The University of Mississippi Athletics
TRANSCRIPT: Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Media Day
9/26/2022 | Men's Basketball
<i class="icon-video"></i> Kermit Davis Presser<i class="icon-video"></i> Jaemyn Brakefield Presser<i class="icon-video"></i> Matthew Murrell Presser<i class="icon-video"></i> Daeshun Ruffin Presser<i class="icon-camera"></i> Photos
Rebels Held First Day of Official Practice on Monday
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss men's basketball head coach Kermit Davis, as well as junior Jaemyn Brakefield, junior Matthew Murrell and sophomore Daeshun Ruffin met with members of the media on Monday to discuss the first day of official practice and preview the upcoming 2022-23 season.
Below is a partial transcript from the press conference, all of which can be found in the links above.
Opening Statement
"It's 42 days until the first game. The rule we adapted three or four years ago, we get 30 practices before our first game. We open up with Alcorn State. We will have a closed scrimmage, around the week of 20-25th of October. Then we will have an exhibition game against West Georgia. We're the healthiest that we've been in a long time, still not all the way there, but I feel really good about our team. We have had a good September. Septembers are hard for every college basketball player, and they should be. The conditioning aspects, strength and conditioning part of it, trying to get their bodies in shape to where, now, when we start officially, they are going to be able to go through some good, tough physical practices here and throughout college basketball. Our guys have been great, probably the best depth we've had since we've been here. I love our leadership, our locker room. We've got a good combination of youth and experience and returning guys. Every first day is good even though we have been on a foreign tour, we have had a lot of practices in the summer, but we're looking forward to getting started today."
On Daeshun Ruffin's timetable for return to contact…
"Yeah I think so, he's getting really close. He probably told you he's cleared for all non-contact right now. We had kinda like a walk through this morning that's not contact, and he will go and you will look at him and you don't think anything is wrong. I think the knee is doing great, I think it's the leg strength around the knee. He's worked really hard, he's getting real close. Like Daeshun said, hopefully around the 11th or 12th (of October) he's back going."
On the foreign tour to the Bahamas over the summer…
"It was good that we had the guys that didn't play, and Tye Fagan was limited, so we really got a chance to see a lot of the new guys. Amaree Abram and TJ (Caldwell), the emergence of James White, who really had a good trip. It's the most athletic team we've had around the rim. I think shot blocking is at such a premium in college basketball, because of the analytics of threes and rim-twos, and so I think it has a chance to be potentially the best shot blocking team that we've had, which is a great thing. Again, even with the loss of those other guys, I thought our depth was good, and that was something we got a chance to see. Playing a lot faster in transition. Now, those games are a little skewed, because of the defensive getting back or the transition from the other teams we've played, but we will. You will see a faster, athletic team in transition."
Significance of the Bahamas trip for James White…
"I thought it was a big confidence builder for James. I think that guys that have a little success like that, he's got to understand he's not going to average 24 a game in the SEC, and not 24 for us, nobody in the league really does. You got to channel it. We've talked about it with everyone about being a really good player without the ball. The old analogy of a guy can go 2-for-11 and play 35 minutes and he missed 9 shots and his world is crushed. You ask him how long it took him to take those 9 shots, he'd say about 18-20 seconds. So now you've had about 33-34 minutes without the ball in your hands, how do you affect the game when you're not shooting it? I think that's the biggest thing for all players. James can score, but he's got to affect the game defensively and the basketball IQ part. But he's put in a lot of great time, and I know he's looking forward to today's practice."
On balancing roster development with recruiting vs. the transfer portal…
"I think it's still how important returning players are, how important it was for us to get Robert Allen back healthy and that we had his spirit in the gym, it really helped us. Managing official visits, the number of official visits. How many '24s do you visit when you think you may have so many in the portal in April and May? I think we are all still trying to get a great grasp of that. The NBA Draft could have a play on our team and other teams in the spring. So, I still think you have to have a plan, but I know one thing, you still need really good high school players. I think we have this in this class, and hopefully we are adding another really good class for '23. So, we're still learning, but I do like the blend now between the (signees) and then the transfers that we have."
