Mississippi State women’s basketball eyeing return to NCAA Tournament

STARKVILLE — Sam Purcell doesn’t want to put a label on expectations. The first-year Mississippi State women’s basketball coach isn’t making declarations of his program returning to the NCAA Tournament, but if his players want to, they can.

And they did.

Moments before Purcell walked into the Humphrey Coliseum media room Tuesday, junior guard JerKaila Jordan left nothing for the imagination when asked if MSU had what it took to return to March Madness for the first time since 2019.

“Yes,” she said.

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Graduate transfer Asianae Johnson sat to Jordan’s left. She took it one step further.

“Man, we’re the dream team,” Johnson said.

Sitting to Jordan’s right, Florida State transfer guard Kourtney Weber chimed in.

“We practice every day with a top-25 mentality,” Weber said. “Especially (Purcell) coming from one of those programs. We practice with intensity every day to get Mississippi State back there.”

Purcell wants to see his team “when the lights come on” before he makes similar predictions, but his constant message makes it apparent he believes MSU belongs deep in March competition.

His social media posts often remind fans and recruits of the Final Fours trips Mississippi State had less than five years ago. He frequently praises MSU fans for their care and investment in the women’s game.

Purcell doesn’t need to proclaim Mississippi State has the resources for deep tournament runs because it has been proven. It’s why he wants his players to set those expectations even if he won’t yet.

“That’s why they came here. I’m not dumb,” Purcell said. “That’s why I came here. But at the same time, my job is to make sure we win the day. Whereas their job, it’s good that they have goals for deeper things than just today.”

The team’s offseason training had a clear fixation on tying to focus workouts on those goals. New strength coach Kaiti Jones created a map with a trail from Starkville to Dallas, where the Final Four is held this season.

It’s about 500 miles, and the team needed to cover that distance on “Final Four Fridays.”

The team was divided into groups with four stations. If 21 miles was the distance needed to be covered, players would ride that far on stationary bikes.

“Every Friday would be a step closer to us getting to the Final Four,” Jordan said. “It was competitive and it was hard, but it was good motivation for us in the summer.”

The work to return to elite status is evident throughout Humphrey Coliseum. Construction vests and hard hats are as common as practice jerseys and basketballs.

Echoes of tools are met by constant shouting on the practice court. Assistants and practices players are engaged throughout drills.

Purcell, whose energy is well-documented, often stands back in silence and watches. But when he sees a flaw, he’s quick to step in and explain.

For a coach who emphasized a need to build…