Mississippi State women’s basketball head coach Sam Purcell announced the addition of Corry Irvin to his staff as an assistant coach on Wednesday. Irvin is the second assistant coach announced by Purcell, joining Gabe Lazo, who was announced back in March.
“In order to be successful, you have to hire good people who work hard and have great relationships with others, and that is exactly who Corry Irvin is,” head coach Sam Purcell said. “I got the opportunity to meet Corry nearly 15 years ago when she dominated the high school ranks in Chicago as head coach at Whitney Young [High School], and the two of us have stayed in contact ever since. Her resume speaks volumes about the type of coach she is. She has won at every level of the game, and I know that she will help us win at Mississippi State.”
Irvin, a native of Elgin, Ill., comes to Mississippi State after spending the 2021-22 season as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois. She has over 23 years of coaching experience across every level of basketball with strong national recruiting ties.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to join Sam Purcell and the amazing staff he is assembling to lead Mississippi State,” Irvin said. “Sam is one of the best young coaches in college basketball and the vision he has to lead Mississippi State to new heights is something I believe in and am honored to be a part of. I am looking forward to being able to help our student-athletes grow both on and off the basketball court and my family and I are excited to move to Starkville and be a part of a community that loves and supports women’s basketball. Hail State!
Prior to her time in the Big Ten, Irvin spent two seasons as the head coach at Saint Xavier University in Chicago. She led the Cougars to back-to-back Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference championships with a record of 46-8 (.851) and 32-1 (.969) in the CCAC. Under Irvin’s guidance, SXU was ranked inside the Top 20 and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament.
Before taking over the Saint Xavier program, Irvin spent 18 seasons (2001-19) as the head coach at Chicago’s Whitney Young High School, where she turned the Dolphins into one of Illinois’ best high school basketball programs. She compiled a career record of 449-77 (.854) and won three Illinois State Championships (2008, 2012 and 2014) during her tenure. Irvin was named the National Federation of State High School Associations Coach of the Year three times and was a five-time recipient of the Chicago Public Schools Female Coach of the Year award. Irvin also set an NFHS record with 124 consecutive home wins.
Irvin got her start in coaching as an assistant on Doug Bruno’s staff at DePaul from 1999 through 2001, helping the Blue Demons win a combined 36 games. While on the legendary DePaul head coach’s staff, Irvin led the recruiting efforts for the Blue Demons and oversaw the team’s preseason workout programs.
Irvin prepped at Larkin High School, where she concluded her career as the program’s all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots while also ranking second in scoring. She was the 1992 Courier News Player of the Year and a 2007 inductee into the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame as a player.
Following graduation, Irvin played at Fresno State, where she appeared in 107 games and was named an All-Western Athletic Conference Honorable Mention honoree. She concluded her Bulldog career ranked No. 10 in program history for made field goals (360), No. 9 in rebounds (510) and No. 5 in blocked shots (55).
Irvin earned her bachelor’s degree from Fresno State in 1996. She holds two master’s degrees from the University of Phoenix in curriculum development (2008) and special education (2010).