On expectations for Jaemyn Brakefield in his second season at Ole Miss…
"Jaemyn's conditioning, his body, his ability to defend, has really improved. I think Jaemyn is a stretch-4 who really needs to be able to shoot the ball from three well, it's something he works on quite a bit. I just see his leadership. I hear his voice so much better than we did last year. He's been unbelievable in our locker room, and so I think all the toughness things that need to go into it, I think he has really improved. I think he's another guy who's really looking forward to today's practice. Like everything, you compete within your team, you compete against the opponents, but we have been in competitions, so there are some great competitions at all the spots."
On Robert Allen's recovery from his knee injury…
"He's kinda defied all odds. A guy with that kind of injury, sometimes it's a year or over. The way his knee looked after two or three months, Robert and I had a ton of long and deep conversations about basketball, him, and his love for the game and all that. Gosh, it's unbelievable what he's done, I mean he's cleared for contact. He's been in contact for a week. He hadn't been in contact in the full court, today and this week he will start integrating into that, but he's been live at half court contact. I don't know if it's today or maybe next couple days he will get more of into full court, maybe not every rep, but it really has been unbelievable, kinda what he has done from a rehab standpoint and energy level he's already brought our team in the first week back."
On Robert Allen's journey back for a fifth season…
"Robert's something. We had some unbelievable conversations after about two or three months (after the injury). You work, work, work, and you get to that point. He looks at his knee, and it doesn't look great. We sat down and I said, 'Robert, this is what we're fixing to do. We're fixing to put the ball in your hands for 30 minutes every day just to get a smile back on your face.' Basketball will do that, and so he did. We just started standing dribbling, just really in a spot. Just talking and dribbling. Then he got to where he could do standing shooting. I think it did, it brought a kind of joy of basketball back. He's such a big part of our team. It's tough on all those guys that go through it. Especially, that was one of the most significant knee injuries that you could have. And to see what he's doing right now, it really is neat. It's phenomenal with his kind of work ethic and how he approached it."
On how deep the rotation may be for 2022-23…
"You know, at Middle Tennessee, when we probably had our deepest team, I've played 10 and 11, the guys that really deserved to play. I could see us playing 10 guys, I really do. Obviously in the SEC, you go through it with knicks and bruises, foul trouble, and different things like that, especially in our non-conference schedule. I don't know, we'll find out more and probably won't know until maybe end of November. I can see our team playing nine, 10, maybe even 11 guys."
On the next steps for Matthew Murrell to become an elite player…
"No doubt. Matt can, and he's doing it now. I think he's an elite shooter, we've seen it. (He's) as good of an athlete at his position as anybody in college basketball. I think rebounding is the next step. Can he go back and rebound? Can he be one of the elite defenders in our league? He started driving the ball and getting to the foul line better. So, I would say rebounding at a high level, being able to drive it. Without Daeshun, he's played a ton of point for us, on the trip and even in September in our workouts. I think that's really helped him. I think it's helped him a bunch from playmaking. I don't see any reason why he can't be one of the very best guards in our league."
On the team identity heading into a new season…
"It's gotta start with effort, toughness, defending, shot blocking, protecting the rim, rebounding. Like I said, it will be the fastest-paced team that we've had. I thought our first team's pace was good, with those three guards, as good as those guys were all together. But I do think you will see a team that's gonna pitch it ahead, hopefully be athletic in transition, get easy baskets in transition, whether you're on the road or at home. As you start playing against really good teams, the games get more and more half-court because teams do a better job taking care of the ball and getting their defense set. I think you will see the most athletic, the deepest team and hopefully a hard-playing group that will compete on a national level in our league every night."
On pressure felt by the team to improve in 2022-23…
"Zero. We are going day-to-day with our team. It's been such an unbelievable group to coach every day. I just think that in our league, it doesn't matter what sport you coach, the competition is outstanding. Coaching, recruiting has been unbelievable in the league. So, we have got a lot of great opportunities. The term 'Forward Rebels' and 'next play,' that's exactly what we are trying to do. I talked about it a bunch last year, I think our team could have been an NCAA Tournament healthy, you bet, but it is what it is. We're looking forward to it, got a good group, and I can't wait to get started officially."
