MSU ‘Road Dawgs Tour’ makes stop in Gulfport

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - Mississippi State took its Road Dawgs Tour down to the Coast Wednesday evening, with two new head coaches joining head football coach Mike Leach as faces of the MSU basketball programs.

Men’s head coach Chris Jans and women’s head coach Sam Purcell made their first public appearances on the Coast as the head men in Starkville. Jans is one of the top five active head coaches in terms of winning percentage, and Purcell spent the last decade at Louisville, where they made it to the Elite Eight five different times.

But no matter how many years they’ve spent in the Magnolia State, all three of them say events like these are vital in building their programs.

“It’s critical for us to put a name to face and sell our brand, our style of play, and get to know people,” Jans said. “For us to get down here physically and meet these folks, we’re trying to help them get excited about Mississippi State basketball.”

“I said it in my press conference, the way I’m going to get this thing rocking again in the ‘Hump’ Center is one handshake, one relationship at a time,” Purcell said. “To have an event like this, where we can have conversations and not be rushed back to coach the team or back on the floor, I really enjoy this.”

“It’s great to see these people,” Leach said. “You have the teams and coaches that work hard together, and then the fans, it’s all part of the same picture. It’s exciting, the interaction, and the chance to share it with everybody tonight.”

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