It’s basketball time again at Ole Miss as we’re just a couple weeks away from seeing the Ole Miss men’s and women’s basketball teams take the court. Yesterday, the teams welcomed the media to the Tuohy Center for its annual preseason media day.
(Andy Kennedy, head coach for mens basketball, speaks about upcoming season | Taylor Cook)
The men’s team is coming off a successful 2014-2015 campaign, where they finished (21-16, 11-6 SEC) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. After trailing by 17 at halftime, the Rebels stormed to a come from behind victory over BYU in the First Four. The Rebels would then go on to lose in the round of 64 against Xavier.
Ole Miss lost key contributors from last season including starting point guard Jarvis Summers, sharpshooter LaDarius White, and big man M.J. Rhett. Ole Miss returns its leading scorer in pre-season All-SEC first team guard Stefan Moody, who suffered a stress fracture in his leg this summer that kept him out of basketball-related activities for a couple of months.
“I rehabbed a lot this summer getting my ankle movements and agility stronger,” Moody said. “As of right now, it feels better than ever.”
As one of four seniors on the squad, Moody now takes on a leadership role.
“I want him to be a leader and impose his will on this group,” Andy Kennedy Ole Miss head coach, said. “He’s really locked in and focused.”
With Summers graduating, Kennedy now hands the keys over to junior college transfer Sam Finley, who, like Moody, had success at the D1 level before playing junior college. Finley played his freshman year at Cal-Riverside, where he won the Big West Conference’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2014.
“He’s very fast with the ball, makes shots, has a scorer’s mentality,” Kennedy said. “He’s been really receptive to a lot of things that we’ve thrust upon him to this stage.”
“Every team is different year in and year out, but this team is more offensively versatile than any group that I’ve had,” Kennedy said. “With the ability to play stretch fours with Anthony Perez and (Liberty transfer) Tomasz Gielo together, it will give our offense the ability to stretch the ball out at all five positions.”
With Dwight Coleby transferring and M.J. Rhett graduating, the man in the middle is clearly junior Sebastian Saiz, who is moving a lot better this year according to Kennedy.
“He’s to the stage where he’s about to take the next step, if he anchors us up front,” Kennedy said. “Physically, he’s in the best shape of his life. I’ve challenged him to go be a double-double guy and to lead the SEC in rebounding.”
With uncertainty at point guard and the bench, the Rebels were projected to finish ninth in the SEC by the media. The Rebels will need an encore season from Stefan Moody, and an even better Sebastian Saiz if Ole Miss wants to prove its doubters wrong and make it back to the NCAA Tournament.
The Ole Miss women’s basketball team surprised the nation last season, finishing (19-14, 7-9 SEC), which was a seven-win improvement from the season before and their best record since the 2006-2007 campaign. Ole Miss advanced to the third round of the WNIT, where the Rebels fell to Middle Tennessee.
“In year three of our journey, we’re starting to look like an SEC basketball team each and every day we’re on the court,” Ole Miss head coach Matt Insell said. “Being picked sixth in the conference brings a little bit more expectations to your team and program. It shows the respect that our girls have earned over the last two seasons.”
Ole Miss will return a trio of starts with starting point guard A’Queen Hayes, shooting guard Erika Sisk, and guard Shandricka Sessom. However, this season will be a challenge as Ole Miss lost its leading scorer and rebounder a season ago in Tia Faleru, who graduated.
“As far as replacing Tia on the boards, I feel really good with where we’re at with our post players,” Insell said. “A lot better than I thought I would at this time.”
(Matt Insell, head coach for women’s basketball, talks about upcoming season | Taylor Cook)
Sophomores Kelsey Briggs and Bretta Hart, junior Shequila Joseph and freshman Cecilia Muhate Pena will collectively try to replace Faleru’s production of 14.6 points and 9.8 rebounds.
Ole Miss also lost two of its best three-point shooters in Gracie Frizzell and Daniella McCray. Insell said he believes it will be a challenge to a consistent shooter
“We’ve got to find that steady player who’s going to be there every day that’s not going to have ups and downs,” Insell said.
The Rebels may have been in the NCAA Tournament last season had they won a couple more conference games. With the NIT experience under the belts, Insell said he believes his team is ready tot take the next step in making the big dance.
“They tasted success going to the NIT. It was fun for them, but it’s not where they want to be,” Insell said. “They’re a real hungry basketball team right now to prove that they can do some special things.”
Insell brought this program a long way in his first two years at the helm of the Rebels. This team is certainly the most confident he’s felt about going into season.
“We feel like we have a team that can make the NCAA Tournament,” Insell said. “That’s something we’re shooting for. We will be upset if we don’t.”
The men’s open up at home for an exhibition against Clayton State on Nov. 5, whereas the women play their opener against Christian Brothers on Nov, 6 at the Tad Smith Coliseum. Neither teams move to the newly built Pavilion at Ole Miss until conference play starts in January.
