The good vibes are back at Humphrey Coliseum.
Mississippi State women’s basketball is less than three weeks away from its season opener, and players both new and old are looking forward to the opportunity to carry the program forward into a new era under first-year head coach Sam Purcell.
For point guard Anastasia Hayes, the struggles of last season were a disappointment, but it’s also been fuel. The preseason second-team all-SEC guard was one of seven players to finish the 2021-22 season for the Bulldogs. Even as they entered the final stretch of their schedule they had a realistic chance of making the NCAA tournament, but the losses piled up, and ultimately they ended with a first-round exit in the SEC tournament.
“It was very disappointing, but I’m so proud of us and how we did, having only seven players,” Hayes said. “But I didn’t want it to end; I wanted to win. I really, really want to win, and that was my biggest take on coming back. I’m a winner and I hate losing, so having the opportunity to come back and be able to showcase that we can win, that’s really what I focused on.
“Coach Sam told me everything he wanted to do for this program, and after talking to him I felt like this is something I’m interested in,” she added. “I’m willing to go all in and buy in and come back and win championships.”
Ahlana Smith shares that belief. She played under Purcell at Louisville, a role player on a team that made it to the Final Four last March, and like Purcell and Hayes and every other player who found their way to Starkville, she wants more and thinks that this is the place to find that.
At Louisville, Smith played in nearly every game but never quite broke through as a starter. In Starkville, she has the chance to find more minutes and make a greater impact
“I think the main thing is that I trust him,” Smith said when asked what factored into her decision. “He’s a great guy on and off the court. He had so much success at Louisville, he brought that program to where it was and where it is now, and I feel like he knows what he’s doing, and he wants to be a part of something big and change the program and the culture here, and I was all in for it.”
Smith and Purcell came from a team that values intensity and pressing defense, something that became an important part of Mississippi State’s identity during its ascent in the 2010s. The Bulldogs tried to keep that up the last couple of years, but transfers and injuries depleted the roster of the strength to sustain their ambitions.
Smith believes now, however, that the strength in depth is back.
“Absolutely,” she said when asked about the team’s ability to sustain a high intensity style. “I think we have a good 10, 12 deep on this team right now. We’re still trying to figure out each other’s strengths and weaknesses and get all the kinks out right now, but that’s what the summer and the preseason is for, but I really like how our team is looking this year.”
Smith believes that Purcell has her best interest at heart, and following him here has expedited the process of building new relationships in a new team, something she’s already done having played at UCLA and Gulf Coast State College before Louisville. But at MSU, where she will use the last of her eligibility, Smith thinks she’s found the right environment to thrive as a student as well as a competitor.
Last week, Hayes’ and Smith’s teammates gave the same kind of confidence in the team, and while Purcell hasn’t put any specific label on their expectations, this confidence is in line with the positivity, energy and ambition he’s brought with him since his arrival.
It was infectious for the fanbase upon his arrival, and it’s persisted since. Hayes, Smith and the other seniors on the team, even if they aren’t national champions come next April, they’re invaluable members at the start of this new project — a project that has everyone involved thinking they could make some noise from Day 1.
“I feel like we have a really good opportunity to showcase ourselves and show what we’re about at Mississippi State,” Hayes said, “and we have so many of the pieces that you need to win. I’m so excited, and we’re ready to show everyone.”
The Bulldogs will get their chance to show everyone what they’ve got this season, starting Nov. 9 against Mississippi Valley State at Humphrey Coliseum.
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