On his goals for taking the next steps this season…
"Really, just like you said, just improving off of last year. This is my second year, so I'm kind of like a vet now, so I know what Coach Davis wants from me and the team. You know, it being that time of year right now, it's just the start of everything so just instilling that in the young guys and knowing that we are like forty days away from our first game, it's just the start right now."
On adjusting to a new team and conference last year…
"It was a good adjustment, obviously coming back home, but with any change it's gonna come something different, so it was obviously something different and something I had to get adjusted to. I'm still getting adjusted to it, but I feel we are going to have a great year and I'm ready to get rolling."
On things he did well last year and room for improvement this season…
"I feel like I did some things okay last year. I feel like I could have improved in many areas, and that is what I've been focusing on in the offseason. Definitely becoming a better shooter, a better all-around player, and a better teammate. Really just someone who can make my team around me better, and hopefully lead us to where we want to be."
On the impact of Daeshun Ruffin's injury on the team last season…
"It was hard on us. Obviously y'all saw when he was playing he was coming with great energy, and he kind of lifted us up a lot. And we needed him at some times during the year, and not having him, it kind of hurt us because we were looking for that extra boost. I know that he has been working real hard in the offseason, and he's definitely getting back healthy right now and I can't wait to have him."
On using that experience to step up in Ruffin's absence…
"It definitely helped us realize what we have in Daeshun, and allowed us and basically everybody on the team from last year, and guys like me and Matt who returned, to really realize what our roles are for this year and what we can eventually do with Daeshun back on the court."
On being either a vocal leader or a lead by example type of player…
"Both. I would probably say last year I started off as more of a vocal leader, and I kind of let the older guys be my teacher, and I can say that shouldn't have let me be not as vocal. But I feel like this year, knowing that I have gone through the ropes with one year under my belt, I can definitely show these younger guys by playing my role and being vocal."
On growing this offseason…
"Of course, I always want to improve on shooting. I took a focus on ball handling, being a permanent ball handler in the pick-and-roll and making the correct reads, and coming out and playing with pace. Just different things that Coach Davis wanted me to work on."
On building on last year to become an elite player in the SEC…
"The goal each year is to get better and better. I feel like I gained a lot of confidence last year, and I hope to take that confidence and build on it this year."
On the impact of Daeshun Ruffin's injury on the team last season…
"Like always, when you lose somebody, especially how Daeshun plays at such a great level, we prepare for moments like that. Next man up, we expect the man to be able to play at the highest ability, and we just keep moving forward until that person comes back."
On the difference between this year's team and prior years…
"One thing I like about this team is we have a good mixture of returners and guys who have played college basketball, and upcoming freshman. We are all here and we all feed off each other, and I feel like it's going to be a real good year."
On the team identity heading into a new season…
"Just playing fast, creating offense out of defense, and always playing hard and being disruptive."
On keeping the offense moving at a face past…
"Yeah, you have to be intentional about it because of pace. You have to know when to play fast and when to play slow depending on the speed of the game and your opponent. You just have to be able to adjust at all times."
On replacing the paint presence for this season…
"You have to give credit to the coaching staff. They go out and recruit these guys in the portal. We brought in some guys, Theo (Akwuba), Jayveous (McKinnis), and I feel like they have a great presence in the paint, so I feel like it's going to be a good year."
On how he is feeling returning from his season-ending knee injury…
"I'm feeling great for the most part. Just looking forward to getting back out there on the court. I've been going to rehab every day and just attacking it as hard as I can. But I feel good though for the most part."
On his timetable for return to action…
"Well, right now they implemented me into team practice, doing a few skill things the team has been doing. But as of right now, we are aiming for the 10th of next month for me to be able to get full-force."
On what specific activities he's been able to do…
"Basically just skill things, you know we got things called like shot fake series, ball screen series, basically just non-contact things."
