After winning more games in his first season than any other head women’s basketball coach in Mississippi State history and leading the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament, Sam Purcell has signed a contract extension through the 2026-27 season. Director of Athletics Zac Selmon announced the news Thursday afternoon.
“Sam Purcell is the winningest first year coach in school history for a program that has a strong and storied tradition of success. He is one of the top rising-star coaches in the country and has made an immediate impact through his expectations of excellence and his commitment to serving our student-athletes in their competitive, academic and personal pursuits. I am thrilled to continue working with Sam as we build upon the success of Mississippi State Women’s Basketball.”
“My family and I have fallen in love with Starkville, and I am so honored to be your Head Women’s Basketball Coach,” Purcell said. “I greatly appreciate our Director of Athletics Zac Selmon, and President Dr. Mark Keenum trusting and believing in me to lead this program for years to come. This extension directly reflects the hard work and countless hours that my staff, and my team, have put in this past season. We work each and every day to make our fan base proud because, without all of you, none of this would be possible. I took this job because Women’s Basketball matters in Starkville, and I take the pride you have in our program seriously. We are building something special here at Mississippi State, and my family and I are so proud to call Mississippi State Home.”
Purcell’s first season as a head coach was a season of ‘firsts’ for the up-and-coming coaching star.
In his first season sitting in the head chair, Purcell became the winningest head coach at Mississippi State in their debut season with 22 wins while also becoming the first to have a winning record in the SEC after going 9-7 and finishing fifth in the toughest conference in the country.
Most impressive, though, is that he guided the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament following a three-year hiatus. No coach in program history had made the NCAA Tournament before their third season leading the program.
On top of that, Purcell became the fastest coach at State to win a pair of NCAA Tournament games. In winning two tournament games, MSU became the first team in NCAA Women’s Basketball history to advance to the tournament’s Second Round after starting in the First Four round.
Purcell helped guide a pair of Bulldogs to All-Conference honors during the 2022-23 season. He coached Jessika Carter to Second Team All-SEC honors and a place on the SEC All-Defensive Team. Carter had a career season under Purcell, setting career bests in points scored (458), blocked shots (65) and assists (42). He also led Debreasha Powe to the SEC All-Freshmen team after a promising rookie campaign for the Mississippi native.
Known as an elite recruiter, Purcell hit the ground running in year one, signing the nation’s 16th-ranked recruiting class despite not having the luxury of an entire season of recruiting. The 2023 signing class, which ranked as the second-best class in program history, just behind MSU’s 2018 class, featured one espnW top 50 recruit, two other top 100 recruits, and a junior college All-American.
