Tahj Bloom, a top 40 2024 prospect, commits to Mississippi State women's basketball

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State women's basketball coach Sam Purcell started the 2024 recruiting cycle with a splash. Tahj Bloom, a top 40 prospect according to espnW, announced her commitment to MSU via social media on Tuesday.

Bloom is a forward out of Grayslake Community High School is Grayslake, Illinois, who held offers from the likes of Arizona, Tennessee, Louisville and Maryland, among others. MSU holds ties to the area with assistant coach Corry Irvin previously working at Illinois. She is also a native of the state.

Bloom is the first addition to MSU's upcoming class after finishing with a top 20 class in the previous cycle. That high school signing class was met by a trio of all-conference additions from the transfer portal.

Purcell is entering his second season at the helm in Starkville. He led the Bulldogs to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in his first season and was rewarded with a contract extension in May.

Mississippi State is set to return three starters − guard JerKaila Jordan and forwards Jessika Carter and Debreasha Powe. The Bulldogs are looking to earn back-to-back March Madness bids for the first time since 2018-2019.

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: Tahj Bloom commits to Mississippi State women's basketball, Sam Purcell