The Right Fit
Sam Purcell and Mississippi State appear to be the perfect match.
Joel Coleman, Senior Writer
3/14/2022
STARKVILLE – Sam Purcell held his cell phone in his right hand and found the perfect angle. The new Mississippi State head women’s basketball coach had been on the job for only a couple of hours on Saturday and on his first visit to campus as an employee, was getting set to capture a video to introduce himself to the Maroon and White faithful.
Humphrey Coliseum as the backdrop? Check.
Wife, Meghan, and daughters Reese, Rylee and Reagan in the picture? Check.
It was time to press record.
“Hey Bulldog family,” Purcell began. “This is your new head coach, Sam Purcell, and this is our family’s first time in this beautiful facility, and I cannot tell you how excited I am for November to get here so we can sell this thing out and get this place rocking. So again, thank you for letting me be your head coach and I cannot wait to meet you soon. Hail State!”
One take. That’s all it took. No re-dos. No script. No stutters. It all came across so naturally.
It was appropriate, because Sam Purcell seems like such a natural fit for Mississippi State, and Mississippi State certainly appears to be a perfect match for Sam Purcell.
Fit.
You hear about it often when coaches take over new programs. It’s vital to find a leader who not only knows his or her stuff, but connects with players, recruits and the community as a whole.
Purcell has already either checked every box or is on the way to doing so.
There’s the current Bulldog roster. Purcell got to work on building those relationships before the ink was dry on his MSU paperwork this past weekend.
“I got a phone list and I was on that right away,” Purcell said. “I was up until 12 o’clock [Saturday night] trying to get as many as I could through text messages and phones and I said, ‘Work with me and give me time.’ And also, ‘Let me get an opportunity to tell you who I am as a person.’ As a head coach and with players, the reason I have had success is through trust. I know that I have to earn their trust and that’s my job.”
Along with starting to gain that trust, there was this reminder to the current Bulldogs.
“Obviously, you didn’t come here for me, but I came here for you,” Purcell said.
Along with the MSU players of the present, Purcell is already reaching out to the next crop of Bulldog talent, too.
For the high-level prospects looking for a collegiate destination, Purcell pitched this message on Twitter:
“Recruits, if you are going to dream, DREAM BIG! Why not us?,” Purcell posted.
He’s even already building relationships with those that’ll eventually be crowding The Hump to see his teams play. On a quick shopping trip to grab attire for his first-ever MSU press conference, Purcell eagerly stopped to introduce himself and take photos with fans – fans that are now on his side. That wasn’t always the case and ironically, that made Purcell’s hire at MSU that much sweeter for him.
Mississippi State played against Purcell and his Louisville team in the 2018 Final Four. The Bulldogs beat the Cardinals in overtime to advance to the National Championship. It was a heartbreaking loss at the time for Purcell, but more stuck with him than just the defeat.
“It’s funny how the good Lord works where I’m playing Mississippi State and look at me now – I’m the head coach,” Purcell said. “I’ll never forget that moment where we’re at the Final Four and [seeing the MSU] fanbase and the alums. As a coach, you’re just trying to get your team right. But to feel that energy on the other side from Mississippi State was impressive. When this opportunity came, it was a no-brainer.”
Purcell is laying his foundation with players, recruits and fans and he’s doing it the only way he knows how – through being real and grinding nonstop.
Again, it’s such a fit. Nothing says honesty and blue-collar work ethic like Mississippi State. They’re traits Bulldogs pride themselves on, and it’s who Sam Purcell is.
Fact is, Purcell knows no other way. Purcell has had to work and climb for everything he’s earned.
When he was named the ninth head coach in Mississippi State history, it was the culmination of more than two decades of work that started at the bottom. He describes his origin in the game like this:
“I always grew up wanting to be a coach. I know a lot of people hear that sometimes and are like, ‘Yeah, he’s just saying that because he’s now one.’
“Neither one of my parents played, but I was introduced to the game of basketball in the third grade, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. My goal when I was little was to learn from the best.
“That passion early to see there’s more to learn about this game pushed me down this path. In college, I was blessed with an opportunity when [new] technology was coming out. Joe Ciampi, a women’s basketball Hall of Famer at Auburn, wanted to hire a video coordinator. Now that’s a standard position. Back then it wasn’t. It was an older staff. They weren’t comfortable with computers. So, they were like, ‘We can help pay for some of your tuition.’ I didn’t come from wealth, so I’m like, ‘What? You can pay for my tuition?’….Let’s do it!”
