Women's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Women's Basketball Coach
- Email:
- cirvin@athletics.msstate.edu
Corry Irvin joined head coach Sam Purcell and the Mississippi State women’s basketball staff as an assistant coach in April of 2022. Irvin arrived in Starkville following stints as an assistant coach at Illinois and DePaul with head coaching stops at Saint Xavier University and Whitney Young High School.
In her first season in Starkville, Irvin helped guide the Bulldogs back to the NCAA Tournament after a three-year hiatus. Mississippi State entered the 2023 tournament as a No. 11 seed and in the First Four play-in game where they defeated follow 11-seed Illinois before defeating No. 6 seed Creighton to advance to the Second Round and becoming the first team in NCAA Women’s Basketball history to advance to the Second Round after starting in the First Four.
On their way to winning 22 games in season one at MSU, Irvin and the Bulldog staff assisted in the development of a pair of All-SEC selections, Jessika Carter and Debreasha Powe. Irvin helped guide Carter to a career season, including setting career bests in points scored (458), blocked shots (65) and assists (42) while also earning All-SEC Second Team honors and SEC All-Defensive Team honors. He also coached Debreasha Powe to SEC All-Freshmen team after a promising rookie campaign.
Despite missing the majority of the recruiting season, Irvin helped sign the nation's 16th-ranked recruiting class, and the second-best class in program history. The 2023 class featured one espnW top 50 recruit, two additional top 100 recruits, and a junior college All-American.
Irvin, a native of Elgin, Ill., cames to Mississippi State after spending the 2021-22 season as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois. She has over 23 years of coaching experience across every level of basketball with strong national recruiting ties.
Prior to her time in the Big Ten, Irvin spent two seasons as the head coach at Saint Xavier University in Chicago. She led the Cougars to back-to-back Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference championships with a record of 46-8 (.851) and 32-1 (.969) in the CCAC. Under Irvin's guidance, SXU was ranked inside the Top 20 and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament.
Before taking over the Saint Xavier program, Irvin spent 18 seasons (2001-19) as the head coach at Chicago's Whitney Young High School, where she turned the Dolphins into one of Illinois' best high school basketball programs. She compiled a career record of 449-77 (.854) and won three Illinois State Championships (2008, 2012 and 2014) during her tenure. Irvin was named the National Federation of State High School Associations Coach of the Year three times and was a five-time recipient of the Chicago Public Schools Female Coach of the Year award. Irvin also set an NFHS record with 124 consecutive home wins.
Irvin got her start in coaching as an assistant on Doug Bruno's staff at DePaul from 1999 through 2001, helping the Blue Demons win a combined 36 games. While on the legendary DePaul head coach's staff, Irvin led the recruiting efforts for the Blue Demons and oversaw the team's preseason workout programs.
Irvin prepped at Larkin High School, where she concluded her career as the program's all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots while also ranking second in scoring. She was the 1992 Courier News Player of the Year and a 2007 inductee into the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame as a player.
Following graduation, Irvin played at Fresno State, where she appeared in 107 games and was named an All-Western Athletic Conference Honorable Mention honoree. She concluded her Bulldog career ranked No. 10 in program history for made field goals (360), No. 9 in rebounds (510) and No. 5 in blocked shots (55).
Irvin earned her bachelor's degree from Fresno State in 1996. She holds two master's degrees from the University of Phoenix in curriculum development (2008) and special education (2010).
“I am grateful for the opportunity to join Sam Purcell and the amazing staff he is assembling to lead Mississippi State,” Irvin said. “Sam is one of the best young coaches in college basketball and the vision he has to lead Mississippi State to new heights is something I believe in and am honored to be a part of. I am looking forward to being able to help our student-athletes grow both on and off the basketball court and my family and I are excited to move to Starkville and be a part of a community that loves and supports women’s basketball. Hail State!"
