The University of Mississippi Athletics
Monday, November 6
Oxford, Miss.
7 p.m.
Ole Miss
vs
Alabama State
Men’s Basketball Hosts Alabama State in 2023-24 Season Debut
11/5/2023 | Men's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. – The Chris Beard era has finally arrived, as the Ole Miss men's basketball team will tip off the regular season against Alabama State on Monday, November 6 at 7 p.m. in the SJB Pavilion.
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (0-0)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 1st Season at Ole Miss (0-0) • 237-98 career record (12th Season)
Alabama State (0-0)
Head Coach: Tony Madlock • 2nd Season at Alabama State (8-23) • 24-43 career record (4th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SECN+
Play-by-Play: Jake Hromada
Color: John Stroud
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Color: Marc Dukes
SERIES HISTORY VS. ALABAMA STATE
This will be the eighth matchup between Ole Miss and Alabama State, with the Rebels having won each game. Their first game happened when the two faced off in the 1983 NIT, with Ole Miss coming up with an 87-75 win. The Rebels would go on to defeat South Florida in the second round before reaching the quarterfinals.
Since then, Ole Miss has faced the Hornets during the non-conference portion of their season, beginning with a 42-point victory in Oxford in 1998. The two met in Montgomery, Ala. the following season, with the Rebels coming out on top 76-65. Ole Miss then grabbed wins over Alabama State in 2002 (74-58), 2003 (68-44), 2008 (85-82), and 2009 (90-53).
LAST MEETING: NOVEMBER 16, 2009 (W, 90-53, OXFORD, MISS.)
• Ole Miss was first on the board with a three from Terrico White and never looked back, eventually pushing a nine-point lead with 6:36 before halftime, to 19 points by the midway break.
• Murphy Holloway and Eniel Polynice kept the Hornets in check defensively, each grabbing four steals, contributing eight of the team's seven swipes. The Rebels added 10 blocks as a team, led by freshman Reginald Buckner, who swatted five.
• Four Rebels scored in double digits, led by 19 from White, the reigning SEC Newcomer of the Year.
• Polynice added 17 points, Chris Warren 12, and Zach Graham 11.
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Alabama State opens their season with this matchup as well, having played an exhibition match on Monday, October 30 against LaGrange. In their preseason game, the Hornets defeated LaGrange 90-69, with four players scoring in double digits led by Sean Smith with 17.
The Hornets are coming off of an 8-23 season a year ago, having gone 6-12 in SWAC play and missing the conference tournament. Last year's leading scorer Isiah Range returns to the roster for 2023-24, averaging 14.0 points per game a season ago. Range lived up to his last name and led Alabama State in made three pointers with 53, shooting a blistering 42.7 percent from beyond the arc. The senior guard added 3.7 rebounds per game and finished second on the team with 31 steals.
Alabama State loses their leading rebounder from a year ago in Jordan O'Neal (transfer to Jackson State), but returns their second-best in guard TJ Madlock. Currently a junior, Madlock averaged 6.1 rebounds per game last year, and was the team's second-leading scorer with 11.1 points per contest. Madlock earned a spot on the Second Team Preseason All-SWAC list.
Entering his second season as the head coach of Alabama State, Tony Madlock spent the 2021-22 season at the helm of South Carolina State, where he won 15 games. Ole Miss fans will remember the name from Madlock's time serving as head coach for five games during the 2017-18 campaign, after two years as an assistant with the Rebels.
A NEW ERA BEGINS
With the hiring of Chris Beard last March, the Ole Miss men's basketball program is prepared to take the next step forward, bringing in one of the most successful coaches of the last decade.
Compiling a record of 237-98 as an NCAA head coach since 2012, Beard holds one of the highest win percentages in the nation, ranking 14th among active head coaches with 10 or more years of experience.
The 2019 AP National Coach of the Year has led three different programs to the NCAA Tournament over the previous eight years, and is undefeated in the opening round at 5-0. His all-time record in the NCAA Tournament is 11-5 (.688).
