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All-time great Victoria Vivians joining Mississippi State women's basketball staff

Sam Purcell is adding a Bulldog legend to the Mississippi State women's basketball coaching staff.

ByAndrew Miller|
Apr 1, 2018; Columbus, OH, USA; Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs guard Victoria Vivians (35) shoots over Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Kristina Nelson (21) during the second quarter in the championship game of the women's Final Four in the 2018 NCAA Tournament at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2018; Columbus, OH, USA; Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs guard Victoria Vivians (35) shoots over Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Kristina Nelson (21) during the second quarter in the championship game of the women's Final Four in the 2018 NCAA Tournament at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports | Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Sam Purcell just made a legendary addition to his 2024-2025 Mississippi State women's basketball coaching staff. On Monday, Mississippi State announced the hire of former Bulldog and all-time great Victoria Vivians as an assistant coach and the program's Director of Scouting.

Vivians, who has spent the last seven years in the WNBA and currently plays for the Seattle Storm, is arguably the greatest women's basketball player in Mississippi State history. Throughout her four year collegiate career, she was the centerpiece for then-head coach Vic Schaefer's teams and helped orchestrate the program's rise from mediocrity to national contention.

Vivians was a first-round pick by the Indiana Fever in 2018 and was a regular contributor for the Fever throughout her six seasons there. In 2022, she averaged a career-high 9.8 points per game. This season, she signed with the Seattle Storm and so far has averaged 4.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

Victoria Vivians will join the Bulldog program at the conclusion of the 2024 WNBA season in October and will remain with the team throughout the league's offseason.

Victoria Vivians career in Starkville was incredible

Vivians will forever be a legend at Mississippi State. A 5-Star prospect out of Carthage, she became the piece Vic Schaefer built his program around in Starkville, averaging over 17 points per game for her career. She's second in career points at MSU with 2,527.

Vivians is a part of the winningest class in MSU history, winning 126 games with a SEC regular season title and two appearances in the national title game. She was a four-time All-SEC selection, a 1st Team All-American in 2018, and won the Gillom Trophy all four years of her career.

Vivians is an important asset for Mississippi State women's basketball

Hiring Victoria Vivians is massive for Sam Purcell. There's no one better to have on staff to sell recruits on Starkville than someone who went through the recruiting process as an elite prospect, played for MSU WBK during it's best run ever, was a first-round pick in the WNBA, and is currently in the league.

She's the walking embodiment of what WBK can be at State. It'll be great to see her return to Humphrey Coliseum later this year.

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