Raising The Bar
November 08, 2023 | Women's Basketball, Joel Coleman
After ending last season on a roll, JerKaila Jordan begins a new year embracing a leadership role for the Bulldogs.
STARKVILLE – Who could ever forget how last season ended for Jerkaila Jordan?
The dynamic Mississippi State guard played the very best basketball of her collegiate career down the stretch and was a big reason why the Bulldogs ultimately punched a ticket to the big dance and knocked at the door of a Sweet 16.
Well, it's only one game into a new year, but it certainly appears Jordan has picked up right where she left off. And the best news of all for MSU is she has no plans of slowing down.
Jordan began the 2023-24 campaign with a double-double Monday night in a 77-42 win over Alcorn State. She did a little bit of everything in the victory.
She scored 26 points. She had a career-best 13 rebounds and swiped six steals. It was almost like it was still last February.
"I've joked, last year she was Ms. February, but why can't she, this year, be Ms. November, Ms. December, Ms. January and Ms. February if we're trying to go as far as we are," State head coach Sam Purcell said.
So far, so good, because Jordan couldn't be stopped on Monday. On an evening the Bulldogs ushered in the new – a new season, new players and a new-look Humphrey Coliseum – it was the familiar that stole the show from the jump.
Jordan had 11 points and five boards in the first quarter alone. With a handful of early steals as well, she was flirting with a triple-double. She was a woman on a mission.
"I just think it was me anxious and ready to get back on the court," Jordan said of her fast start. "Especially doing it in front of the fans. We've been practicing and had an eight-week summer, so it just felt good to go out there and have someone cheer you on besides just your teammates and coaches."
It'd be easy to tie Jordan's performance to the confidence she built at the tail end of last season when she scored in double figures in nine of MSU's final 11 games. She eclipsed the 20-point mark in four of those contests.
None of that's to even mention how she was rebounding like a post player and playing lock-down defense. Every bit of that was still happening Monday.
But for Jordan, this season is about so much more than just a continuation of last year. She feels a responsibility to lead.
'It's also like, I'm a senior now," Jordan said. "So, I want to set the standard for the transfers and the freshmen. I just want to teach them stuff that I didn't know when I was a sophomore or things I didn't know when I was a freshman. Every day I just want to go out there and set the bar high for them. I want them to try and pass me."
Purcell is loving Jordan's attitude. It's a sign of personal growth, sure, but it's also an indicator of the now-developed relationship Purcell has with his player.
Remember, Purcell was a first-year head coach last season. Throughout the year, he was getting to know all of his Bulldogs better. Now, those bonds have been fortified.
"The hardest thing about year one [as a coach] is, yeah, you're named the head coach, but the kids are just like, 'OK, you're my head coach.' You need to go through some time," Purcell explained. "That's why we had a March like no other. Because we had time. For me to have year two, then me and Jerk have hard conversations and me set the bar for what I need out of her and what she's capable of, it's been great. She responded on opening night."
She absolutely did. Consider the bar raised.
