The University of Mississippi Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts Belmont Monday
6/21/1999 | Men's Basketball
November 15, 1998
1998-99 OLE MISS REBEL BASKETBALL
Game #2
Belmont (0-1) vs. Ole Miss (1-0)
Monday, November 16 * 7:00 p.m.
Tad Smith Coliseum * Oxford, Miss.
OLE MISS TO HOST BELMONT ON MONDAY
The Ole Miss Rebels (1-0) return to action on Monday when they host the Belmont Bruins (0-1) at Tad Smith Coliseum. Game time is 7:00 p.m. Ole Miss won its season opener on Nov. 13 with an 87-45 victory over Alabama State. The Rebels also won their two exhibition games, defeating Spirit Express (105-80) and North Melbourne (75-56). The Bruins dropped their season opener (63-62) at Tennessee Tech on Saturday, but posted wins in their two exhibition games versus Sports Reach (89-63) on Nov. 5 and Vasda USA (91-86) on Nov. 9.
PROBABLE STARTERS
(based on starters from last game)
No. Player (Yr.) Pos. Ht. Wt. PPG/RPG Hometown 00 Jon Cantrell (Sr.) F 6-8 225 3.0/0.0 Germantown, Tenn. 4 Jason Smith (Sr.) F 6-6 220 6.0/2.0 Wheatley, Ark. 24 Marcus Hicks (Jr.) F 6-6 200 12.0/6.0 Jackson, Tenn. 22 Michael White (Sr.) G 6-1 180 0.0/3.0 Tempe, Ariz. 33 Keith Carter (Sr.) G 6-4 195 22.0/6.0 Perryville, Ark.
RESERVES
No. Player (Yr.) Pos. Ht. Wt. PPG/RPG Hometown 3 Jason Flanigan (So.) G 6-1 175 7.0/2.0 Little Rock, Ark. 11 Hunter Carpenter (Sr.) G 6-0 180 5.0/1.0 Little Rock, Ark. 12 Jason Harrison (Fr.) G 5-5 150 7.0/2.0 Little Rock, Ark. 13 Johnnie Rogers (Sr.) F 6-9 220 4.0/1.0 Laurel, Miss. 20 Matt Pruitt (Fr.) G 6-4 185 0.0/0.0 Jonesboro, Ark. 21 Darrian Brown (Fr.) F 6-6 200 8.0/3.0 West Memphis, Ark. 23 Syniker Taylor (Fr.) G 6-2 195 Gulfport, Miss.# 25 Lataryl Williams (Jr.) G 6-6 200 4.0/1.0 Oxford, Miss. 44 Rahim Lockhart (So.) F 6-8 250 9.0/4.0 Mendenhall, Miss. 54 John Engstrom (Fr.) C 7-0 245 0.0/2.0 Paragould, Ark.%
# will miss the 1998-99 season as a result of a broken left fibula and dislocated ankle suffered in football practice Nov. 4
% redshirted in 1997-98
BARNES TAKES OVER REBEL PROGRAM
Rod Barnes is in his first season at the helm of the Ole Miss Rebel basketball program. He posted his first victory as head coach on Nov. 13 when the Rebels defeated Alabama State, 87-45. Barnes was hired as the Rebel head coach on April 9, 1998, after Rob Evans left to take the head coaching position at Arizona State on April 6. A 1988 graduate of Ole Miss, Barnes served as an assistant under Evans from 1993-98. During his time as an assistant coach, the Rebels compiled a record of 76-63 and won back-to-back Southeastern Conference Western Division titles and received consecutive NCAA Tournament berths in 1997 and 1998. Barnes played at Ole Miss from 1984-88 and was named All-SEC his senior season. He still ranks on the Ole Miss career charts in scoring (15th; 1,201 points), assists (2nd; 456) and steals (5th; 154).
