Sam Purcell becomes fastest to 50 wins at Mississippi State
Wednesday night was a milestone for coach Sam Purcell in his third season as Mississippi State’s women’s basketball coach.
After an 81-44 blowout over the Mercer Bears, Purcell got a confetti bath from his team as the coach earned win number 50 in his young career. The Bulldog head man was the fastest to that mark in the program’s history.
“I’ve never scored a point. I’ve had great people and great assistant coaches. Most importantly, shoutout to my administration who gives me the resources and the opportunity to go out and get the best players in the country,” Purcell said. “When you’ve got all of that in one simple circle, it allows you an opportunity to win and win a lot. We’re not done.”
Purcell finding has found success as head coach
The Dalton, Ga., native began his career as a student assistant for Auburn back in 2000 and spent time at Tulsa and Georgia Tech before joining Jeff Walz’s Louisville staff in 2013. As one of Walz’s prized assistant coaches for five years, Purcell helped sign some of the best classes in the country and was part of a crew that went to the Final Four twice.
MSU hired Purcell as its coach in 2022 and he led the Bulldogs to a 22-11 record in year one with a fifth place finish in the SEC and an NCAA Tournament appearance. It was the first time since 2018-19 that the Bulldogs had been to the postseason and first time since 2019-20 they had earned 20 or more wins.
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Though State missed out on the NCAA Tournament last year, the Bulldogs finished 23-12 as Purcell led State to back-to-back 20-win seasons. MSU made the WBIT and would win two ball games before bowing out in the Quarterfinals with a loss on the road at Penn State.
This year’s team is off to a 5-0 start with a defense that has held all five opponents under 60 points and 30% shooting. The Bulldogs have done that despite having a roster nearly completely retooled as Purcell landed seven transfers and three high school recruits.
The coach was proud to notch his milestone, but more grateful for the people that have helped him get to that spot in the first two and a half years.
“I’m fortunate to have a university that gave a first-time head coach an opportunity,” Purcell said. “You need one school to believe in you, so it means the world that Mississippi State believed in me.”
