Confident Carter Eyeing One More Big Year For Bulldogs
October 19, 2023 | Women's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Jessika Carter is looking to put an exclamation point on her time at State.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Everywhere Jessika Carter went on Thursday morning, her smile lit up the room.
It was Mississippi State women's hoops' turn at Southeastern Conference Media Days at the Grand Bohemian Hotel. Carter, MSU's star center, along with teammate JerKaila Jordan, made three floors worth of rounds. They answered questions. They posed for pictures. They were top-notch ambassadors for Mississippi State.
For Carter, with her final year in Maroon and White now imminent, it was an especially gratifying moment. She's overcome so much to become one of the very best players in all of college basketball. To have the chance to represent the Bulldogs at such an event was surreal for her.
"I feel like I put in the work," Carter said. "I've done it all. I stuck through everything over the years. This is all just so rewarding."
Carter soaked it all in. She made the absolute most of it. It's not unlike her plans for the upcoming season as she prepares for her Bulldog swan song.
Over the last half decade, Carter has developed so much on the court. She's grown so much off it. It's all led her to this moment – a season she and many others believe could be her finest year yet.
"[Carter's] best basketball is ahead of her," State head coach Sam Purcell proclaimed from the main interview podium Thursday for all to hear. "We named her our leader this year as a fifth-year player. Her body right now, [you can tell she] crushed it in the weight room. When you look at her size, for most tall girls, there's a label of maybe slow or not mobile. She defies all the odds. She's able to get out in space. She can guard a big. She can also guard a point guard."
Purcell's claims are lofty. However, he certainly means what he says. For all Carter has done, Purcell thinks she's far from a finished product, and if his prediction comes to fruition and she elevates even more, that's certainly massive news for State as Carter would already be one of the country's premier players, even if she simply has a repeat of last year.
She was selected to both the All-SEC and All-SEC Defensive teams a season ago, a year in which she led the Dawgs in scoring, field goal percentage, rebounds and blocks. She was also picked as a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Award, an honor presented to the nation's top center.
Is there really another level for Carter to reach? Like her coach, she absolutely believes so.
"Yes, I just have to continue to trust the process," Carter said. "I have to trust what God has in store for me and just work and have fun doing it.
"I want to be as good as I can possibly be. Everyone has always said I have the potential. This year, I want to embrace everything that everyone has told me I'm capable of."
One more year of growth was certainly a big part of Carter's choice to return to Starkville for one last season and not pursue other opportunities just yet. Another part though was the love she's been shown since Purcell arrived in March of 2022.
"I felt like in a way [as I was making my decision], [Purcell] knew I'd be coming back because of the relationship we had," Carter said. "He's like another dad to me. He's always there for me and wants the best for me on and off the court. I've learned so much in one year with him."
Couple Purcell's heart with Carter's feelings towards her fellow Bulldogs and the State family and it appears her choice to return to Starkville was a bit of a no-brainer.
"I knew I would love to come back and play for [Purcell] one more year, as well as with my teammates," Carter said. "Then, finally, just the fans in Starkville. I already had it in my mind I'd be coming back, but then my Senior Night game [last season], the fans came with signs. Everyone in the gym had a sign telling me to come back another year and that was when I said to myself, 'OK, I'm coming back.'"
The news of Carter's return was well received, as you could imagine.
"Thank goodness she said [she was coming back]," Purcell said. "I'm not going to lie. I was out in the streets in Starkville, tootsie rolling, screaming, 'Let's go,' and it was time for the next hashtag because Jessika Carter was coming back."
Likewise, Jordan was overjoyed when she learned Carter was returning.
"My eyes got so big," Jordan remembered. "We were all excited."
What's not to be excited about? Carter already helped the Bulldogs get back in the Big Dance and even had State knocking at the door of the Sweet 16 last season.
It's possible all that was merely an appetizer for the main course Carter hopes to help serve up in her final year at State.
"Her presence on the floor gives us a chance to compete for championships," Purcell said of Carter. "Like I mentioned earlier, I think her best year yet is to come when we're talking about [earning spots on an] All-America Team or First-Team All-SEC. Then ultimately her big goal is to play in [the WNBA]. I think she can achieve it all this year."