Purcell’s career was off and running. He’d serve at Auburn through 2005. He coached for three years as an assistant at Tulsa. Purcell spent six years on the staff at Georgia Tech. From there, he started at Louisville in 2013 where he’s been ever since helping Louisville rise to become one of the nation’s elite programs. In the last five seasons alone, the Cardinals have gone 147-19, compiling the third-most wins in the country over that stretch.
Purcell established himself as a workhorse with Louisville. On the recruiting trail, all nine of the signing classes Purcell helped with were ranked in the Top 15 by ESPN. Of the 15 McDonald’s All-Americans in Louisville’s history, 13 were recruited by Purcell.
Of course, Purcell was finding success long before all that. He inked the nation’s top-rated prospect in 2013 at Georgia Tech. He proved it was no fluke when he did so again at Louisville two years later.
Highly-ranked signing classes. Top-rated recruits. It’s an impressive resume to say the least, and more importantly, it’s one that has been established over time.
But how and why is Purcell so good when it comes to attracting the country’s best players?
“I’m just a normal guy,” Purcell explains. “A lot of times, there are coaches that come across that are just different. The one thing that I always hope is that I never change as a person. That’s why I think I can relate to a lot of people. My path and where I’ve been all over the country allows me to open doors because I can understand where people come from. When they get to know me, especially now that I’m a girl dad of three, not only am I a coach, but parents can have a trust factor with me that I truly will take care of their daughter because I will treat them just like I do my own three kids.”
Still, there’s so much more to Purcell than the recruiting component. Just ask the man who hired him, State director of athletics John Cohen.
“[Purcell is] an elite game planner and he’s an elite Xs and Os coach,” Cohen said. “Sometimes, when you give great compliments to somebody in the area of recruiting, it can be misconstrued as, ‘But they’re not an Xs and Os coach.’ This is an Xs and Os coach who is an elite recruiter as well.”
If you’re able to both build a bond with the country’s best players AND coach them up…Well, you can see how the ceiling for Purcell at Mississippi State is so incredibly high.
But don’t just take Cohen’s word for it. Since becoming a Bulldog, Purcell has gotten glowing reviews from many of those he’s crossed paths with.
“MSU is getting a high-energy, passionate guy who loves people as much as he loves Xs and Os and I’m confident he’ll do a great job,” Louisville head coach Jeff Walz said.
Or how about this from former Louisville star and 2020 first-round WNBA Draft pick Jazmine Jones?
“Coach Sam Purcell is a great all-around person,” Jones said. “He works super hard and endless. He’s very passionate about the game because he loves to win and loves what he does for a living. Always has his door open and his phone on no matter what. Definitely someone I could depend on for anything while I was in college and still can to this day! [Mississippi State] is getting a great coach who’s going to work super hard and lose sleep to get the job done no matter what, but on top of that, [MSU is] getting an even better person who’s committed to excellence, has great integrity and is a very loving and caring coach.”
Maybe the best example of who Purcell is comes from his current situation. For the month of March, Purcell is going to pull double duty. He’ll continue in his role as associate coach for Louisville in the NCAA Tournament, where the Cardinals are a No. 1 seed.
Purcell isn’t scared of a little extra work and he’s a man of his word.
“I’ve always been taught, what you start, you finish,” Purcell said.
When the Big Dance is done, Purcell will head to Starkville full time. Then, he’ll be ready to prove just how good of a fit he really is.
“When I’ve grown in this business, everybody always tells you, ‘Just don’t take any job. Take the job that fits,’” Purcell said. “When this opportunity came, it was a no-brainer because my heart is in the SEC… My family is from the South so it just checked all the boxes and was a no-brainer in all aspects of my life, not just basketball. I’m excited to move my family when I can and get down here to meet as many people as we can and get this thing back rocking.
“I think there are a lot of things that go into my favor in where I’m at in my career. I can relate to players. I’m not a coach that’s on the back end looking for a retirement job. My wife’s family is right down the road. My family is in Florida. So, I plan to stay here for a long time.”
