Sam Purcell is experiencing many firsts that come with being a head coach. Now at the helm of Mississippi State women's basketball after nine years of serving as an assistant at Louisville, Purcell got his first SEC Media Days experience in Birmingham on Tuesday.

Purcell was the second coach behind Alabama's Kristy Curry to take the podium. Following his press conference, Purcell made an appearance on SEC Now.

It was there he was asked about the pressure of coaching MSU after the program's success under Vic Schaefer.

MARCH MADNESS:Can Mississippi State women's basketball return to NCAA Tournament? Players say yes.

"That's why I want the job," Purcell said. "I want to go to a program where women's basketball matters. That's the first two people I reached out to. I reached out to Sharon (Fanning-Otis) — who lives in Starkville, who's still a big part of our program now — and I reached out to Vic just to thank them for what they're about and what they've done."

Fanning-Otis coached MSU for 17 seasons before retiring in 2012. The Bulldogs were 38-45 in her first three seasons. From there, they finished below .500 just four times. She led MSU to its first 20-win season in the 1999-2000 season.

Mississippi State appeared in six NCAA Tournaments in her tenure, including a Sweet 16 bid in 2010.

Schaefer replaced her in 2012 and after a 13-17 season quickly righted the ship. MSU advanced to the WNIT quarterfinals in his second season then appeared in five straight NCAA Tournaments. The Bulldogs finished as national runner-ups twice.

However, Schaefer's tenure ended on a sour note. After the 2020 tournament was canceled due to COVID-19, Schaefer left for Texas.

Purcell hasn't ignored the success Schaefer brought despite the anger some in Starkville still hold.

Photos featuring Schaefer still hang above MSU's practice court. Purcell often posts videos on social media reminding recruits of the success MSU recently had while Final Four logos hang in the background.

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

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Why Mississippi State basketball's Sam Purcell contacted Vic Schaefer