Mississippi State women’s basketball received an excellent piece of news Tuesday when senior guard Jerkaila Jordan, the Bulldogs’ leading scorer this season, announced that she will return for her final year of eligibility in 2024-25.
“The decision for Jerkaila Jordan to use her fifth season and return to Mississippi State is a statement to the special person, player and competitor that she is,” head coach Sam Purcell said in a statement. “She is invested in what we are building here and her teammates’ success both on and off the court. Mississippi State is getting a great leader and teammate back, who is excited to achieve every goal that we have set from day one.”
Jordan, who grew up in New Orleans, played her freshman season close to home at Tulane and was named American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year after leading the Green Wave with 16.7 points and 2.3 steals per game. She was one of just three freshmen nationally that year to score at least 28 points in three straight games, and she’s in some pretty good company — the other two were Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and Connecticut’s Paige Bueckers.
Since transferring to MSU, Jordan has started every game over the last three years for the Bulldogs. She got off to a hot start this winter and led MSU to an upset win over defending national champion LSU in late January, but struggled throughout much of February while playing through an illness as the Bulldogs lost their last five games of the month.
Jordan scored 18 points in the third quarter of MSU’s Senior Day win over Missouri, then was held to nine in the Bulldogs’ Southeastern Conference Tournament loss to Texas A&M. She earned All-SEC Second Team honors this season and is 13th in program history in total points and eighth in steals.
MSU’s season is not over — the Bulldogs will play in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament as a No. 2 seed and host Georgia Tech in an opening-round game Thursday night. Jessika Carter, Lauren Park-Lane and Erynn Barnum will be out of eligibility once the season ends, but Jordan gives MSU a player to keep building around for one more year.
“I am grateful for the relationships and memories that I have made here with my teammates, the staff and our fans over these last three seasons,” Jordan said. “I decided to use my fifth year to come back and finish what I started here, to leave a legacy and to help lead a team that has the same mindset. I know that Coach Purcell is leading a special program here and we have a lot of goals still to achieve.”
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