One phrase encapsulated the Mississippi State University women’s basketball team’s 2022-2023 season: “Why not us?”
The Bulldogs, led by first-year head coach Sam Purcell, made a surprise NCAA Tournament run where they defeated Creighton University in the first round. They fell just short of a Sweet Sixteen appearance following a 53-48 second round loss to the University of Notre Dame.
Coach Purcell’s historic season marked him as the Bulldogs’ most successful first-year head coach with a record of 22-7 (9-7 SEC).
After last season’s accomplishments, Mississippi State is looking to pick up where they left off for their 2023-2024 season.
Mississippi State opens the year ranked No. 25 in the Associated Press’s Top 25 poll, where they have not been featured since February 2021.
From the 2022-23 season, the Bulldogs returned five players: senior guard JerKaila Jordan, graduate student forward and center Jessika Carter, sophomore guard/forward Debreasha Powe, senior forward Ramani Parker and junior forward Nyayongah Gony.
Jordan, Carter, Powe and Parker played important roles in the 2022 season and will provide this season’s team with much needed leadership.
Jordan averaged 11.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.2 steals per game while she started and played in all 33 games last season.
Carter averaged 14.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in 31 games while starting in 30 games. From her efforts last season, Carter was named to the 2023 Second Team All-SEC list and the 2023 SEC All-Defensive Team. This season, she was named to the 2023-2024 Preseason All-SEC Second Team.
Powe was named to the 2023 SEC All-Freshman team after starting 32 of 33 games with an average of 8.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. 
Parker played in 22 of 33 games and started one game. She averaged 4.8 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game.
The Bulldogs’ roster has had some noticeable changes since last season, as Purcell and his staff have incoming freshmen signees and transfer portal players joining the team.
Mississippi State attacked the transfer portal, making splash signings with graduate student guard Lauren Park-Lane from Seton Hall University, Erynn Barnum from the University of Arkansas and senior guard Darrione Rogers from DePaul University. Their efforts in the portal earned them the title of third-best transfer portal class this summer.
Park-Lane will make for a great offensive weapon for the Bulldogs. Ranked as the No. 16 transfer recruit by ESPN, she averaged 20.8 points per game last season and ranks second on the active career assists leaders list with a total of 698. 
Barnum was named to the 2023 All-SEC Second Team List and was ranked as the No. 21 transfer recruit by ESPN.
In her senior season at Arkansas, Barnum averaged 15.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, totaling 66 assists, 38 blocks and 47 steals while starting in all 37 games for the Razorbacks.
Rogers was ranked by ESPN as the No. 19 transfer recruit and averaged 16.8 points, 5.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. In three seasons at DePaul, Rogers scored 1,109 points and 555 in the 2022-2023 season alone.
The Bulldogs 2022 signing class included JUCO ALL-American junior guard Meloney Thames from Jones Community College and three four-star freshmen: forward Quanirah Montague from Atlantic City High School in Atlantic City, New Jersey, guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger from Example Academy in Shorewood, Illinois and guard Mjracle Sheppard from Monteverde Academy in Kent, Washington.
With the schedule set and the roster finalized, the Bulldogs are geared up for another season, and the Maroon and White faithful patiently await to see what this year will bring for women’s basketball.
Mississippi State’s 49th season tips off Nov. 6 at home in the Humphrey Coliseum against Alcorn State University. The game is set for 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on SEC Network.