RETURN OF THE "G" AND "F"
Senior guard Matthew Murrell and senior forward Jaemyn Brakefield are one of the most dynamic returning duos in the SEC this season. The top-two leading scorers for the Rebels a year ago, they return a combined Ole Miss career stat line of 154 games played, 1,538 points, 576 rebounds, and 205 made three pointers. They have added 117 steals and 30 blocks on the defensive end during their time in Oxford as well.
ADAPT TO THE TIMES
The new age of the NCAA often sees heavy roster turnover from year-to-year. While Ole Miss returns five members of last year's team, they added 11 strong newcomers through the transfer portal and the high school recruiting trail:
Returners (5)
Jaemyn Brakefield - 33 GP, 31 GS, 11.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG
Cam Brent - 2022-23 practice squad member
TJ Caldwell - 31 GP, 7 GS, 4.7 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Robert Cowherd - 2022-23 freshman, redshirted
Matthew Murrell - 30 GP, 29 GS, 14.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG
Transfers (7)
Moussa Cisse - Oklahoma St.; 61 GP, 7.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG
Allen Flanigan - Auburn; 114 GP, 8.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG
Cole McGrath - Blue Mountain; 53 GP, 6.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Brandon Murray - Georgetown; 27 GP, 13.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG
Jaylen Murray - St. Peter's; 62 GP, 8.9 PPG, 2.2 RPG
Austin Nunez - Arizona St.; 28 GP, 4.5 PPG, 1.1 RPG
Jamarion Sharp - Western Ky.; 65 GP, 7.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG
Freshman (4)
Cameron Barnes - Three-star (ESPN, 247, Rivals), No. 147 national (Rivals)
Jacob Gazzo - Three-star (ESPN), No. 3 in Mississippi (ESPN)
Rashaud Marshall - Four-star (ESPN, 247, Rivals), No. 83 national (247)
Gavin Murphy - His high school's fourth-leading all-time scorer
"I'M 22 AND A VET IN THE GAME"
The Ole Miss men's basketball team returns a plethora of NCAA experience to the court this year. Between their returners and transfers, the Rebels' roster includes:
Games Played: 624
Minutes Played: 14,975
Points: 5,220
Rebounds: 2,644
Assists: 801
Steals: 425
Blocks: 524 (441 from Cisse and Sharp alone)
SKEE-LO'S HERO
Transfer forward Jamarion Sharp stands as the tallest student-athlete in NCAA Division I men's basketball this season at 7'5", a title he has held for three-straight seasons now, and is even listed as one of the tallest living humans on Wikipedia. After spending his first two college years at John A. Logan College, Sharp played two years at Western Kentucky from 2021 to 2023. In 64 games played, he averaged 7.8 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game, and became just the fifth person ever to lead the NCAA in blocks twice. His margin of 4.36 blocks per game during his career is currently the 10th-best average in college basketball history.
Career Blocked Shot Average (min. 225 blocks)
1. 5.87 - Keith Closs, Central Conn. St. (54 GP, 317 blks.)
2. 5.66 - Adonal Foyle, Colgate (87 GP, 492 blks.)
3. 5.34 - Shawn James, Northeastern/Duquesne (83 GP, 443 blks.)
4. 5.24 - David Robinson, Navy (67 GP, 351 blks.)
5. 4.66 - Mickell Gladness, Alabama A&M (85 GP, 396 blks.)
6. 4.65 - Wojciech Myrda, La.-Monroe (115 GP, 535 blks.)
7. 4.58 - Shaquille O'Neal, LSU (90 GP, 412 blks.)
8. 4.48 - Jerome James, Florida A&M (81 GP, 363 blks.)
9. 4.42 - Deng Gai, Fairfield (100 GP, 442 blks.)
