Mississippi State lands UAB transfer DeShields

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State women’s basketball coach Sam Purcell may have found his starting point guard.

Denim DeShields announced Monday on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she has committed to the Bulldogs. She comes to MSU after spending the previous two seasons at UAB.

DeShields is a 5-foot-5 guard out of Atlanta. As a freshman in the 2022-23 campaign, she posted 12.9 points, 4.5 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game. She followed that up with 13.4 points, 5.3 assists and three rebounds per game last season.

DeShields comes from an athletic background. Her sister, Diamond, was a star at Tennessee and the third overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky. Diamond’s career has featured stops with the Phoenix Mercury and Dallas Wings, but she is back in Chicago after signing a one-year deal in February.

Her mother, Tisha DeShields, was an All-American track and field athlete at Tennessee. Her father, Delino, spent 13 years in the MLB. Her brother, Delino Jr., was the eighth overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft.

The addition of DeShields helps Mississippi State fill a void left by guard

Lauren Park-Lane who has exhausted her eligibility.

Park-Lane posted 9.3 points and 6.1 assists per game in her lone season at MSU after transferring from Seton Hall. With 221 assists, she broke Mississippi State’s single-season record.

DeShields is the third portal pick-up for the Bulldogs this offseason. She joins Kentucky transfer guard Eniya Russell and former Oklahoma State guard Chandler Prater.