The Power Of One
October 19, 2023 | Women's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Sam Purcell's slogan last season at Mississippi State posed the question "Why not us?".
And after becoming the first coach in the program's storied past to win 22 games and take the Bulldogs dancing in the first year at the helm, Purcell requested that people (including past and present U.S. Presidents) "talk to me nice". MSU went on to make more history by becoming the first "First Four" team in NCAA Tournament history to advance to the second round and were two possessions away from reaching the Sweet 16.
The team's motto for Purcell's second year in Starkville is a single word: one.
Purcell had those three letters proudly displayed on the tongue of his custom-made Adidas shoes during SEC Media Day and was more than happy to share his message with any and everyone on the premises of the Grand Bohemian Hotel on Thursday.
"Last year's slogan was 'why not us?' and we achieved that goal," Purcell said. "But in Year 2, we're trying to take one more step to the next level."
Purcell went on to explain that the lone numeral can be applied to many different aspects of his program. One of those is the work and sacrifice his team is willing to make on a daily basis to be at their best.
"We had an unbelievable run last year, but can our daily habits and no one outworks us mentality get us to the next level?" Purcell asked. "No doubt, we have the talent on paper. But paper doesn't win championships. We have to wake up every day and stack days so that we can have one special season."
And speaking of one, Purcell had one more year added to the end of his contract following his first season and received a substantial salary raise on top of that. Purcell's new contract runs through the 2026-27 season, the maximum allowed under law by the state of Mississippi.
"This was a dream job and a dream opportunity," Purcell said. "And for them to give me an extension right out of the gate is huge. Most importantly, it shows my commitment back to this university and is only going to help the needle move for more great things to come for this program."
Purcell stood behind the podium on the main stage at SEC Media Day and announced that MSU had sold out its season tickets in the lower bowl as well as all club seating inside the newly renovated Humphrey Coliseum.
The Bulldogs rank inside the top 15 nationally in attendance in each of the past seven seasons and have averaged nearly 5,000 fans a game during that span. The support from such a loyal and devout fan base is what lured Purcell to pursue the job in the first place and is a big reason behind the program's success for the better part of a decade.
"I get to coach a great group of young women and have an administration that values women's basketball," Purcell said. "But most importantly, we have one of the top 15 fan bases the last seven years. There's an energy about that place that they want to win and I want to win too. It's a great match."
State enters the season ranked 25th and returns five players and three starters from last year's NCAA Tournament team. The Bulldogs bring back their top two scorers in Jessika Carter (14.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Jerkaila Jordan (11.9 ppg) as well as SEC All-Freshman selection Debreasha Powe. Purcell also inked the program's second-best signing class ever along with the No. 3 transfer portal haul in the country.
And of course, all those numbers, rankings and statistics bring things back to one.
"I told our team that the only way we're going to lose this year is if we can't come together as one," Purcell said. "Within one, each one of you are going to have different opportunities to be the leading scorer, rebounder or be a star that night. It's not going to be a one-person ship. If we can operate within the dynamics of that, then we can have one special opportunity."
Mississippi State may have made history during Purcell's initial season. But three games in the limelight of March Madness and being so close to advancing to the Sweet 16 left the Bulldogs starving for even more in Year 2.
"We're some Dawgs, some hungry Dawgs," Purcell said. "We had some success last year and got a taste of that second round as we made history. We bring back five players off last year's team and three of them happen to be starters. We're hungry for more and hungry for the opportunities that await for us on this year's schedule."
MSU opens the season at home against Alcorn State on Nov. 6.Â
