Sam Purcell is continuing to build Mississippi State’s roster for the 2024-25 season, dipping into the junior college ranks to bring in guard Destiny McPhaul from Northwest Florida State College.
McPhaul averaged 12 points per game as a freshman, then scored a team-best 14.4 points per contest this past season. She made nearly half of her field goal attempts and shot 36.2 percent from 3-point range. McPhaul turned it on when it mattered most, with 29 points in the NJCAA Division I semifinals against Wabash Valley and 30 in a championship game loss to Hutchinson.
McPhaul is the fourth addition to the Bulldogs’ 2024-25 squad and the third in the backcourt, joining Eniya Russell from Kentucky and Chandler Prater from Oklahoma State. MSU also added center Madina Okot out of Kenya for much-needed post depth.
After leading the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in his first season as head coach, Purcell saw MSU stumble to the finish line this winter, losing five straight games down the stretch and falling out of the NCAA Tournament picture. The Bulldogs instead played in the inaugural WBIT, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to Penn State.
MSU will be led by fifth-year guard Jerkaila Jordan next season, with rising junior Debreasha Powe also returning on the wing. Quanirah Montague will see an expanded role in the frontcourt with Jessika Carter and Erynn Barnum out of eligibility.
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