Mississippi guard Stefan Moody dribbles the ball in a game against Texas A&M. (DM Photo | Logan Kirkland)
The Ole Miss basketball team is experiencing a lot of turnover between the 2014-2015 and the 2015-2016 seasons. The Rebels lost five players to graduation and one to transfer, and added four players in this year’s signing class and a graduate transfer; this year’s team will be very different from last year’s NCAA Tournament team.
Due to the personnel changes, Ole Miss will have to constantly run small lineups and try to beat teams with speed. They will likely run a three-guard system, with a center down low and a stretch-four or small forward next to him. While this strategy will hurt the Rebels in terms of rim protection and rebounding, it should give the team excellent floor spacing, a faster pace and a chance to score a lot from the perimeter.
At the guard positions, Ole Miss loses four-year starter point guard Jarvis Summers, who had the second most assists in school history and the eighth most points scored, shooting guard LaDarius “Snoop” White and combo guard Terence Smith. White was one of the best scorers on the team last year and Smith helped pace the Rebels as the backup point guard and added some timely three-pointers.
The Rebels don’t return anyone at the point guard position, but do have two returning starters at the other guard spots. Senior Stefan Moody received first team All-SEC honors in his first year with the team, averaging 16.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Despite being only 5 feet 10 inches tall, Moody is an explosive scorer with the ability to score from well beyond the three-point line to the paint, and upped his play tremendously during SEC league play.
The other returning starter is senior Martavious Newby, who will likely be the three-guard once again. Newby averaged four points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals last year, but the biggest contribution he made was on defense. Newby is likely the best perimeter defender the Rebels have and was a nice boost to the team defense when he was on the floor last season. An excellent rebounder, Newby should help negate the rebounding disadvantage the Rebels will face with their smaller lineup.
As for the newcomers, Ole Miss landed two guards from the junior college ranks and two from high school. From junior college, 6-foot-2-inch guard Sam Finley stands a good chance to start at point guard. Finley also had offers from Creighton, Arizona State and Tulane, and averaged 17 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in junior college.
Also coming in from junior college is Rasheed Brooks. Brooks played on a very talented team but still managed to lead it in scoring with 14.2 points per game along with 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals. Brooks has great height at 6 feet 6 inches and should give the Rebels a big boost in scoring, especially from beyond the arc. Brooks could see time at all three guard spots next season.
From high school, Ole Miss adds Terence Davis and Donte Fitzpatrick. A two-sport star in high school, Davis is 6 feet 4 inches and has the athleticism to make an impact in his first year with the program. Davis was a top 150 player in Rivals’ high school rankings will likely be a combo guard for the Rebels and showed the ability to score both outside and inside the arc in high school, and showed good promise rebounding.
Fitzpatrick was also a top 150 player, and held offers from Memphis, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi State and Texas A&M before signing with the Rebels. The 6-foot-4 Fitzpatrick is also likely to see some his freshman year, and play an even bigger role on next year’s team after Moody and Newby graduate.
Overall, it will be very difficult for the Rebels to improve off of last year’s NCAA tournament team. The team will have plenty of talent, but only time will tell if the large number of new players will be able to mesh with each other and the returning players and put together a successful season. On Thursday, the DM will continuing previewing the Ole Miss basketball team, focusing on the frontcourt.
