Women's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Women's Basketball Coach
- Email:
- mpage@athletics.msstate.edu
Murriel Page joined head coach Sam Purcell and the Mississippi State women’s basketball staff as an assistant coach in April of 2022. Page arrived in Starkville following stints as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech, Central Michigan and Florida and an impressive 11-year WNBA Career.
In her first season in Starkville, Page 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.
Page worked closely with the forwards and assisted in the development of a pair of All-SEC selections, Jessika Carter and Debreasha Powe. Page 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, Page 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.
Page came to Starkville following a two-year stint with one of Purcell's mentors and current Georgia Tech head coach, Nell Fortner. While with the Yellow Jackets, Page helped guide Georgia Tech to a pair of NCAA Tournaments, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2021. Working closely with the post players, which she will also do at Mississippi State, Page helped guide forward Lorela Cubaj to back-to-back ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors, WBCA All-America honorable mention honors and All-ACC First Team honors.
"Murriel is Mississippi born and raised and the absolute perfect final piece to my coaching staff here at Mississippi State," Purcell said. "Being able to hire a coach that has played in the WNBA, was an All-American in the SEC, and has won at every stage of her career is invaluable for myself and our student-athletes. As a head coach, I want all my players to reach their dreams and play at the next level, and what better way to help them achieve those dreams than to give them the opportunity to learn from someone who has already done it? Murriel comes to Starkville and immediately makes our team better, and I am just so excited about this staff and this upcoming season!"
Page, a native of Bay Springs, Mississippi, spent 11 seasons in the WNBA playing for the Washington Mystics and the Los Angeles Sparks. She was the first player drafted in Mystics history when they took her third overall in the 1998 WNBA Draft. Page put together a remarkable career culminating in her being inducted into the Washington Mystics Hall of Fame in May as part of its inaugural hall of fame class.
"I'm grateful and excited to join Coach Purcell and the great staff that he's assembled at Mississippi State, "Page said. "I'm looking forward to returning to my home state of Mississippi and the SEC to represent the Bulldogs. I can't wait to start working with the team and continue to motivate and mentor our young women. It is an honor to be a part of a program that is rich in tradition and excellence. Hail State!"
Page brings over a decade of coaching experience after entering the coaching ranks in 2010 when she became an assistant coach at the University of Florida. While coaching at her alma mater, Page helped the Gators to three NCAA Tournament appearances (2012, 2014, 2016), five 20+ win seasons and 130 total wins. While in Gainesville, she also helped Gator student-athletes earn eight All-SEC honors, including three First Team All-SEC honorees highlighted by a pair of WNBA draft picks in Jennifer George and Ronni Williams.
Page spent three seasons at Central Michigan as an assistant coach, following her seven seasons in Gainesville. While working with the Chippewas, Page helped lead SMU to a 78-20 overall record, two NCAA Tournaments, including a run to the Sweet 16 in 2018 and four MAC Championships. Primarily working with the posts, Page helped tutor three different players to become MAC Player of the Year winners, Tinara Moore, Reyna Frost and Micaela Kelly. Both Moore and Frost earned All-America accolades and became the MAC leaders in career rebounds.
Page was a standout player in the SEC and at the University of Florida, where she was a two-time All-SEC First Team honoree in 1997 and 1998, with multiple All-America honors in both seasons. Her 1998 senior season was one to remember as Page was a finalist for the AP National Player of the Year award, the Wade Trophy, and the Naismith Player of the Year award. She ended her Gator career as the second-leading scorer in program history with 1,915 career points and has the second-most rebounds in program history with 1,251 boards. She is the only Gator to record over 1,800 career points and at least 1,200 career rebounds.
Page graduated from Florida in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in sports and exercise science.