On having any doubts he will be ready for the start of the season…
"No, there is no doubt. I will definitely feel like I will be ready for when the season starts."
On challenges throughout the rehab process…
"Yeah, right now I'm just going through the last little bit of it. Kind of comes down to testing, just testing the strength of my leg and all of that. But overall, the whole process has been great though. I'm just attacking every day, and hopefully I make a lot of progress in these next few weeks, and come the 10th I'll be back with the team, full-fledged."
On how disappointing it was to end the season with an injury while playing well…
"It's definitely disappointing, but you know one thing about me is that I keep my head high. I believe in God so much to the point where I feel like he has a bigger plan for me. So, you know I'm just ready to come back this season and hopefully just do better than we did last year."
On development of other guards in the back court…
"I've seen a lot of things from the other guys. I've seen maturity, leadership, and attitude changes. I feel like it's a whole new gym now. Guys are coming in ready to work, locked-in, and the whole mentality has changed. Definitely everybody is making the right strides in order for us to be a great team this year."
On why the mentality has changed…
"I don't know, I think people are just ready to come out and play. They are ready to be contributing to for the team this year. Maybe they just don't want to have the same feeling as last year, so that's what I think it really is."
On goals for the team and individually…
"Just developing that mentality, not only that mentality but team-bonding. Making sure that everybody is on the same page and that everybody is ready to come and do their role and be a part of what we're trying to do this year, which is something big. That is really about it though, just everybody coming together."
On how the team has meshed with newcomers…
"I feel like they have been great. They have definitely been coming along. We have been having a lot of team activities and a lot of team-bonding things going on, so it has been great for the most part. You can definitely feel the bond connecting between everybody."
On what the transfers bring to the team…
"Once again, another word that pops up is maturity and experience. They come in and know exactly what to expect. Everybody's got questions, but they come in ready, just attacking everything with their head down with such maturity."
For the latest news and updates regarding Ole Miss Men's Basketball, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMBB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Men's Basketball and on Instagram at olemissmbb.
Below is a partial transcript from the press conference, all of which can be found in the links above.
| HEAD COACH KERMIT DAVIS |
Opening Statement
"It's 42 days until the first game. The rule we adapted three or four years ago, we get 30 practices before our first game. We open up with Alcorn State. We will have a closed scrimmage, around the week of 20-25th of October. Then we will have an exhibition game against West Georgia. We're the healthiest that we've been in a long time, still not all the way there, but I feel really good about our team. We have had a good September. Septembers are hard for every college basketball player, and they should be. The conditioning aspects, strength and conditioning part of it, trying to get their bodies in shape to where, now, when we start officially, they are going to be able to go through some good, tough physical practices here and throughout college basketball. Our guys have been great, probably the best depth we've had since we've been here. I love our leadership, our locker room. We've got a good combination of youth and experience and returning guys. Every first day is good even though we have been on a foreign tour, we have had a lot of practices in the summer, but we're looking forward to getting started today."
On Daeshun Ruffin's timetable for return to contact…
"Yeah I think so, he's getting really close. He probably told you he's cleared for all non-contact right now. We had kinda like a walk through this morning that's not contact, and he will go and you will look at him and you don't think anything is wrong. I think the knee is doing great, I think it's the leg strength around the knee. He's worked really hard, he's getting real close. Like Daeshun said, hopefully around the 11th or 12th (of October) he's back going."
On the foreign tour to the Bahamas over the summer…
"It was good that we had the guys that didn't play, and Tye Fagan was limited, so we really got a chance to see a lot of the new guys. Amaree Abram and TJ (Caldwell), the emergence of James White, who really had a good trip. It's the most athletic team we've had around the rim. I think shot blocking is at such a premium in college basketball, because of the analytics of threes and rim-twos, and so I think it has a chance to be potentially the best shot blocking team that we've had, which is a great thing. Again, even with the loss of those other guys, I thought our depth was good, and that was something we got a chance to see. Playing a lot faster in transition. Now, those games are a little skewed, because of the defensive getting back or the transition from the other teams we've played, but we will. You will see a faster, athletic team in transition."
