STARKVILLE — Mississippi State women's basketball fell short of expectations during the 2023-24 season, missing the NCAA Tournament despite a 7-3 start to SEC play. As coach Sam Purcell looks to return the program to March Madness, he embarks on a crucial offseason.

MSU will enter Purcell's third season with key players departing due to exhausted eligibility. Most noteworthy among them is All-SEC forward Jessika Carter who averaged 15.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in her final season. The Bulldogs are also moving forward without forward Erynn Barnum and guard Lauren Park-Lane.

Mississippi State is also losing players to the transfer portal with forward Nyayongah Gony and guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger already departing.

However, in rebuilding a roster that features the return of All-SEC guard Jerkaila Jordan, Purcell and his staff will also utilize the portal to add players. Hundreds of prospects are already in the transfer portal, including Hailey Van Lith − a guard who played under Purcell during his time as an assistant for Louisville before she spent this season at LSU.

Who is leaving Mississippi State women's basketball via the transfer portal

F Nyayongah Gony − Gony elected to enter the transfer portal before the WBIT, Purcell told reporters on March 18. She averaged 1.8 points and 1.5 rebounds across 19 games played this season.

G Jasmine Brown-Hagger − Brown-Hagger entered the transfer portal on April 4, a source with knowledge of her decision told the Clarion Ledger. She scored 2.1 points per game while collecting 1.5 rebounds. Brown-Hagger's best outing came in the first round of the WBIT when she scored a season-high 17 points against Georgia Tech. She was the No. 54 recruit in the 2023 class, according to espnW.

G Mjracle Sheppard − Sheppard entered the portal on April 11, she announced via social media. She appeared in 36 games as a freshman with one start. Sheppard averaged 5.1 points and 2.1 assists per contest. She was the No. 86 recruit in the 2023 class, according to espnW.

F Ramani Parker − Parker entered the portal on April 12, per a source with knowledge of the decision. She spent two seasons at Mississippi State after following Purcell from Louisville. During the 2022-2023 season, she appeared in 22 games and averaged 4.8 points per contest. Last season, she appeared in only two games before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

G Darrione Rogers − Rogers entered the portal on April 16, per a source with knowledge of the decision. She spent one season at Mississippi State after transferring from DePaul. With the Bulldogs, she averaged 8.1 points per game while shooting 38.2% from 3-point range.

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Who is joining Mississippi State women's basketball via the transfer portal

G Eniya Russell − Russell committed to MSU on April 15. Her collegiate career started at South Carolina as part of the 2020 recruiting class. However, she spent the last two seasons at Kentucky where she averaged 7.4 points across 55 games played.

G Chandler Prater − Prater committed to MSU on April 21 after one season at Oklahoma State. However, she only appeared in five games after suffering a season-ending injury. In her brief stint, Prater averaged eight points and six rebounds per game. Prior to OSU, she spent four years at Kansas.

G Denim DeShields − DeShields committed to Mississippi State on April 29 after two seasons at Birmingham. She averaged 13.4 points and 5.3 assists per game last season.

F Kayla Thomas − MSU announced the signing of Thomas on May 14. She joins the Bulldogs after spending last season at Georgia Southern where she averaged 5.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Prior to Georgia Southern, Thomas spent two years at Penn State.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State women's basketball: Transfer portal tracker for Sam Purcell