MSU Women’s Basketball gears up for another year on the court
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY (WCBI) – All eyes may be on football right now, but basketball season is just around the corner.
And, Mississippi State’s women’s squad is fine-tuning its game plan on and off the court.
Associate Head Coach Fred Castro briefed Starkville business leaders on some of the work that’s been going on in the off-season, especially on the recruiting trail.
There are only 3 returning starters, but coaches have landed a Top-10 recruiting class to build on, including the highly-touted Madison Franklin, who ranked 39th in ESPN’s nationwide Top 100 for the Class of 2025.
Coach Castro said the NCAA rules changes have made building and keeping a team more challenging, but Head Coach Sam Purcell is playing the game well.
“It’s a combination of, you know, the NIL component, but then the NCAA also made it where you could transfer without sitting out. So, you know, there’s no penalty, you don’t have to sit out a year like you used to in the past, and, you know, players are looking at all their options. There are agents involved now, and the landscape of college basketball right now; it’s not the players’ fault. They’re just optimizing their situation, and as coaches and athletic departments, we’ll have to adjust and find the best ways to adjust and help our programs,” said Castro.
The MSU Women open their season at Humphrey Coliseum against Davidson on Monday, November 3.
