The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Basketball Announces Signing Of Chris Rhodes Wednesday
4/25/2001 | Men's Basketball
April 25, 2001
OXFORD, Miss. - Chris Rhodes, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward from Stafford, Texas, has signed a national letter of intent to attend Ole Miss beginning in the 2001-02 academic year, Rebel head coach Rod Barnes announced Wednesday.
Rhodes, who played his prep basketball at Westbury Christian High School in Houston, is the Rebels' fourth overall signee and the second for Ole Miss in the spring signing period. He joins Mario Jointer, Justin Johnson and Jonathan Loe in the Rebels' 2001 recruiting class.
"Chris is a combo-forward who play both inside and outside, and what I really like about him is that he plays bigger than his size," said Barnes, the 2001 Naismith National Coach of the Year. "He's a tough player who is a solid defender and rebounder. Chris comes from a great high school program at Westbury Christian, where he received excellent coaching from Greg Glenn.
"Chris adds depth to our frontline, and his versatility will allow us to play several different combinations next season. We're excited Chris is joining the Ole Miss basketball family."
Last season, Rhodes averaged 20.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.2 blocks in helping lead Westbury Christian to a 32-6 overall record and the Texas private school state championship. The 2001 state title was Westbury Christian's eighth straight. Rhodes, who played on four state championship squads at Westbury Christian, earned district MVP honors and was also named to the Texas state All-Tournament first team in 2001.
The Rebels completed their most successful season in school history in 2000-01 with a 27-8 overall record and an 11-5 Southeastern Conference mark. Ole Miss won the SEC Western Division title, advanced to the SEC Tournament championship game and earned an NCAA Tournament berth. The Rebels advanced to the program's first NCAA Tournament "Sweet Sixteen," before falling to national runner-up Arizona in the Midwest Regional semifinals.
2001 Ole Miss Basketball Signees
Mario Jointer G 6-2 175 Jackson, Miss./Jim Hill HS
Justin Johnson G 6-0 185 Fayetteville, N.C./Seventy-First HS
Jonathan Loe G 6-3 175 Memphis, Tenn./Bartlett HS
Chris Rhodes F 6-7 215 Stafford, Texas/Houston Westbury Christian HS
