LOOK: Ole Miss basketball ‘laid the foundation’ this summer. But now practices are official.
Ole Miss basketball is right around the corner.
The Rebels — who won 20 games last season, the first under head coach Chris Beard — held their second official practice of the preseason on Thursday.
Ole Miss returns three double-digit scorers and rosters five fifth-year seniors. The Rebels added 10 new players. Their transfer class was ranked No. 16 in the nation by On3.
“I think one thing with our team is just trying to get these guys to understand the idea of daily improvement,” Beard said of the month ahead. He was holding his first press conference of the 2024-25 campaign. “Can’t speak for other sports, but in college basketball, you basically get 30 practices in 42 days. One of those practices will be closed-door and another will be the exhibition game against Illinois. Got some intrasquad scrimmages along the way, but we basically have a six-week journey here.
“We laid the foundation in a lot of ways this summer, in this preseason. Now you’re in official practice. From a player standpoint, this is a real grind. Experienced teams can find that sweet spot of just trying to find daily improvement, whether it’s the weight room or individual film room. Certainly team practice, whether it be drill work and practice or live play.”
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Fifth-year senior guard Matthew Murrell is one of six returners for the Rebels.
Ole Miss is in search of its 10th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance this season. The Rebels last went dancing in 2018-19. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has them as one of his ‘Last Four Byes’ in his way-too-early bracketology.
Their full portal haul: Sean Pedulla (Virginia Tech), Ja’Von Benson (Hampton), Davon Barnes (Sam Houston State), Dre Davis (Seton Hall), Malik Dia (Belmont) and Mikeal Brown-Jones (UNC-Greensboro).
“It’s just really trying to improve — that’s the bottom line,” Beard said. “That’s where the beauty is. If you can do that, no matter what, and not stay the same, your team can get better. Can we get better each day?”
The included videos and photos from Thursday’s Ole Miss basketball media session were provided by Ole Miss Athletics.
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Mikeal Brown-Jones
John Bol
Sean Pedulla
Eduardo Klafke
Dre Davis
Ja’Von Benson
Matthew Murrell