10. 4.36 - Jamarion Sharp, Western Ky./Ole Miss (64 GP, 279 blks.)
EYES UP HIGH
On Friday, October 27th, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced their 20-member watch list for the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year award. For the second consecutive year, Jamarion Sharp saw his name on that list.
MILESTONES ALERT
Career milestones to watch for the Rebels:
Allen Flanigan
• Career Points: 966
• Career Rebounds: 479
Matthew Murrell
• Career Points: 925 - Would be 42nd member of 1,000-point club at Ole Miss
• Career 3PM: 140 - 163 enters top-10 in school history
• Career 3PA: 418 - 454 enters top-10 in school history
Jamarion Sharp
• Career Points: 499
• Career Rebounds: 487
• Career Blocks: 279
VALUED LEADERSHIP
The Ole Miss men's basketball coaching staff is one of the more experienced around the country. Entering his 14th year as a collegiate head coach, Chris Beard is joined on the court by former head coaches Win Case (16 years), Brian Burg (three years), and Wes Flanigan (two years). Assistant coach Bob Donewald Jr. has 16 years of head coaching experience at the professional and national level, while assistant Al Pinkins has been an associate or assistant coach at six different NCAA Division-I programs, including four within the SEC. The Ole Miss coaching staff has experience at five other SEC programs: Auburn, Florida, LSU, Mississippi State, and Tennessee.
WE BALLIN' LIKE THE MARCH MADNESS
Among the seven transfers for the Rebels, over half have been to the NCAA Tournament during their collegiate career, with a total of five appearances. Brandon Murray (LSU, 2022 First Round), Austin Nunez (Arizona State, 2023 First Round), and Jaylen Murray (Saint Peter's, 2022 Elite Eight) have each been to the postseason once in their careers, while Allen Flanigan has been twice (Auburn, 2022 and 2023 Second Round).
BEEN STEPH CURRY WITH THE SHOT
On February 28 against Texas A&M last season, Matthew Murrell connected on eight makes from three, setting a career high and tying the SJB Pavilion record for most threes in a single game. His eight three pointers tied him for the third-most in a single game in school history, with the most recent occurrence coming in December 2019 by Breein Tyree. Murrell's performance also marked the most shots from deep by a player in the SEC last season.
RETURN OF THE MURPH
A four-year letterwinner at Ole Miss and the program's all-time leading career rebounder, Murphy Holloway returns to Oxford as a graduate assistant under head coach Chris Beard. In four seasons with the Rebels, Holloway scored 1,476 points (ranked No. 15 in school history), and pulled in 1,093 boards. His 615 made field goals are the seventh-most in Ole Miss history and his field goal percentage of 54.4% ranks eighth. The former Rebel also ranks second in career steals (194) and is tied for the third-most games played in a career at Ole Miss, at 132. Holloway saw 85 wins during his career and was a key member of the 2013 SEC Tournament championship team, averaging 14.5 points and 9.7 rebounds during his senior year in 2012-13. He has enjoyed a long professional career since his time of graduation, playing overseas in Turkey, Italy, France, Israel, and South Korea.
TRANSFER TO THE 'SIP
Head coach Chris Beard and the Ole Miss coaching staff put together one of the top transfer classes in the conference, bringing in seven new players that will help punctuate Beard's emphasis on defense. Two of the top active career leaders in blocked shots, Moussa Cisse (Oklahoma State) and Jamarion Sharp (Western Kentucky) will set a strong presence down low, coming in with a combined 441 career blocks.
Guard Allen Flanigan (Auburn) brings over 100 games of experience, and is among the active career leaders in minutes played with 2,699. He scored nearly 1,000 points while at Auburn and grabbed just under 500 boards, adding 74 steals on defense.
After spending last season at Georgetown, Brandon Murray returns to the SEC, a conference he played in two years ago at LSU. The guard was selected to the Freshman All-SEC Team in 2022 and brings a combination of scoring (11.7 points per game) and strong defense (1.2 steals per game).
