Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Purcell and Staff Sign One Of The Nation’s Top Classes For 2023
November 18, 2022 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE – The 2023 women's basketball early signing period has come and gone. For the Mississippi State women's basketball program under first-year head coach Sam Purcell, it's a class that will turn heads, open eyes and serve as a building block for a staff determined to get Mississippi State back to the elite.
Coach Purcell and his coaching staff, Murriel Page, Corry Irvin and Gabe Lazo, wasted no time hitting the recruiting trails once hired back in March and April of 2022. The group spent countless hours in airports, in traffic, in gymnasiums, and most importantly, in the living rooms of future Bulldog greats. Those countless hours culminated in the signing of four standout student-athletes that will elevate Mississippi State women's basketball both on the court and in the community.
Coach Purcell came to Mississippi State with a reputation of being one of the best recruiters in the country, and even though he didn't have the luxury of an entire season of recruiting as a head coach, he and his staff showcased their talents and landed some of the best and brightest from across the country. Mississippi State's 2023 signing class has drawn praise from many in the media and different scouting services from around the country. Mississippi State's signing class ranking is tied for second in program history with the signing class from 2018. Junior All-Stars, which focuses solely on women's basketball recruiting, ranked the class 16th nationally (4th in the SEC), while espnW ranked the Bulldogs 21st nationally (6th in the SEC). State's 2019 signing class was ranked fifth and sixth nationally.
"Let me start by shouting out my staff and all the hours they spent grinding to bring some of the best players from across the country to Starkville, Miss. Without them, none of this is possible, so I really want to thank them for working so hard since day one," Purcell said. "Y'all, this class is special. We're bringing in four special young women that are really going to balance our team. These young women are talented basketball players, but more importantly, we are bringing in young women with high character and that come from great families. When we were recruiting each of them, they told us how excited they were to be a part of the Starkville community and Mississippi State because they could really feel that women's basketball mattered, and it wasn't just words. I'm excited for the opportunity to coach them and I'm excited for the future of Mississippi State women's basketball."
The first player to jump on board and trust the vision of Coach Purcell was Mjarcle Sheppard, who committed to Mississippi State on Oct. 24. Sheppard is a 4-star guard from Bellevue, Wash., who plays her high school ball at famed Montverde Academy in Florida. She is rated as the No. 86 overall prospect and the No. 2 ranked player from the state of Washington by espnW. She was ranked 94th nationally by Junior All-Stars. Sheppard helped lead Montverde Academy to a national championship during her junior campaign. During their championship run, Sheppard paced the team as the lead guard averaging a team-high 4.3 assists per game while finishing sixth in scoring at 7.2 points per game. Sheppard also led the team in steals per game at 2.6 per contest. She chose to play at MSU over other SEC schools in Florida, Georgia and Alabama.
Shortly after Sheppard committed to MSU, coach Purcell got his second commitment for 2023 in Jasmine Brown, who committed on Nov. 4. Brown is rated as a 4-star guard from Joliet, Ill., who prepped at Example Academy. The 5-9 guard is ranked as the No. 54 overall prospect, the No. 20 guard and the No. 1 player from the state of Illinois, according to espnW, while Junior All-Stars has Brown ranked as the No. 42 player in the country. Over the summer, Brown was invited to the U18 USA Basketball National Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo., as one of the top high school players in the country. Last season Brown filled up the stat sheet for Example Academy with 19.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.2 steals per game. Before attending Example Academy, Brown starred at Joliet Catholic High School, averaging 16.5 points per game, 5.1 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 2.5 assists per contest. Brown chose MSU over Iowa, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Alabama and others.
Although the first two signees for MSU were guards, the Maroon and White also landed a future star in post player Quanirah Cherry-Montague. Nicknamed 'Nir Nir', she is rated as a 4-star recruit and ranked as the No. 48 overall prospect in the country according to espnW, while also earning a national ranking of No. 30 by Junior All-Stars. Cherry-Montague stands a 6-6 with a 6-11 wingspan and possesses the skills to play both at the top of the key and in the paint. She can play all five positions on the court, playing with her back to the basket and scoring in the paint, beating opponents off the dribble and scoring on dribble drives. Cherry-Montague has been a mainstay in the Atlantic City High School rotation since she stepped foot on campus as a freshman. She has improved her game each season, and most recently, as a junior, she averaged a double-double (12.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game) while also averaging 2.9 blocks per contest. She chose MSU over Ohio State, Penn State and many others.
The final addition to the 2023 signing class during the early signing period was a local star and someone who grew up always wanting to attend her dream school in Mississippi State, Meloney Thames of Choctaw, Miss. Thames, currently in her sophomore season at Jones College, is one of the best scoring guards in the 2023 class. An NJCAA All-American during the 2021-22 season, Thames has not only picked up right where she left off last season, she's surpassing last season. After averaging 16.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game last season, Thames is averaging 26.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists for eighth-ranked Jones College. In the first two weeks of the season, Thames earned both MACCC Player of the Week honors for her stellar play. Thames led Jones College to the program's first NJCAA Final Four appearance during her freshman campaign, earning NJCAA All-Tournament Team honors.