Significance of the Bahamas trip for James White…
"I thought it was a big confidence builder for James. I think that guys that have a little success like that, he's got to understand he's not going to average 24 a game in the SEC, and not 24 for us, nobody in the league really does. You got to channel it. We've talked about it with everyone about being a really good player without the ball. The old analogy of a guy can go 2-for-11 and play 35 minutes and he missed 9 shots and his world is crushed. You ask him how long it took him to take those 9 shots, he'd say about 18-20 seconds. So now you've had about 33-34 minutes without the ball in your hands, how do you affect the game when you're not shooting it? I think that's the biggest thing for all players. James can score, but he's got to affect the game defensively and the basketball IQ part. But he's put in a lot of great time, and I know he's looking forward to today's practice."
On balancing roster development with recruiting vs. the transfer portal…
"I think it's still how important returning players are, how important it was for us to get Robert Allen back healthy and that we had his spirit in the gym, it really helped us. Managing official visits, the number of official visits. How many '24s do you visit when you think you may have so many in the portal in April and May? I think we are all still trying to get a great grasp of that. The NBA Draft could have a play on our team and other teams in the spring. So, I still think you have to have a plan, but I know one thing, you still need really good high school players. I think we have this in this class, and hopefully we are adding another really good class for '23. So, we're still learning, but I do like the blend now between the (signees) and then the transfers that we have."
On expectations for Jaemyn Brakefield in his second season at Ole Miss…
"Jaemyn's conditioning, his body, his ability to defend, has really improved. I think Jaemyn is a stretch-4 who really needs to be able to shoot the ball from three well, it's something he works on quite a bit. I just see his leadership. I hear his voice so much better than we did last year. He's been unbelievable in our locker room, and so I think all the toughness things that need to go into it, I think he has really improved. I think he's another guy who's really looking forward to today's practice. Like everything, you compete within your team, you compete against the opponents, but we have been in competitions, so there are some great competitions at all the spots."
On Robert Allen's recovery from his knee injury…
"He's kinda defied all odds. A guy with that kind of injury, sometimes it's a year or over. The way his knee looked after two or three months, Robert and I had a ton of long and deep conversations about basketball, him, and his love for the game and all that. Gosh, it's unbelievable what he's done, I mean he's cleared for contact. He's been in contact for a week. He hadn't been in contact in the full court, today and this week he will start integrating into that, but he's been live at half court contact. I don't know if it's today or maybe next couple days he will get more of into full court, maybe not every rep, but it really has been unbelievable, kinda what he has done from a rehab standpoint and energy level he's already brought our team in the first week back."
On Robert Allen's journey back for a fifth season…
"Robert's something. We had some unbelievable conversations after about two or three months (after the injury). You work, work, work, and you get to that point. He looks at his knee, and it doesn't look great. We sat down and I said, 'Robert, this is what we're fixing to do. We're fixing to put the ball in your hands for 30 minutes every day just to get a smile back on your face.' Basketball will do that, and so he did. We just started standing dribbling, just really in a spot. Just talking and dribbling. Then he got to where he could do standing shooting. I think it did, it brought a kind of joy of basketball back. He's such a big part of our team. It's tough on all those guys that go through it. Especially, that was one of the most significant knee injuries that you could have. And to see what he's doing right now, it really is neat. It's phenomenal with his kind of work ethic and how he approached it."
On how deep the rotation may be for 2022-23…
"You know, at Middle Tennessee, when we probably had our deepest team, I've played 10 and 11, the guys that really deserved to play. I could see us playing 10 guys, I really do. Obviously in the SEC, you go through it with knicks and bruises, foul trouble, and different things like that, especially in our non-conference schedule. I don't know, we'll find out more and probably won't know until maybe end of November. I can see our team playing nine, 10, maybe even 11 guys."
