Jerkaila Jordan ready to leave lasting legacy at Mississippi State in senior year

Senior year has arrived for Jerkaila Jordan and she is ready to leave her legacy at Mississippi State.

After putting together a Freshman All-American caliber season at Tulane, Jordan came to Starkville in 2021 and has been a star for the Bulldogs since. She now enters her fourth season at State.

Jordan has played in 97 career games at State with 1,356 points and 537 rebounds. She’s hoping to make this year the best season of her career.

With the season looming for State, Jordan spoke to the media this month about her expectations for the season, the new coaching staff and more.

Question: You had a chance to move on but you chose to return for your final year here. What went into that decision and how excited are you for the season?

JJ: “I’m very excited. I would say that it was a no-brainer I was coming back – 100%. Getting another year to play in the Hump in front of the fans and another year with coach Sam Purcell. I see the vision that he has for this team and being the player that he needs and being the player that my teammates need. There was no doubt that I was coming back.”

Q: What have been your early impressions of Victoria Vivians as your assistant coach?

JJ: “She made a big impact in just a few days. I feel like she’s a good leader to have back. She played here at Mississippi State and been on the platform we’d like to get to. A lot of these girls want to go pro, so having a pro player that you can compete with and get advice from is something that you could never imagine. She’s a good person to have on staff and we look forward to learning some stuff from her.”

Q: With the new age of college sports there’s a lot of roster turnover. What’s been your thoughts on this new roster?

JJ: “It’s good for us. It’s like a fresh start. We have a lot of players like Eniya Russell from Kentucky, Denim DeShields from UAB who add experience. Right now, we’re just trying to figure out who we are as a team with all of these new players. We’re 100% going behind the vision that coach Sam has for us and listening to these coaches on the coaching staff. I’m confident that they can lead us back to the tournament.”

Q: The team motto this year is ‘Own It’. What does that mean for you guys?

JJ: “Basically what coach Sam has for us is to own everything. Own every opportunity, own every mistake, just own everything as a player and as a team. It’s just going out there and embracing everything and being one. Owning everything that we do this year.”

Q: Along with the new players on the team, the staff under Sam is entirely new. What are your thoughts on that group?

JJ: “This staff has a very strong personality, especially the head coach. I love each and every one of the coaches. Coach (Anita) Howard, Coach Fred (Castro), coach Sam (Williams), coach Victoria Vivians. I feel like they mesh together really well. Coach Howard and Coach Vic try to keep it young. I feel like we can learn from all of them together. They’re a very smart group and they’re going to lead a spark.”

Q: How has the chemistry of this team been so far?

JJ: “Honestly, the thing that impressed me the most is how fast we all clicked together. I’m not sure if it’s because we’re all new and trying to learn each other, but I felt like this team clicked. We have strong chemistry on and off the court. We take team trips all the time and that helps us.

“But we’re trying to learn each other. We’re trying to figure out how to communicate with each other. Everyone doesn’t communicate the same so we’re still learning each other. But I feel like this team is bonding very well.”

Q: What do you want your legacy to be at State this year?

JJ: “I just want to be a player that gave her all every game. I want to get back to the tournament. I want to be first-team All-SEC, All-Defensive team. I want to be a draft pick. I’m going for it all.”

Q: What’s it been like helping Madina Okot adjust to life in the states?

“She told me back at home one class is three hours so she’s in class for nine hours. I told her that was unacceptable, I’m not doing class for nine hours. She came here and class was just 50 minutes. But she’s adjusted well and is going to help us. She’s going to help us a lot. We’re trying to embrace her, but she’s kind of more American than me. Go ask her to do a Tik Tok dance.”