SCOUTING BELMONT
Monday's contest will also be the second regular-season game for Belmont. The Bruins dropped a narrow 63-62 decision to Tennessee Tech on Saturday. Belmont held a 27-24 halftime lead and continued to hold that three-point lead at 60-57 with 3:29 left in the contest. Tennessee Tech, however, hit a shot at the buzzer for the victory. Freshman Wes Burtner led the Bruins with 15 points, while junior Dougie Webb added 14 points and eight boards. In exhibition action, Belmont posted victories over Sports Reach (89-63) and Vasda USA (91-86). The Bruins return four starters and 11 letterwinners from last year's squad that posted a 9-18 overall record. The tandem of junior Ryan Steger and sophomore Jay Lannin returns to lead Belmont in 1998-99. Steger was the squad's leading scorer in 1997-98 with a 12.6 average, while Lannin was the Bruins' second-leading scorer with a 12.3 average. Sophomore Michael Couey also returns to the squad after missing the 1997-98 season with a knee injury. As a freshman in 1996-97, Couey averaged 13.3 points and 5.2 rebounds. Junior Jason Lathrem led Belmont on the boards a year ago with a 4.5 average. Head coach Rick Byrd is in his 13th season at the helm of the Bruin program. He has a record of 284-116 at Belmont.
BELMONT PROBABLE STARTERS
No. Player (Yr.) Pos. Ht. Wt. PPG/RPG Hometown 33 Ryan Steger (Jr.) F 6-4 210 10.0/7.0 Mt. Sterling, Ky. 42 Davey Upton (Jr.) F 6-5 220 5.0/1.0 Sweetwater, Tenn. 31 Jeremy Kees (Jr.) C 6-8 220 11.0/1.0 Bowling Green, Ky. 22 Dougie Webb (Jr.) G 6-2 190 14.0/8.0 Central City, Ky. 32 Jared Karnes (Jr.) G 6-3 195 2.0/1.0 Knoxville, Tenn.
TOP RESERVES
No. Player (Yr.) Pos.Ht. Wt. PPG/RPG Hometown 3 B.J. Proffitt (Fr.) G 6-2 160 5.0/2.0 Brentwood, Tenn. 14 Justin Wyrick (Sr.) C 6-8 215 0.0/1.0 Seymour, Tenn. 24 Michael Couey (So.) G 6-6 185 0.0/0.0 Murfreesboro, Tenn. 40 Wes Burtner (Fr.) F 6-5 215 15.0/4.0 Winchester, Ky.
OLE MISS-BELMONT SERIES
The Rebels won the only previous meeting against the Bruins, a 100-59 victory last season (Dec. 17, 1997). Joezon Darby led five Rebels in double figures with 16 points. Jason Smith (13 points), Ansu Sesay (11), Keith Carter (10) and Jon Cantrell (10) also netted double figures for Ole Miss. Ryan Steger led Belmont with 13 points. (See recap below)
LAST MEETING
December 17, 1997#18 Ole Miss 100, Belmont University 59
Senior Joezon Darby led five Rebels in double figures with a game-high 16 points and junior Michael White tied a career high with nine assists to lead No. 18 Ole Miss to a 100-59 non-conference victory over Belmont University on Dec. 17. Jason Smith (13 points), Ansu Sesay (11), Keith Carter (10) and Jon Cantrell (10) also scored in double figures for Ole Miss. Anthony Boone led the Rebels on the boards with seven rebounds. Ryan Steger led Belmont with 13 points, while Jay Lannin and Jeremy Kees added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Steger also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds for Belmont.
The Rebels jumped out to a 17-2 lead in the first eight minutes and were never threatened by the Bruins. After the game-opening spurt, Belmont was able to only get as close as 16 points the remainder of the contest. In the second half, Ole Miss built its lead to as many as 44 points.
The Rebels shot 56.5 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from the three-point line. Belmont shot 40.4 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc. Ole Miss also won the battle on the boards, 41-28.