A trio of guards round out the Ole Miss transfer class. Jaylen Murray (St. Peter's) and Austin Nunez (Arizona State) give Beard a pair of point guards, each of which have displayed the ability to score. Spending two years at Northeast Mississippi CC and a pair at Blue Mountain, Cole McGrath gives the Rebels a shooting guard with big shot-making ability.
BALL IN THE 'SIP
The Rebels added four freshmen to their roster for 2023-24:
Cameron Barnes • F •6-9, 195 • Duncanville, Texas • Duncanville
A three-star prospect according to ESPN, 247, and Rivals ... Ranked the No. 147 overall player in the nation by Rivals ... Two-time national champion, three-time state champion.
Jacob Gazzo • F •6-8, 215 • McComb, Miss. • Parklane Academy
ESPN 3-star rated prospect ... ESPN No. 3 player in Mississippi ... ESPN No. 52 forward nationally ... Named to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association All-State team.
Rashaud Marshall • F •6-8, 220 • Blytheville, Ark. • Blytheville
ESPN 4-star rated prospect (82 grade) ... ESPN No. 2 player in Arkansas ... ESPN No. 15 center nationally ... 247/247Composite 4-star rated prospect (92/0.9642 grade) ... 247/247Composite No. 1 player in Arkansas ... 247/247Composite No. 12 center nationally ... 247 No. 83 player nationally.
Gavin Muphy • G •5-11, 165 • Calabasas, Calif. • Calabasas
First team all-league as a senior ... Ended high school career as his school's fourth-leading scorer ... First in his school's history with 100 three pointers and 100 assists.
ROAD WORK AHEAD
The 2023-24 schedule for Ole Miss holds plenty of challenges, competing in one of the top conferences in the nation and setting a strong list of non-conference foes. Among their 31 games, 19 of them will be against teams that finished with a NET ranking in the top 100 last season, while 12 of them finished in the top 50.
For the latest news and updates regarding Ole Miss Men's Basketball, follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissMBB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Men's Basketball and on Instagram at olemissmbb.
TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (0-0)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 1st Season at Ole Miss (0-0) • 237-98 career record (12th Season)
Alabama State (0-0)
Head Coach: Tony Madlock • 2nd Season at Alabama State (8-23) • 24-43 career record (4th Season)
ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SECN+
Play-by-Play: Jake Hromada
Color: John Stroud
OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Color: Marc Dukes
SERIES HISTORY VS. ALABAMA STATE
This will be the eighth matchup between Ole Miss and Alabama State, with the Rebels having won each game. Their first game happened when the two faced off in the 1983 NIT, with Ole Miss coming up with an 87-75 win. The Rebels would go on to defeat South Florida in the second round before reaching the quarterfinals.
Since then, Ole Miss has faced the Hornets during the non-conference portion of their season, beginning with a 42-point victory in Oxford in 1998. The two met in Montgomery, Ala. the following season, with the Rebels coming out on top 76-65. Ole Miss then grabbed wins over Alabama State in 2002 (74-58), 2003 (68-44), 2008 (85-82), and 2009 (90-53).
LAST MEETING: NOVEMBER 16, 2009 (W, 90-53, OXFORD, MISS.)
• Ole Miss was first on the board with a three from Terrico White and never looked back, eventually pushing a nine-point lead with 6:36 before halftime, to 19 points by the midway break.
• Murphy Holloway and Eniel Polynice kept the Hornets in check defensively, each grabbing four steals, contributing eight of the team's seven swipes. The Rebels added 10 blocks as a team, led by freshman Reginald Buckner, who swatted five.
• Four Rebels scored in double digits, led by 19 from White, the reigning SEC Newcomer of the Year.
• Polynice added 17 points, Chris Warren 12, and Zach Graham 11.