2023 Signing Class
Mjracle Sheppard
Jasmine Brown
Quanirah Cherry-Montague
Meloney Thames
Coach Purcell and his coaching staff, Murriel Page, Corry Irvin and Gabe Lazo, wasted no time hitting the recruiting trails once hired back in March and April of 2022. The group spent countless hours in airports, in traffic, in gymnasiums, and most importantly, in the living rooms of future Bulldog greats. Those countless hours culminated in the signing of four standout student-athletes that will elevate Mississippi State women's basketball both on the court and in the community.
Coach Purcell came to Mississippi State with a reputation of being one of the best recruiters in the country, and even though he didn't have the luxury of an entire season of recruiting as a head coach, he and his staff showcased their talents and landed some of the best and brightest from across the country. Mississippi State's 2023 signing class has drawn praise from many in the media and different scouting services from around the country. Mississippi State's signing class ranking is tied for second in program history with the signing class from 2018. Junior All-Stars, which focuses solely on women's basketball recruiting, ranked the class 16th nationally (4th in the SEC), while espnW ranked the Bulldogs 21st nationally (6th in the SEC). State's 2019 signing class was ranked fifth and sixth nationally.
"Let me start by shouting out my staff and all the hours they spent grinding to bring some of the best players from across the country to Starkville, Miss. Without them, none of this is possible, so I really want to thank them for working so hard since day one," Purcell said. "Y'all, this class is special. We're bringing in four special young women that are really going to balance our team. These young women are talented basketball players, but more importantly, we are bringing in young women with high character and that come from great families. When we were recruiting each of them, they told us how excited they were to be a part of the Starkville community and Mississippi State because they could really feel that women's basketball mattered, and it wasn't just words. I'm excited for the opportunity to coach them and I'm excited for the future of Mississippi State women's basketball."
The first player to jump on board and trust the vision of Coach Purcell was Mjarcle Sheppard, who committed to Mississippi State on Oct. 24. Sheppard is a 4-star guard from Bellevue, Wash., who plays her high school ball at famed Montverde Academy in Florida. She is rated as the No. 86 overall prospect and the No. 2 ranked player from the state of Washington by espnW. She was ranked 94th nationally by Junior All-Stars. Sheppard helped lead Montverde Academy to a national championship during her junior campaign. During their championship run, Sheppard paced the team as the lead guard averaging a team-high 4.3 assists per game while finishing sixth in scoring at 7.2 points per game. Sheppard also led the team in steals per game at 2.6 per contest. She chose to play at MSU over other SEC schools in Florida, Georgia and Alabama.
Shortly after Sheppard committed to MSU, coach Purcell got his second commitment for 2023 in Jasmine Brown, who committed on Nov. 4. Brown is rated as a 4-star guard from Joliet, Ill., who prepped at Example Academy. The 5-9 guard is ranked as the No. 54 overall prospect, the No. 20 guard and the No. 1 player from the state of Illinois, according to espnW, while Junior All-Stars has Brown ranked as the No. 42 player in the country. Over the summer, Brown was invited to the U18 USA Basketball National Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colo., as one of the top high school players in the country. Last season Brown filled up the stat sheet for Example Academy with 19.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.2 steals per game. Before attending Example Academy, Brown starred at Joliet Catholic High School, averaging 16.5 points per game, 5.1 rebounds, 2.5 steals, and 2.5 assists per contest. Brown chose MSU over Iowa, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Alabama and others.
Although the first two signees for MSU were guards, the Maroon and White also landed a future star in post player Quanirah Cherry-Montague. Nicknamed 'Nir Nir', she is rated as a 4-star recruit and ranked as the No. 48 overall prospect in the country according to espnW, while also earning a national ranking of No. 30 by Junior All-Stars. Cherry-Montague stands a 6-6 with a 6-11 wingspan and possesses the skills to play both at the top of the key and in the paint. She can play all five positions on the court, playing with her back to the basket and scoring in the paint, beating opponents off the dribble and scoring on dribble drives. Cherry-Montague has been a mainstay in the Atlantic City High School rotation since she stepped foot on campus as a freshman. She has improved her game each season, and most recently, as a junior, she averaged a double-double (12.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game) while also averaging 2.9 blocks per contest. She chose MSU over Ohio State, Penn State and many others.
The final addition to the 2023 signing class during the early signing period was a local star and someone who grew up always wanting to attend her dream school in Mississippi State, Meloney Thames of Choctaw, Miss. Thames, currently in her sophomore season at Jones College, is one of the best scoring guards in the 2023 class. An NJCAA All-American during the 2021-22 season, Thames has not only picked up right where she left off last season, she's surpassing last season. After averaging 16.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game last season, Thames is averaging 26.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists for eighth-ranked Jones College. In the first two weeks of the season, Thames earned both MACCC Player of the Week honors for her stellar play. Thames led Jones College to the program's first NJCAA Final Four appearance during her freshman campaign, earning NJCAA All-Tournament Team honors.
2023 Signing Class
Mjracle Sheppard
Jasmine Brown
Quanirah Cherry-Montague
Meloney Thames
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