The University of Mississippi Athletics
Observations from the Best Seat in the House -- Dec. 21
12/21/2014 | Athletics, Blog
The students were off for the first week of winter break, but Observations from the Best Seat in the House presses on, as the football team moves closer to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and the men's and women's basketball teams near the end of non-conference play. Here are some thoughts and opinions on the week that was:
- Monday was a milestone day for the Forward Together campaign, as Ole Miss unveiled the master plans for the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium renovation and expansion. The three main takeaways are the expansion to 64,038 by the start of the 2016 season, accommodating 5,500 more Rebel fans, the student section expansion and move to the soon-to-be bowled-in end zone and the emphasis on quality of experience compared to quantity of number of fans. Here are two video related to the announcement: Forward Together: North End Zone Expansionรย and Forward Together: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium Expansion Fly-Through
- Wednesday was also a big day for the football program, as head coach Hugh Freeze inked the nation's top quarterback (Chad Kelly), defensive tackle (D.J. Jones) and cornerback (Tony Bridges) on junior college national signing day. All three have the potential to play key roles on next year's team.
- Congrats to former linebackers coach Tom Allen who was named the defensive coordinator at South Florida. He is one of the most engaging and personable coaches you will meet, and talking to his players and fellow coaches, you can tell he was admired and respected at Ole Miss.
- Interestingly, this is only the second coaching staff change under head coach Hugh Freeze and the first since co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach Wesley McGriff left for the New Orleans after the 2012 season. Between the on-field success and the increase in the salary pool for the football staff, Ole Miss should be competitive in filling the position.
"That was the only thing I asked for," said Freeze of the increase. "Let's up that so we will remain competitive in this conference in that regard because I really like continuity. Unless a guy gets an opportunity, like a Tom Allen, where you get to run your own defense or offense. You have to understand those moves. I took those chances, and I want others to get the same opportunity. I don't want to lose someone just because it's a lateral move and we're not competitive."
- To quote the oft-used sports metaphor, the Ole Miss men's basketball team's win over Coastal Carolina was a tale of two halves. Down as many as 17, the Rebels erased a 41-28 halftime deficit behind a career-high 26 points from LaDarius White and 60.9 percent shooting in the second half.
- LaDarius White continues to be a revelation for the Rebels in his senior season, averaging 13.6 points per game, second on the team behind Stefan Moody, including 14.2 ppg over his last nine games. He's also shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor and 51.4 percent from 3-point range.
- With a win over Southeastern Louisiana after the Christmas holidays, the Ole Miss women's basketball has a chance to go 10-3 for its best non-conference record since the 2011-12 season. The Rebels open Southeastern Conference on Jan. 2 at home against Arkansas.
- Congrats to the Ole Miss student-athletes who achieved the highest cumulative grade point average (2.96) in recorded history and the 10 student-athletes who received their degrees.
