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Oui Are Ole Miss: Rebel women to open their ’24 hoops season in Paris

Ben Garrettby:Ben Garrett•07/23/24•

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Ole Miss women’s basketball will open the 2024-25 season in the Aflac Oui-Play in Paris, France.

The Rebels and Top 10 USC will become just two of 17 D-l teams, men or women, to play a regular-season game in Europe. Tipoff in Adidas Arena is set for Monday, November 4.

“I’m extremely excited Ole Miss has been invited to play in Paris as part of one of the premier events in all of sport against an outstanding opponent in Southern Cal,” head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said.

“Playing in Europe to kick off the college basketball season is not only a once-in-a-lifetime cultural and educational experience for our student-athletes, but also is an opportunity to participate in an event that showcases women’s basketball at the highest level and growth of our sport worldwide.”

Ole Miss returns eight, including Madison Scott, KK Deans and Kennedy Todd-Williams, from a team that last season appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive postseason.

Todd-Williams is a fifth-year senior and second-year Rebel.

She transferred in from North Carolina last off-season. She’s a member of the Division l Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

“At first, I really didn’t think it was that big, until the standing meeting I went to at the NCAA headquarters where I had to vote and take initiative and the responsibilities I have,” Todd-Williams said. “I truly learned that it’s a big deal, and I’m honored to have the opportunity. I can help others and engage and learn about the things that are going on outside of our campuses that will be brought onto our campuses”

Ole Miss also welcomed its newcomers earlier this month, among them transfers Tamelya Sadler (Colorado), Starr Jones (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) and Christeen Iwuala (UCLA).

The Rebels also signed two freshmen in Heloisa Carerra and Sira Thienou. Thienou represented her native Mali in the 2023 FIBA U19 Women’s Baksetball World Cup in Spain last summer. She averaged 15.4 points and 5.7 rebounds in the tournament.

“Sira is dynamic guard and will impact us immediately,” McPhee-McCuin said. McPhee-McCuin led the Rebels to the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24, their third consecutive appearance. She’s just the second head coach in Ole Miss history with 100 or more career wins. 

“(Thienou) is a three-level scorer and has the perfect length for our defensive system.”

OLE MISS MEN’S TENNIS EARNS ITA ALL-ACADEMIC HONORS

Ole Miss men’s tennis is an ITA All-Academic team for the 17th time and 10th in the last 11 years.

Additionally, Rebels Lukas Engelhardt and Nikola Slavic are ITA Scholar Athletes. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association made the announcements on Monday. 

Ole Miss has absolutely owned the team honor since its inception in 1997. Teams must have a collective 3.2 GPA across the previous academic year to qualify. Engelhardt and Slavic each secured their fourth individual distinction with at least 3.5 GPAs.

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