SCOUTING THE HORNETS
Alabama State opens their season with this matchup as well, having played an exhibition match on Monday, October 30 against LaGrange. In their preseason game, the Hornets defeated LaGrange 90-69, with four players scoring in double digits led by Sean Smith with 17.
The Hornets are coming off of an 8-23 season a year ago, having gone 6-12 in SWAC play and missing the conference tournament. Last year's leading scorer Isiah Range returns to the roster for 2023-24, averaging 14.0 points per game a season ago. Range lived up to his last name and led Alabama State in made three pointers with 53, shooting a blistering 42.7 percent from beyond the arc. The senior guard added 3.7 rebounds per game and finished second on the team with 31 steals.
Alabama State loses their leading rebounder from a year ago in Jordan O'Neal (transfer to Jackson State), but returns their second-best in guard TJ Madlock. Currently a junior, Madlock averaged 6.1 rebounds per game last year, and was the team's second-leading scorer with 11.1 points per contest. Madlock earned a spot on the Second Team Preseason All-SWAC list.
Entering his second season as the head coach of Alabama State, Tony Madlock spent the 2021-22 season at the helm of South Carolina State, where he won 15 games. Ole Miss fans will remember the name from Madlock's time serving as head coach for five games during the 2017-18 campaign, after two years as an assistant with the Rebels.
A NEW ERA BEGINS
With the hiring of Chris Beard last March, the Ole Miss men's basketball program is prepared to take the next step forward, bringing in one of the most successful coaches of the last decade.
Compiling a record of 237-98 as an NCAA head coach since 2012, Beard holds one of the highest win percentages in the nation, ranking 14th among active head coaches with 10 or more years of experience.
The 2019 AP National Coach of the Year has led three different programs to the NCAA Tournament over the previous eight years, and is undefeated in the opening round at 5-0. His all-time record in the NCAA Tournament is 11-5 (.688).
RETURN OF THE "G" AND "F"
Senior guard Matthew Murrell and senior forward Jaemyn Brakefield are one of the most dynamic returning duos in the SEC this season. The top-two leading scorers for the Rebels a year ago, they return a combined Ole Miss career stat line of 154 games played, 1,538 points, 576 rebounds, and 205 made three pointers. They have added 117 steals and 30 blocks on the defensive end during their time in Oxford as well.
ADAPT TO THE TIMES
The new age of the NCAA often sees heavy roster turnover from year-to-year. While Ole Miss returns five members of last year's team, they added 11 strong newcomers through the transfer portal and the high school recruiting trail:
Returners (5)
Jaemyn Brakefield - 33 GP, 31 GS, 11.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG
Cam Brent - 2022-23 practice squad member
TJ Caldwell - 31 GP, 7 GS, 4.7 PPG, 1.6 RPG
Robert Cowherd - 2022-23 freshman, redshirted
Matthew Murrell - 30 GP, 29 GS, 14.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG
Transfers (7)
Moussa Cisse - Oklahoma St.; 61 GP, 7.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG
Allen Flanigan - Auburn; 114 GP, 8.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG
Cole McGrath - Blue Mountain; 53 GP, 6.5 PPG, 1.8 RPG
Brandon Murray - Georgetown; 27 GP, 13.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG
Jaylen Murray - St. Peter's; 62 GP, 8.9 PPG, 2.2 RPG
Austin Nunez - Arizona St.; 28 GP, 4.5 PPG, 1.1 RPG
Jamarion Sharp - Western Ky.; 65 GP, 7.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG
Freshman (4)
Cameron Barnes - Three-star (ESPN, 247, Rivals), No. 147 national (Rivals)
Jacob Gazzo - Three-star (ESPN), No. 3 in Mississippi (ESPN)
Rashaud Marshall - Four-star (ESPN, 247, Rivals), No. 83 national (247)
Gavin Murphy - His high school's fourth-leading all-time scorer
"I'M 22 AND A VET IN THE GAME"
The Ole Miss men's basketball team returns a plethora of NCAA experience to the court this year. Between their returners and transfers, the Rebels' roster includes:
Games Played: 624
Minutes Played: 14,975
Points: 5,220
Rebounds: 2,644
Assists: 801
Steals: 425
Blocks: 524 (441 from Cisse and Sharp alone)
SKEE-LO'S HERO
Transfer forward Jamarion Sharp stands as the tallest student-athlete in NCAA Division I men's basketball this season at 7'5", a title he has held for three-straight seasons now, and is even listed as one of the tallest living humans on Wikipedia. After spending his first two college years at John A. Logan College, Sharp played two years at Western Kentucky from 2021 to 2023. In 64 games played, he averaged 7.8 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game, and became just the fifth person ever to lead the NCAA in blocks twice. His margin of 4.36 blocks per game during his career is currently the 10th-best average in college basketball history.