Belmont Univ. FG-A 3P-A FT-A Reb Pts Ast Blk Stl Steger 4-11 3-7 2-3 7 13 4 0 0 Goode 2-4 0-0 0-0 4 4 0 1 0 Kees 3-6 0-0 4-7 2 10 1 1 0 Doss 1-3 1-2 0-0 2 3 2 0 0 Lannin 4-11 3-10 0-0 1 11 2 0 1 Wyrick 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0 0 Karnes 2-3 1-1 1-2 2 6 4 0 1 Turner 1-2 1-1 0-0 0 3 0 0 0 Webb 3-8 1-3 0-0 4 7 1 0 2 Lathrem 1-4 0-1 0-1 2 2 1 0 0 Totals 21-52 10-25 7-13 29 59 16 2 4
Ole Miss FG-A 3P-A FT-A Reb Pts Ast Blk StlSmith 6-9 0-0 1-1 4 13 2 0 3Sesay 5-8 0-1 1-2 4 11 3 0 1Boone, A. 4-6 0-0 1-3 7 9 1 0 1White 1-3 0-1 2-2 0 2 9 0 1Carter 4-8 0-2 2-2 3 10 2 1 3Darby 5-11 4-7 2-2 0 16 0 0 3Flanigan 2-4 0-1 2-2 4 6 5 0 0Cantrell 3-7 3-6 1-2 3 10 0 0 0Lockhart 4-6 0-0 1-5 6 9 1 3 2Rogers 3-4 0-0 2-2 6 8 1 3 0Carpenter 2-3 0-1 0-0 1 4 2 0 0Totals 39-69 7-19 15-23 41 100 26 7 14
Belmont Univ. 14 45 59 Ole Miss 40 60 100 Officials: Bruce Benedict, Phil Robinson, Rich Marracina Attendance: 3,049
GOING FOR THAT 2-0 START...AGAIN
With a win over Belmont on Monday, the Rebels will begin a season with a 2-0 record for the seventh time in the 1990s. Ole Miss began the 1990-91, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1994-95, 1996-97 and 1997-98 campaigns with a 2-0 record. The best start for the Rebels in the 1990s was a 4-0 record to begin the 1997-98 season.
REBELS PICKED TO FINISH THIRD IN SEC WESTERN DIVISION
In the Southeastern Confer-ence media day voting, Ole Miss was picked to finished third in the SEC Western Division. Arkansas was the overwhelming choice to win the Western Division, with Auburn picked to finish second. Mississippi State was fourth followed by Alabama and LSU. In the SEC Eastern Division, Kentucky was picked to finish first followed by Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Vanderbilt. The Wildcats were also selected to win the overall SEC championship.
A SUCCESSFUL DEBUT FOR BARNES
On Nov. 13, head coach Rod Barnes made a successful debut as the Rebel mentor, as Ole Miss posted an 87-45 victory over Alabama State. With Barnes' victory, Ole Miss head coaches are now 14-5 (.737 winning percentage) in their debuts. The previous three head coaches Rob Evans, Ed Murphy and Lee Hunt all posted victories in their coaching debuts. The last Ole Miss head coach to lose in his first game at the helm was Bob Weltlich, a 70-61 loss to TCU on the road in the 1976-77 season. The following chart shows what the 19 head coaches in Ole Miss history did in their debuts:
Head Coach Opponent Home/Away Result Date/YrRod Barnes Alabama State Home 87-45 W 11-13-98Rob Evans Houston Baptist Home 103-61 W 12-3-92Ed Murphy Wash-St. Louis Home 78-55 W 11-29-86Lee Hunt Carson-Newman Home 91-70 W 12-1-82Bob Weltlich TCU Away 61-70 L 11-27-76Cob Jarvis Texas Home 63-67 L 12-2-68Eddie Crawford Arkansas A&M Home 74-60 W 12-3-62Bonnie Graham Birmingham Southern Home 61-46 W 1949Jim Whatley Tulane Home 41-69 L 1946Buster Poole Southwestern Home 44-21 W 1945Edwin Hale Florida Home 35-32 W 1942Charles Jashwhich Mississippi College Home 50-26 W 1939Frank Johnson Mississippi College Home 40-43 L 1938George Bohler Memphis Coca-Cola Home 41-40 W 1935Ed Walker Earle Home 20-21 L 1930Homer Hazel Arkansas A&M Home 44-21 W 1925R.L. Sullivan Union Home 40-10 W 1919B.Y. Walton Millsaps Away 30-0 W 1911E.R. Hubbard Laurel YMCA Away 27-26 W 1910
19 head coaches 16 Home/3 Away 14-5 record
REBELS TOUGH ON NON-CONFERENCE FOES IN RECENT YEARS
In last seven years (including 1998-99), the Rebels have posted a 41-20 record (.672 winning percentage) versus non-conference opponents. Non-conference foes have found Ole Miss especially tough the last four seasons (1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99), as the Rebels have an impressive 24-7 mark (.774 winning percentage) against out-of-conference teams. The following shows Ole Miss' non-conference record over the previous six years:
1992-93 5-5 1994-95 5-5 1996-97 8-2 1998-99 1-0 1993-94 7-3 1995-96 6-4 1997-98 9-1
DID YOU KNOW?
