mississippi State roster
Sam Purcell got his opportunity as an SEC head coach because of his prowess on the recruiting trail. During his nine years as an assistant coach at Louisville, he played a major role in helping the Cardinals land the talent necessary to be one of the nation's top women's basketball programs.
His ability as a recruiter will be put to the test this offseason. With so much production gone from the Mississippi State roster, Purcell is going to have to lean heavily on the transfer portal to assure he has a competitive team for his first season. He isn't just looking for individual pieces who can fill specific roles or bolster things. He needs an almost entirely new team.
It's not that this is the first time Purcell is having to bring in a large and talented transfer class. He's done that each of the last two seasons in Starkville, both times bringing in well-regarded classes. The difference though is that in both of those instances he still had more cornerstone pieces already on his roster. Most notably, Jerkaila Jordan was cemented as the face of the team. If nothing else, you knew you had one of the best players in the SEC. But now she's gone.
That arguably makes his task all the more difficult. Do high-end transfer prospects want to join a team that doesn't have a foundation in place? Purcell's going to have to find a way to convince them. So far, State hasn't made much waves in the portal, with two additions. Ole Miss transfer forward Kharyssa Richardson looks to be a good option to come off the bench while North Carolina transfer guard Trayanna Crisp could be of starting caliber.
But in terms of landing a can't-miss prospect out of the portal that's sure to come in and play at a high-level, the Bulldogs are still searching. It's not all about the portal though, as this looks to be the first season in which Sam Purcell's incoming freshman class will likely need to play a major role.
Purcell signed what is, on paper, an outstanding 2025 class, featuring three Top 100 recruits in guard Jaylah Lampley and forwards Madison Francis and Nataliyah Gray. It was a Top 10 signing class by ESPN.
Purcell needs that trio to be immediate factors for the Bulldogs next season. The production has to match the evaluation. Sam Purcell has rightfully earned his reputation as a recruiter, and we've seen flashes of that come through during his time in Starkville. But now is when we see if he fully delivers in that category.