Career Blocked Shot Average (min. 225 blocks)
1. 5.87 - Keith Closs, Central Conn. St. (54 GP, 317 blks.)
2. 5.66 - Adonal Foyle, Colgate (87 GP, 492 blks.)
3. 5.34 - Shawn James, Northeastern/Duquesne (83 GP, 443 blks.)
4. 5.24 - David Robinson, Navy (67 GP, 351 blks.)
5. 4.66 - Mickell Gladness, Alabama A&M (85 GP, 396 blks.)
6. 4.65 - Wojciech Myrda, La.-Monroe (115 GP, 535 blks.)
7. 4.58 - Shaquille O'Neal, LSU (90 GP, 412 blks.)
8. 4.48 - Jerome James, Florida A&M (81 GP, 363 blks.)
9. 4.42 - Deng Gai, Fairfield (100 GP, 442 blks.)
10. 4.36 - Jamarion Sharp, Western Ky./Ole Miss (64 GP, 279 blks.)
EYES UP HIGH
On Friday, October 27th, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced their 20-member watch list for the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year award. For the second consecutive year, Jamarion Sharp saw his name on that list.
MILESTONES ALERT
Career milestones to watch for the Rebels:
Allen Flanigan
• Career Points: 966
• Career Rebounds: 479
Matthew Murrell
• Career Points: 925 - Would be 42nd member of 1,000-point club at Ole Miss
• Career 3PM: 140 - 163 enters top-10 in school history
• Career 3PA: 418 - 454 enters top-10 in school history
Jamarion Sharp
• Career Points: 499
• Career Rebounds: 487
• Career Blocks: 279
VALUED LEADERSHIP
The Ole Miss men's basketball coaching staff is one of the more experienced around the country. Entering his 14th year as a collegiate head coach, Chris Beard is joined on the court by former head coaches Win Case (16 years), Brian Burg (three years), and Wes Flanigan (two years). Assistant coach Bob Donewald Jr. has 16 years of head coaching experience at the professional and national level, while assistant Al Pinkins has been an associate or assistant coach at six different NCAA Division-I programs, including four within the SEC. The Ole Miss coaching staff has experience at five other SEC programs: Auburn, Florida, LSU, Mississippi State, and Tennessee.
WE BALLIN' LIKE THE MARCH MADNESS
Among the seven transfers for the Rebels, over half have been to the NCAA Tournament during their collegiate career, with a total of five appearances. Brandon Murray (LSU, 2022 First Round), Austin Nunez (Arizona State, 2023 First Round), and Jaylen Murray (Saint Peter's, 2022 Elite Eight) have each been to the postseason once in their careers, while Allen Flanigan has been twice (Auburn, 2022 and 2023 Second Round).
BEEN STEPH CURRY WITH THE SHOT
On February 28 against Texas A&M last season, Matthew Murrell connected on eight makes from three, setting a career high and tying the SJB Pavilion record for most threes in a single game. His eight three pointers tied him for the third-most in a single game in school history, with the most recent occurrence coming in December 2019 by Breein Tyree. Murrell's performance also marked the most shots from deep by a player in the SEC last season.
