Sebastian Saiz recovers a rebound during game last season against Northwestern State.
Andy Kennedy called his 2016-17 team one of the most unusual groups he’s ever had, but that’s not a bad thing. The Rebels are a unique group. Only six of the 12 scholarship players had been with the program previously, and only five have played in a game. Ole Miss boasts players from five different countries as well.
The number of newcomers would seem to hint at the Rebels’ youth, but that’s not necessarily the case either. Transfers Deandre Burnett and Cullen Neal are each 22 years old. The two, along with Donte Fitzpatrick-Dorsey and Rasheed Brooks, will provide a little bit of a different look for an Ole Miss back court looking to replace the likes of Stefan Moody.
Burnett transferred from Miami in 2015 and had to sit out last year.
“He’s very anxious for his opportunity to get on the floor. He’s waited a time for this opportunity,” Kennedy said. “He is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever coached day in and day out.”
Neal arrived in Oxford this past July by way of New Mexico State, where he averaged 12 points per game playing for his father.
“I don’t pretend to think that this is like anything he’s been in the past because he was obviously in a different system playing for his father, so this is something completely new to him as well,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy said he knows there will be a transition period for the two but is excited about what they bring to the table, including a veteran presence. It’s a diverse group in both skill set and background.
“We’ve got a lot of different things going on. We are just trying to figure out who we are.”
With Burnett, Kennedy has the aggressive scorer that seems to thrive in the offensive style Ole Miss runs.
“He really can score at all three levels. He can make threes. I don’t want him to be a Marshall-Moody, that volume. But he’s a guy that’s going to make 60, 70, 80 threes. He can score the midrange, which I really think is his strength, and he’s strong enough to get to the basket and get to the free throw line,” Kennedy said.
One constant is senior forward Sebastian Saiz. Kennedy said he didn’t know who he’d put in his starting lineup right now outside of the 6-foot-9-inch senior from Madrid, Spain.
“He’s approaching this with a senior sense of urgency that you typically see, he and Rasheed (Brooks),” Kennedy said. “Sebas is one of my favorite guys here. His energy is always right. He’s very positive. He’s always going to put in his work, and he has really evolved offensively. He’s gotten stronger. He’s 6-foot-9, and what makes him incredible is wingspan.”
Saiz overcame an eye injury last year that he called one of the scariest things he’s ever dealt with. He’s healthy now and says he’s added a perimeter element to his game that hasn’t been seen yet.
“It’s a part of my game now, but it won’t define me. I know I am a tough guy that can get rebounds and putting everything together. But it gives me another weapon on the offensive side of the court,” Saiz said.
Saiz has added another dimension and has become more well-rounded offensively, which Kennedy said will make him the first option offensively.
This isn’t the first time Kennedy has been tasked with making a lot of newcomers mesh, and it will be a work in progress.
“Every group is different, and the makeup of each team is so different. Think about the makeup of this team. It is probably the most unusual collection of guys I’ve ever had,” Kennedy said. “There’s only one guy out of the 12 that has been in the program four years, and that is Sebas.”
Add in three freshmen, and it really is a diverse group made up of six guards and six forwards until freshman guard Breein Tyree is cleared from a knee injury. Kennedy has been experimenting with a number of different lineups and playing guys at different positions, something he feels will be beneficial in the end.
The Rebels will begin this year with the luxury of playing in their $96.5 million home at The Pavilion with four straight home games beginning with Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 11.
