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Mississippi State women's basketball loses starting center to transfer portal

Mississippi State has now seen a starter enter the transfer portal in consecutive days.
ByAndrew Miller|
Mar 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; California Golden Bears forward Ugonne Onyiah (0) and Mississippi State Bulldogs center Madina Okot (15) fight for position under the basket during the 2nd quarter of an NCAA Tournament game at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Mar 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; California Golden Bears forward Ugonne Onyiah (0) and Mississippi State Bulldogs center Madina Okot (15) fight for position under the basket during the 2nd quarter of an NCAA Tournament game at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Mississippi State women's basketball has begun to see some members of the 2024-2025 roster entering the transfer portal. Their first two losses came from players towards the end of the bench. But then they suffered a significant loss when three-year starter Debreasha Powe made the decision to enter the portal. Now, another key part of the starting lineup is moving on.

Mississippi State Bulldogs starting center Madina Okot enters transfer portal

Sam Purcell and Mississippi State were hit with a major loss on Friday when starting center Madina Okot entered the transfer portal. The junior from Kenya averaged 11.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Her 64.9% field goal percentage led the SEC.

Madina Okot was a massive, literally, addition for Sam Purcell's Bulldogs last offseason. The 6-6 center was a member of the Kenyan National Team and multiple FIBA teams, one of the top international players in women's basketball. The process for her to obtain a USA Visa was a lengthy one, but on her fifth time through the application process, she was granted her Visa and enrolled at Mississippi State.

Okot had big shoes to fill in Starkville, as she would be the replacement for former Bulldog star Jessika Carter, who averaged 14.9 points and 9.9 rebounds in her final season. Okot was up for the task.

In her first game with Mississippi State, she impressed with 14 points and 17 boards. She would go on to have 22 double-digit scoring performances, with a season-high 26 in the Bulldogs' win over Maryland Eastern Shore. Okot would put up double-digit rebounds in 17 games.

Her best performance of the season would come in State's overtime win at Vanderbilt, in which she posted 21 points and a season-high 23 rebounds along with four blocks. She's finish the year with 12 double-doubles, including going for 14 and 13 in MSU's first round NCAA Tournament victory over Cal.

There's no sugar-coating it. This is a brutal loss for Mississippi State. Madina Okot was growing into one of the very best centers in the nation. She was set to be the focal point of the Bulldog offense, which now loses its top four scorers from last season. State has quickly gone from still having a solid nucleus to build around for next season to now finding themselves needing to again rely on a multitude of new faces to lead the team.

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