Top 100 forward Nataliyah Gray becomes Mississippi State's first 2025 commitment
Sam Purcell has his first commitment of the class of 2025.
A day after Houston, Texas forward Nataliyah Gray left Starkville from her official visit, the four-star is now a Mississippi State Bulldog.
The 6’3 Gray chose the Bulldogs over a final seven that included Houston, Georgia, Alabama, James Madison, Memphis and St. Louis. Alabama, Houston and Memphis grabbed visits from her in September with a trip to St. Louis earlier in the summer.
“Coach [Sam] Purcell is an amazing person outside of the basketball court,” Gray told Talia Goodman of On3. “He’s just an amazing person with a positive attitude and he just brings so much love to the sport and so much passion, so much energy. I love basketball, so having a head coach that loves it just as much as you, maybe even a little bit more, that can pour it into you – it’s a no brainer.
“I’m very spiritual and I’m big on God and I’ve been praying. I was like, ‘God, when I go on these visits, just give me a sign. Give me something. Give me a feeling. I felt that feeling at Mississippi State.”
It’s big news for Purcell as he and his State staff have been hot on the trail for commitments over the last few months. The Bulldogs have brought in double-digit four-star recruits since the summer with 10 players listed in ESPN’s top 100 for the class. Gray is the first of the crew to make the call for State and she is ranked No 95 nationally and No. 6 in the state of Texas.
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Gray will bring a versatile skill set to the table for the Bulldogs next year. She jumped into the top 100 this summer as a fast-rising prospect after coming through with a couple of strong season for Alief Taylor High School and on the summer circuit.
Over her career, Gray has amassed over 2,000 points with 1,087 rebounds. She’s averaged 20.7 points per game over her career, 11.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.
The addition of Gray starts off what could be Purcell’s best class if the coach can land a few of the visitors that have already been to campus the last few months. The Bulldogs hosted five stars Madison Francis and Ayla McDowell as well as other four stars like Jada Civil, Jaylah Lampley, Jayla Forbes, Finley Chastain, Naomi Benson and Joy Egbuna.
A brand-new staff made up of Fred Castro, Anita Howard, Samantha Williams and former State great Victoria Vivians are at work building for 2024-25 and the future. A new-look roster will take the court for the first time on November 7 at Humphrey Coliseum when the Bulldogs play the Memphis Tigers.
