Mississippi women’s head coach Matt Insell speaks to the team during a game earlier this season. (File Photo)
The Ole Miss women’s basketball team wrapped up its 2014-15 campaign last week after falling to Middle Tennessee State University in the Sweet 16 of the National Invitational Tournament. The Rebels finished 19-14 overall – their best season since the 2006-07 campaign.
“At the end of the day, I told the team that our basketball team clearly changed the national views of Ole Miss women’s basketball,” Ole Miss head coach Matt Insell said. “It was an incredible season, and it meant a lot to the seniors who finally made the postseason and the younger players who gained more experience.”
The Rebels improved their win total by seven from the previous season and carry momentum into next year.
“For where we were at the start of the year, what a lot of people thought about us, to finish tied for seventh in the league, to do the things we’ve done this year – it’s been a good year for Ole Miss,” Insell said. “We are proud Rebels up here.”
The backbone to the Rebels’ success this season was the senior leadership shown by forward Tia Faleru, forward Danielle McCray and guard Amber Singletary. The trio advanced to their first ever postseason berth in their collegiate tenure at Ole Miss.
“Those kids worked hard to get this program back, and they went through a lot over their four years here,” Insell said. “They really changed the landscape and got the culture back in a positive direction for our program.”
Insell believes Faleru will play professional basketball and be drafted in the first or the second round of the WNBA Draft while McCray will try to earn her way into the draft at the WNBA Draft Combine in Tampa, Florida, over the weekend. Singletary will pursue her career in broadcast journalism.
There is no denying that it is going to be a tough challenge to replace Faleru’s production as she led the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game. Insell believes it’s going to take a committee effort of rising sophomore forward Kelsey Briggs, rising junior forward Shequila Joseph and rising junior forward Bretta Hart to reproduce what Faleru contributed to the team in her tenure as a Rebel.
“There’s a lot of things on our roster that I’m excited about for next year, and it’s going to be a battle to see who gets Tia’s minutes,” Insell said. “I think we’re on the right track and feel that we’re going to have a very talented roster next year.”
Now that the season is over, Insell is currently in the process of recruiting for the new Rebels. Insell has traveled all over the country in his efforts to bring in top talent to compete in the Southeastern Conference.
“We’re trying to win an SEC championship,” Insell said. “We’ve got to branch out, and there’s only a certain amount of players that can play in our system. We’ve got to go find those players no matter where they’re at and make them become Ole Miss Rebels.”
For coverage of Ole Miss women’s basketball, follow @browningstubbs and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
