STARKVILLE — Mississippi State women’s basketball head coach Sam Purcell received a contract extension this week, keeping him in Starkville through the end of the 2028-29 season.
The coach is entering his fourth season as head coach at MSU, and is building off of a 22-12 record and a return to the NCAA Tournament.
“I would like to thank Dr. Mark Keenum and Director of Athletics Zac Selmon for their trust to build on the success we have had. I’m extremely excited to work with Zac as he continues to take our athletic department to new heights,” Purcell said in a press release on Thursday. “I am blessed to be surrounded by an amazing staff and to coach great young women who represent their families, our program, the University and the state of Mississippi with pride. Life is about people, and my family and I could not be more excited to continue to call Starkville home and play in front of the best fans in women’s basketball inside The Hump.”
Purcell has a 67-35 record in all competitions and a 24-24 record in the Southeastern Conference in his three years at the helm. The Bulldogs have won 20 or more games in all three seasons under his leadership, and the program has made two NCAA tournament appearances. His 67 wins, 24 SEC wins and 3 NCAA Tournament wins are the most of any coach through their first three seasons in program history.
In Purcell’s first season, the Bulldogs won two tournament games before exiting in a close loss to Notre Dame in South Bend. In 2025, the Bulldogs defeated Cal in the first round before falling to No. 1 seed USC in Los Angeles in the Round of 32.
Purcell made a name for himself as a recruiter while working at Louisville, a record that continued upon his arrival in Starkville. He has signed seven ESPNW Top 100 players in his time as head coach, including three in his 2025 recruiting class. The 2025 class is the second-highest rated in school history behind Vic Schaefer’s 2018 class.
Purcell was named the ninth head coach of the Bulldogs in 2022 in his first head coaching appointment. He spent nine years an assistant coach under Jeff Walz at Louisville, where he helped lead the Cardinals to two Final Four appearances and four regular-season ACC championships.
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