Rod Barnes is the first Rebel head coach to have played his collegiate basketball at Ole Miss since Cob Jarvis. Jarvis, who was a two-time All-Southeastern Conference first teamer in 1953 and 1954, was a three-year letterwinner for the Rebels and is still in the No. 12 spot on the Ole Miss career scoring chart with 1,313 points. He coached the Rebels from 1968-76 and compiled an 87-117 record.
"TAD PAD" SWEET "TAD PAD"
The Rebels posted a perfect 14-0 record at Tad Smith Coliseum (a.k.a. the "Tad Pad") last year. The Rebels have won 36 of its last 37 games dating back to the middle of the 1995-96 season. The Rebels' lone loss in the streak was a 59-46 setback to Alabama on Jan. 8, 1997. The streak began on Jan. 24, 1996, with an 82-69 win over Auburn. With its 87-45 win over Alabama State on Nov. 13, Ole Miss extended its school-record home winning streak to 21 consecutive games. In the past seven seasons (1992-present), Ole Miss has an overall home record of 64-22 (.744 winning percentage). The following charts the Rebels' current homecourt win streak:
Date Opponent Result 11-13-98 Alabama State 87-45 2-28-98 Auburn 74-67 * 2-25-98 Arkansas 81-65 2-11-98 Vanderbilt 87-76 2-7-98 Alabama 75-74 1-24-98 Mississippi State 81-77 (2ot) 1-21-98 LSU 80-58 1-7-98 Florida 90-79 1-3-98 South Carolina 73-54 12-30-97 Northwestern State 99-52 12-20-97 Prairie View 106-59 12-17-97 Belmont 100-59 11-24-97 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 81-36 11-22-97 Temple 87-74 11-19-97 Louisiana Tech 88-56 2-26-97 LSU 74-68 # 2-19-97 Mississippi State 84-61 2-1-97 Auburn 57-46 1-29-97 Arkansas 71-52 1-22-97 Tennessee 70-48 1-11-97 Kentucky 73-69
* clinched 1998 SEC Western Division title
# clinched 1997 SEC Western Division title
FIRST TIME SINCE...
The Rebels defeated Alabama State, 87-45 in their season opener on Nov. 13. The 42-point margin of victory was the largest in a season opener since 1957-58 campaign when the Rebels defeated Howard, 97-46 (51-point margin) on Dec. 2, 1957. The 42-point margin of victory over Alabama State tied the Rebels' margin of victory in their 1992-93 season opener. In that contest, Ole Miss defeated Houston Baptist, 103-61 on Dec. 3, 1992.
CARTER NAMED PRESEASON NAISMITH CANDIDATE
Senior Keith Carter (Perryville, Ark.) was named as one of 20 preseason candidates for the 1999 Naismith College Player of the Year, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club in early October. Carter is one of four players >from the Southeastern Conference to be named among the preseason candidates. Georgia's Jumaine Jones, South Carolina's BJ McKie and Kentucky's Scott Padgett were also among the 20 preseason candidates for the player of the year honor.
This past summer, Carter played an integral role in helping lead the USA Goodwill Games Team to a 4-1 record and the gold medal. It was the first time that a USA amateur team had won gold in international play since 1986. In the five games, Carter averaged 7.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists, while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 40 percent from the three-point arc.
Following the 1997-98 season, the Perryville, Ark., native was named to the Associated Press All-Southeastern Conference second team. He was second on the squad in scoring with a 14.8 average and was third in rebounding with a 6.2 average.
HEY COACH, YOU'RE NEXT
With his 22 points in Friday's win over Alabama State, senior All-America candidate Keith Carter moved into the No. 16 spot on the Rebel career scoring chart with 1,162 points. Carter moved into the No. 16 spot past Ken Turner (1967-69), who netted 1,159 career points. Up next for Carter is his own head coach Rod Barnes, who scored 1,201 points in his career >from 1985-88.