On the next steps for Matthew Murrell to become an elite player…
"No doubt. Matt can, and he's doing it now. I think he's an elite shooter, we've seen it. (He's) as good of an athlete at his position as anybody in college basketball. I think rebounding is the next step. Can he go back and rebound? Can he be one of the elite defenders in our league? He started driving the ball and getting to the foul line better. So, I would say rebounding at a high level, being able to drive it. Without Daeshun, he's played a ton of point for us, on the trip and even in September in our workouts. I think that's really helped him. I think it's helped him a bunch from playmaking. I don't see any reason why he can't be one of the very best guards in our league."
On the team identity heading into a new season…
"It's gotta start with effort, toughness, defending, shot blocking, protecting the rim, rebounding. Like I said, it will be the fastest-paced team that we've had. I thought our first team's pace was good, with those three guards, as good as those guys were all together. But I do think you will see a team that's gonna pitch it ahead, hopefully be athletic in transition, get easy baskets in transition, whether you're on the road or at home. As you start playing against really good teams, the games get more and more half-court because teams do a better job taking care of the ball and getting their defense set. I think you will see the most athletic, the deepest team and hopefully a hard-playing group that will compete on a national level in our league every night."
On pressure felt by the team to improve in 2022-23…
"Zero. We are going day-to-day with our team. It's been such an unbelievable group to coach every day. I just think that in our league, it doesn't matter what sport you coach, the competition is outstanding. Coaching, recruiting has been unbelievable in the league. So, we have got a lot of great opportunities. The term 'Forward Rebels' and 'next play,' that's exactly what we are trying to do. I talked about it a bunch last year, I think our team could have been an NCAA Tournament healthy, you bet, but it is what it is. We're looking forward to it, got a good group, and I can't wait to get started officially."
| JUNIOR JAEMYN BRAKEFIELD |
On his goals for taking the next steps this season…
"Really, just like you said, just improving off of last year. This is my second year, so I'm kind of like a vet now, so I know what Coach Davis wants from me and the team. You know, it being that time of year right now, it's just the start of everything so just instilling that in the young guys and knowing that we are like forty days away from our first game, it's just the start right now."
On adjusting to a new team and conference last year…
"It was a good adjustment, obviously coming back home, but with any change it's gonna come something different, so it was obviously something different and something I had to get adjusted to. I'm still getting adjusted to it, but I feel we are going to have a great year and I'm ready to get rolling."
On things he did well last year and room for improvement this season…
"I feel like I did some things okay last year. I feel like I could have improved in many areas, and that is what I've been focusing on in the offseason. Definitely becoming a better shooter, a better all-around player, and a better teammate. Really just someone who can make my team around me better, and hopefully lead us to where we want to be."
On the impact of Daeshun Ruffin's injury on the team last season…
"It was hard on us. Obviously y'all saw when he was playing he was coming with great energy, and he kind of lifted us up a lot. And we needed him at some times during the year, and not having him, it kind of hurt us because we were looking for that extra boost. I know that he has been working real hard in the offseason, and he's definitely getting back healthy right now and I can't wait to have him."
On using that experience to step up in Ruffin's absence…
"It definitely helped us realize what we have in Daeshun, and allowed us and basically everybody on the team from last year, and guys like me and Matt who returned, to really realize what our roles are for this year and what we can eventually do with Daeshun back on the court."
On being either a vocal leader or a lead by example type of player…
"Both. I would probably say last year I started off as more of a vocal leader, and I kind of let the older guys be my teacher, and I can say that shouldn't have let me be not as vocal. But I feel like this year, knowing that I have gone through the ropes with one year under my belt, I can definitely show these younger guys by playing my role and being vocal."
| JUNIOR MATTHEW MURRELL |
On growing this offseason…
"Of course, I always want to improve on shooting. I took a focus on ball handling, being a permanent ball handler in the pick-and-roll and making the correct reads, and coming out and playing with pace. Just different things that Coach Davis wanted me to work on."
On building on last year to become an elite player in the SEC…
"The goal each year is to get better and better. I feel like I gained a lot of confidence last year, and I hope to take that confidence and build on it this year."
