Mississippi State and head coach Sam Purcell picked up their biggest transfer portal commitment of the offseason Sunday, adding guard Saniyah King from Howard.
King, who is from Washington, D.C., stayed close to home for her freshman year of college with the Bison and was named Rookie of the Year in the MEAC. She averaged 11.5 points and 4.5 assists per game, helping lead Howard to a 22-12 overall record and a 12-2 finish in conference play. King played 32 minutes on average and was a 34 percent 3-point shooter.
With Denim DeShields opting to leave in the portal, King gives the Bulldogs a strong option at point guard alongside the returning Destiney McPhaul. She still has three years of eligibility remaining.
King is the third portal addition for MSU, joining Kharyssa Richardson (Ole Miss) and Trayanna Crisp (North Carolina). Among the Bulldogs’ rotation players from the 2024-25 team that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, only McPhaul and Chandler Prater will be back. DeShields, Jerkaila Jordan, Eniya Russell, Madina Okot, Debreasha Powe and Quanirah Montague all are either out of eligibility or entered the portal.
MSU does have an excellent freshman class coming in, led by Madison Francis and Jaylah Lampley. Those two, plus Nataliyah Gray, make up the 11th-ranked class in the country, according to ESPN.
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