WATCH: No. 19 Ole Miss is adjusting to life without star guard KK Deans
Ole Miss star guard KK Deans was injured in the first quarter of a 60-49 win over Michigan that clinched the Battle4Atlantis tournament for the Rebels.
Ole Miss again won without her five days later. The No. 19-ranked Rebels (6-1) took down Little Rock, 58-45, in Oxford on Saturday. But only over the last few days have head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and Co. really been forced to come to terms with the reality they now face.
Deans isn’t coming back this season. The Rebels — whose memorable run last season ended in the Sweet Sixteen — are on their own.
“As a head coach, we have to pivot,” McPhee-McCuin said Tuesday. “When she got hurt in the Michigan game, he had to pivot for three more quarters, right then and there. For me, I thought our team did a good job. Then we had Little Rock.
“Really, after Little Rock was the first time we were able to sit and say, ‘OK, this is what’s going on, KK’s not coming back (and) here’s how we move forward.’ We haven’t been able to do that. This was our first true time to reset and say, ‘OK, moving forward, this is what it’s going to look.’ It was probably refreshing to everybody.”
Deans suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Wolverines.
The Florida transfer — one of three decorated transfer adds by the Rebels in the off-season — was averaging 9.3 points and a team-leading 3.8 assists per game.
Freshman guard Marija Avlijas stepped in for Deans against Michigan and finished with 11 points, three assists, two steals and a rebound. She started in Deans’ place against Little Rock, too, and had seven points, two rebounds and a steal in 18 minutes.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Johntay Cook
Texas WR, Huskies part ways
- 2
Transfer Portal window
Coaches propose big change
- 3Hot
Sanders addresses rumors
Prime talks Cowboys job
- 4
Fake injuries
New rule under discussion
- 5Trending
Kiffin jabs Saban
Sydney Thomas pic sparks shot
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Avlijas is the likely fill-in for the foreseeable future. Next up is No. 22 Louisville on Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
“Excited about the game tomorrow. SEC/ACC Challenge, so this was not something we were able to set up on our own. If that were the case, I don’t know that I would want to play them, Louisville, right now,” McPhee-McCuin said.
“But we don’t have control of that, so we move forward. We’re excited about the opportunity to play another Top 25 program and continue to build as a unit.”
McPhee-McCuin, as well as Rebel veterans Madison Scott and Snudda Collins, all met the media on Tuesday. Here’s everything they had to say.