On the impact of Daeshun Ruffin's injury on the team last season…
"Like always, when you lose somebody, especially how Daeshun plays at such a great level, we prepare for moments like that. Next man up, we expect the man to be able to play at the highest ability, and we just keep moving forward until that person comes back."
On the difference between this year's team and prior years…
"One thing I like about this team is we have a good mixture of returners and guys who have played college basketball, and upcoming freshman. We are all here and we all feed off each other, and I feel like it's going to be a real good year."
On the team identity heading into a new season…
"Just playing fast, creating offense out of defense, and always playing hard and being disruptive."
On keeping the offense moving at a face past…
"Yeah, you have to be intentional about it because of pace. You have to know when to play fast and when to play slow depending on the speed of the game and your opponent. You just have to be able to adjust at all times."
On replacing the paint presence for this season…
"You have to give credit to the coaching staff. They go out and recruit these guys in the portal. We brought in some guys, Theo (Akwuba), Jayveous (McKinnis), and I feel like they have a great presence in the paint, so I feel like it's going to be a good year."
| SOPHOMORE DAESHUN RUFFIN |
On how he is feeling returning from his season-ending knee injury…
"I'm feeling great for the most part. Just looking forward to getting back out there on the court. I've been going to rehab every day and just attacking it as hard as I can. But I feel good though for the most part."
On his timetable for return to action…
"Well, right now they implemented me into team practice, doing a few skill things the team has been doing. But as of right now, we are aiming for the 10th of next month for me to be able to get full-force."
On what specific activities he's been able to do…
"Basically just skill things, you know we got things called like shot fake series, ball screen series, basically just non-contact things."
On having any doubts he will be ready for the start of the season…
"No, there is no doubt. I will definitely feel like I will be ready for when the season starts."
On challenges throughout the rehab process…
"Yeah, right now I'm just going through the last little bit of it. Kind of comes down to testing, just testing the strength of my leg and all of that. But overall, the whole process has been great though. I'm just attacking every day, and hopefully I make a lot of progress in these next few weeks, and come the 10th I'll be back with the team, full-fledged."
On how disappointing it was to end the season with an injury while playing well…
"It's definitely disappointing, but you know one thing about me is that I keep my head high. I believe in God so much to the point where I feel like he has a bigger plan for me. So, you know I'm just ready to come back this season and hopefully just do better than we did last year."
On development of other guards in the back court…
"I've seen a lot of things from the other guys. I've seen maturity, leadership, and attitude changes. I feel like it's a whole new gym now. Guys are coming in ready to work, locked-in, and the whole mentality has changed. Definitely everybody is making the right strides in order for us to be a great team this year."
On why the mentality has changed…
"I don't know, I think people are just ready to come out and play. They are ready to be contributing to for the team this year. Maybe they just don't want to have the same feeling as last year, so that's what I think it really is."
On goals for the team and individually…
"Just developing that mentality, not only that mentality but team-bonding. Making sure that everybody is on the same page and that everybody is ready to come and do their role and be a part of what we're trying to do this year, which is something big. That is really about it though, just everybody coming together."
On how the team has meshed with newcomers…
"I feel like they have been great. They have definitely been coming along. We have been having a lot of team activities and a lot of team-bonding things going on, so it has been great for the most part. You can definitely feel the bond connecting between everybody."
On what the transfers bring to the team…
"Once again, another word that pops up is maturity and experience. They come in and know exactly what to expect. Everybody's got questions, but they come in ready, just attacking everything with their head down with such maturity."
For the latest news and updates regarding Ole Miss Men's Basketball, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMBB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Men's Basketball and on Instagram at olemissmbb.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballPRESSER | Men's Basketball - Postgame vs. Arkansas: SEC Tournament (03-14-26)
Saturday, March 14
PRESSER | Men's Basketball vs. Alabama - SEC Tournament (03-13-26)
Friday, March 13
PRESSER | Men's Basketball - Postgame vs. Georgia SEC Tournament (03-12-26)
Thursday, March 12
HIGHLIGHTS | Men's Basketball vs. Georgia - SEC Tournament (03-12-26)
Thursday, March 12