RETURN OF THE MURPH
A four-year letterwinner at Ole Miss and the program's all-time leading career rebounder, Murphy Holloway returns to Oxford as a graduate assistant under head coach Chris Beard. In four seasons with the Rebels, Holloway scored 1,476 points (ranked No. 15 in school history), and pulled in 1,093 boards. His 615 made field goals are the seventh-most in Ole Miss history and his field goal percentage of 54.4% ranks eighth. The former Rebel also ranks second in career steals (194) and is tied for the third-most games played in a career at Ole Miss, at 132. Holloway saw 85 wins during his career and was a key member of the 2013 SEC Tournament championship team, averaging 14.5 points and 9.7 rebounds during his senior year in 2012-13. He has enjoyed a long professional career since his time of graduation, playing overseas in Turkey, Italy, France, Israel, and South Korea.
TRANSFER TO THE 'SIP
Head coach Chris Beard and the Ole Miss coaching staff put together one of the top transfer classes in the conference, bringing in seven new players that will help punctuate Beard's emphasis on defense. Two of the top active career leaders in blocked shots, Moussa Cisse (Oklahoma State) and Jamarion Sharp (Western Kentucky) will set a strong presence down low, coming in with a combined 441 career blocks.
Guard Allen Flanigan (Auburn) brings over 100 games of experience, and is among the active career leaders in minutes played with 2,699. He scored nearly 1,000 points while at Auburn and grabbed just under 500 boards, adding 74 steals on defense.
After spending last season at Georgetown, Brandon Murray returns to the SEC, a conference he played in two years ago at LSU. The guard was selected to the Freshman All-SEC Team in 2022 and brings a combination of scoring (11.7 points per game) and strong defense (1.2 steals per game).
A trio of guards round out the Ole Miss transfer class. Jaylen Murray (St. Peter's) and Austin Nunez (Arizona State) give Beard a pair of point guards, each of which have displayed the ability to score. Spending two years at Northeast Mississippi CC and a pair at Blue Mountain, Cole McGrath gives the Rebels a shooting guard with big shot-making ability.
BALL IN THE 'SIP
The Rebels added four freshmen to their roster for 2023-24:
Cameron Barnes • F •6-9, 195 • Duncanville, Texas • Duncanville
A three-star prospect according to ESPN, 247, and Rivals ... Ranked the No. 147 overall player in the nation by Rivals ... Two-time national champion, three-time state champion.
Jacob Gazzo • F •6-8, 215 • McComb, Miss. • Parklane Academy
ESPN 3-star rated prospect ... ESPN No. 3 player in Mississippi ... ESPN No. 52 forward nationally ... Named to the Tennessee Sports Writers Association All-State team.
Rashaud Marshall • F •6-8, 220 • Blytheville, Ark. • Blytheville
ESPN 4-star rated prospect (82 grade) ... ESPN No. 2 player in Arkansas ... ESPN No. 15 center nationally ... 247/247Composite 4-star rated prospect (92/0.9642 grade) ... 247/247Composite No. 1 player in Arkansas ... 247/247Composite No. 12 center nationally ... 247 No. 83 player nationally.
Gavin Muphy • G •5-11, 165 • Calabasas, Calif. • Calabasas
First team all-league as a senior ... Ended high school career as his school's fourth-leading scorer ... First in his school's history with 100 three pointers and 100 assists.
ROAD WORK AHEAD
The 2023-24 schedule for Ole Miss holds plenty of challenges, competing in one of the top conferences in the nation and setting a strong list of non-conference foes. Among their 31 games, 19 of them will be against teams that finished with a NET ranking in the top 100 last season, while 12 of them finished in the top 50.
For the latest news and updates regarding Ole Miss Men's Basketball, follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissMBB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Men's Basketball and on Instagram at olemissmbb.
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