SMITH CLOSING IN
Senior All-SEC candidate Jason Smith (Wheatley, Ark.) scored six points in Friday's victory over Alabama State and moved closer to becoming the 24th player in Ole Miss basketball history to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau. Smith has 867 career points and needs 133 points to reach the 1,000-point mark. Smith is also close to breaking into the top five on the Rebel career steals chart. He had two swipes in the Rebels' 87-45 win over Alabama State on Friday, bringing his career total to 140. He needs 14 more to tie you, guessed it Rod Barnes for the fifth spot on the Ole Miss career steals chart. Barnes (1985-88) finished his career with 154 steals.
REBELS RETURN OVER 50 PERCENT OF POINTS, REBOUNDS FROM 1997-98
Yes, Ole Miss did lose All-America Ansu Sesay, "sixth man" Joezon Darby and "heart and soul" Anthony Boone after last season. But, not to worry, as the Rebels return plenty of firepower for 1998-99. Ole Miss returns 55.9 percent of its scoring and 57.2 percent of its rebounding from last year. The following chart shows what the Rebels return in 1998-99:
Statistical Category Total Percent Points 1305 of 2334 55.9 Rebounds 688 of 1203 57.2 Assists 264 of 397 66.5 Steals 145 of 231 62.7 Blocks 90 of 124 72.6
DISHING IT OUT
The Rebels were really being unselfish in the season-opening victory over Alabama State on Friday. Ole Miss collected 26 assists in the 87-45 victory. Last season, the Rebels recorded 20 or more assists on three occasions with 21 versus Louisiana Tech (88-56 win), 26 versus Belmont (100-59 win) and 20 versus Northwestern State (99-52 win). Senior Michael White (Tempe, Ariz.) led the Rebels with a game-high eight assists (compared to no turnovers), which was just one short of his career high of nine. Senior Keith Carter also came with one assist of tying his career high in assists versus Alabama State. Carter dished out six assists in Friday's victory, while his career best is seven assists versus Temple last season. The Ole Miss single-game team record for assists is 33 in a 96-70 win over Sam Houston State on Dec. 30, 1989.
LOCKHART TIES CAREER HIGH IN BLOCKS
Sophomore forward Rahim Lockhart (Mendenhall, Miss.) tied a career high in blocked shots with three in the Rebels' 87-45 victory over Alabama State on Nov. 13. Lockhart also recorded three blocks in wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 24, 1997) and Belmont (Dec. 17, 1997) last season. In Friday's win over Alabama State, Lockhart also tied a career high in field goals with four, and was one point shy of tying his career best in scoring with nine points. Lockhart's career-high scoring game was 10 points last season in a win over Florida (Jan. 7, 1998).
A SPARKLING DEBUT
Junior transfer Marcus Hicks (Jackson, Tenn.) had a solid outing in his first game in a Rebel uniform. In Friday's victory over Alabama State, the Northwest Mississippi Community College transfer recorded 12 points, six rebounds and one assist, while committing no turnovers in 18 minutes of action. Hicks shot 5-of-7 from the field and 2-of-3 from the free throw line. His six rebounds tied him for the team high with Keith Carter.
CANTRELL RECEIVES FIRST CAREER START
Senior forward Jon Cantrell (Germantown, Tenn.) received the first start of his career in the Rebels' 87-45 victory over Alabama State on Friday. Cantrell scored three points in 10 minutes of action versus the Hornets. For his career, Cantrell has played in 79 games.
THE "J's" HAVE IT
If you look at the Ole Miss roster this season and feel a little tongue-tied, you won't be the only one. Of the 15 players on the roster, six have first names that begin with the letter "j". The players are: Jon Cantrell, John Engstrom, Jason Flanigan, Jason Harrison, Johnnie Rogers and Jason Smith.
TIP-INS...
Ole Miss has a record of 11-2 (.846 winning percentage) in the month of November in the 1990s. The Rebels have won their last six games played in the month of November, with their last November loss coming in overtime to Davidson, 84-83 (ot), in the 1995-96 season opener (Nov. 27, 1995)...Ole Miss lost the battle of the boards to Alabama State, 39-35 in Friday's game, marking the first time that the Rebels had been out-rebounded by a non-conference opponent at home since Stetson did so (41-28) on Dec. 17, 1996. Ole Miss also won that game, 78-50...Freshman Syniker Taylor (Gulfport, Miss.), who was expected to join the basketball squad following the football season, will miss the 1998-99 campaign as a result of suffering a broken left fibula and dislocated ankle. Taylor suffered the injury in football practice on Nov. 4.
