Mississippi State women’s basketball as it is known doesn’t exist without Victoria Vivians.

The Queen of Mississippi High School basketball brought all of those talents to Starkville back in 2014 and the program was never the same again. Vivians was at the forefront of a major shift in women’s basketball at State but also at the beginning of a revolution that changed the sport.

Former Bulldog head coach Vic Schaefer and his staff virtually lived at Scott Central High School after they arrived in town. The coach knew that the Rebels had someone special a couple of hours down the road and she was a piece that could help turn the tide for Schaefer’s program early in his career.

Sam Purcell was one of the dozens of coaches that came after Vivians in the middle of her historic high school career. It’s one recruitment that the coach jokingly holds his head down thinking about to this day.

After scoring 5,745 points in her career with multiple All-American honors, Vivians chose the Bulldogs. She helped State to the NCAA Tournament as a Freshman standout.

She followed that up with a Sweet 16 appearance and then back-to-back trips to the Final Four.

“I think about that all the time. I tell people how those were the best days of my life and how I honestly wish that I could come back and do it all over again,” Vivians said of her time in Starkville. “It was a very exciting time here.”

Vivians balancing playing career with transition into coaching

Vivians finished her career second in State history in scoring (2,527), field goals made (923), 3-point field goals made (281) and fourth in free throws made (400) and steals (218). When all was said and done, Vivians was the No. 8 pick in the WNBA Draft of 2018 and has played her last seven years in the league.

As her career begins to wind down, however, Purcell has tried to make another recruiting pitch to Vivians. The coach started thinking of ways to expand his staff this season and spent months working to get Vivians to join him as an assistant.

With the WNBA season ending recently, the calendar worked perfectly for Vivians to make the move.

“I told her that I know she’s at a certain point of her career. She’s got several more years but eventually the ball will stop bouncing. I told her that I see a rising star,” Purcell said. “What I want for her is to give back to my young women, but let me give back to you. At the same time, I’m going to stop coaching and she’ll be that next generation. I’m glad that she’s able to come back to her Alma Mater and give back to these young women.”

Vivians started her new job earlier this week as she returned to the place that brought her so many memories. It was the first time since 2018 that Vivians has officially been a part of the Bulldog women’s basketball program, but she’s already gotten a jump start on her career.

Last season, the offseason was spent working with the Portland Trailblazers G League team, the Rip City Remix. Vivians worked as an assistant coach in an internship and learned a lot from her time there, but she sees a major difference in the college game.

“It’s totally different from coaching the pros. They listen more and they want to learn. It’s pretty fun taking the knowledge that I have of playing at every level,” Vivians said. “They can network with people I network with. I’m a professional athlete. I’ve been overseas and WNBA so I’ve been all around. I can connect them with people outside of basketball as well.”

Connection already there with State players

Over the course of the last few days, Vivians has spent a lot of time getting to know players on this year’s State team and finding out what makes each player tick.

Her experiences have enlightened a young group of players – many of whom watched her play in college. Debreasha Powe is, perhaps, the most familiar with Vivians as the Meridian native camped in Starkville her eighth grade year and Vivians was her coach.

“It’s been a full-circle moment,” Powe said. “For her to now be my coach as a college player has been great. I’ve started working out with her this week and I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. She’s a great person, a great coach and an even better player. Just having her with us and being able to see how she goes about things and sees the game has been great.”

Things have changed a lot since Vivians days in maroon and white.

The Bulldogs went through the loss of Schaefer and two tough years that followed before Purcell came in and led the Bulldogs back to the NCAA Tournament. Last year was certainly a disappointment as State won over 20 games again but missed out on the NCAA Tournament.

With Jessika Carter the final piece of Schaefer’s teams gone, Vivians sees an entirely new landscape but with the same goals.

“It’s a new squad with new coaches. It’s not the Schaefer era anymore, it’s the Sam era. He’s going to do it the best way that he can and I’m here to support it. It’s our era and we’re going to do the best we can to get it back to where it needs to be.”

To get back to where the Carthage native – and everyone else – wants it to be, it’s going to take a lot of hard work and all on board to pull in the right direction.

Vivians is a piece that could be a gamechanger for the Bulldogs in that regard as she brings a unique combination that no one else on staff can. Vivians is a player still playing the game at the highest level, but she’s also a Bulldog through and through.

All of the intricacies of being a coach will come in time, but the crown seems to be fitting just fine for the Queen in her new role.

“I know basketball, so it comes easy for me,” Vivians said. “Being out here with these girls and trying to teach them, it’s something I have to get better at. I’ve never been a player that leads by voice – I always lead by action. I feel like I’m doing good so far.”

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