Mississippi State women's basketball hires Samantha Williams, former Lady Vols assistant, to staff
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State women's basketball coach Sam Purcell has hired Samantha Williams as an assistant for his staff, the team announced Tuesday.
Williams comes to Mississippi State with a veteran background that most recently included Tennessee. She was hired onto the Lady Vols' staff in 2021 under coach Kellie Harper.
In three seasons, Williams helped lead UT to two Sweet 16 appearances before a second-round exit this season. Following Harper's firing on April and the hiring of Kim Caldwell a week later, Williams was not retained.
"I've known Samantha Williams since my first day in coaching," Purcell said in a team release. "We've experienced a lot of success together at Auburn and Louisville and that time working alongside her makes her a valuable asset to this staff. Her resume speaks for itself, but knowing who she is as a person and what she will contribute to our program both on and off the court makes me even more excited for our student-athletes. Some additions take time, but this one will certainly be a smooth transition. I'm very excited to have her join our program and this community."
Williams' coaching career started at St. Louis where she was an assistant for the 2001-02 campaign. She spent the 2002-03 season as an assistant at Columbus State before making a jump to the SEC for the following season as an assistant at Auburn.
Her first prolonged stint as an assistant came at DePaul (2004-07) before stops at Duke (2007-11) and Louisville (2011-19). She left the Cardinals to serve as coach of Eastern Kentucky (2019-21) before going to Tennessee.
"I'm so excited to join coach Purcell and his staff and be a part of this program and community." Williams said. "We go back over two decades, so there's a level of trust where he knows that I will have his back. He has a clear vision for where he wants to take this program and I can't wait to do my part in helping him accomplish those goals. I'm grateful for the opportunity to join a program with the tradition and passionate fan base here. I am ready to help this program chase success and I can't wait to get started."
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Purcell is entering his third season as coach of MSU. This offseason, he's had to revamp his staff with all three assistants leaving. Corry Irvin was named coach of Chicago State, Gabe Lazo left to work as an assistant at Tennessee and Murriel Page parted ways with the program.
Williams will work with Fred Castro and Anita Howard, who have been hired onto Purcell's staff.
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 hires Samantha Williams to Sam Purcell staff
