The University of Mississippi Athletics
Back For More: Reintroductions to Women’s Basketball’s Returning Class
10/23/2024 | Women's Basketball
OXFORD, Miss. – With Ole Miss women’s basketball set to commence action next week, OleMissSports.com previews the 2024-25 returning class. Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin returned eight letterwinners from last year’s squad, with a combined 12 years of experience playing in Oxford.
Madison Scott headlines the group of returners for the 2024-25 season. Scott enters the year as one of the most prolific figures in Ole Miss women’s basketball history and is the undisputed leader of the group. Throughout her illustrious career, Scott has scored over 1,300 points for the Rebels while dishing 256 assists. Scott has made a name for herself in the rebounding category, grabbing 877 in her career. She’s reached the triple-digit rebound mark in all four years for Ole Miss, with the last three all above 200.
In her time as a Rebel, the 2021 SEC Freshman of the Year has been the backbone for the Rebels in almost all statistical categories. She’s led the team in rebounding for the past two years, had the highest field goal percentage in her four years and paced the team in assists for the first time in her career last season
Her rebounding prowess, coupled with her efficient scoring, has led to her having the seventh-most double-doubles in Ole Miss women’s basketball history with 27. One of the best to ever lace it up for the Rebels, Scott needs only seven games to breach the top 10 in most career games played in the blue and red.
Scott was on the All-SEC First Team last season, a year removed from being on the conference’s Second Team for the first time in her career. She was also named to the SEC All Defensive Team for the past two seasons. Most recently, Scott was voted by the media as a preseason All-SEC Second Team honoree.
Scott’s partner in crime this season is Kennedy Todd-Williams, who had the third-most points for Ole Miss in her inaugural season for the Rebels last year. She enters the 2024-25 season averaging 10.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Todd-Williams set three personal season bests as a Rebel – assists (77), blocks (20) and offensive rebounds (62).
One of the most experienced Rebels on the roster, Todd-Williams and Scott are tied at 122 career games apiece. Todd-Williams has the second-most collegiate starts on the team with 95, 25 of which coming last year with Ole Miss.
Todd-Williams began her career at North Carolina, where she played 89 games for the Tar Heels. She was an All-ACC Second Team member as a junior in 2022-23 as she scored 20-plus points five times that year.
Toddy doing work this half ?????
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) December 21, 2023
She is shooting 80% from the field. pic.twitter.com/k10MP51pBp
KK Deans rejoins the Rebels for her sixth season of collegiate ball after medically redshirting last season. Though she only appeared in six games in 2023-24, she started in all of them and averaged almost 10 points a game and 3.8 assists. Deans put up a season-best 16 points against Temple, where she also registered seven rebounds and eight assists.
Prior to joining Ole Miss, Deans spent time with Florida and West Virginia. She had her best year with the Gators, where she led the team in scoring (14.1 per game) and tied a career-high in points scored with 30 against LSU. She also had her best 3-point shooting season of her career, knocking down 77 at a 38.3% rate.
As a Mountaineer, Deans was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention twice. She accomplished that feat in 2021-22 despite playing only 18 games. In those two years, Deans was either first or second on the scoring chart. She also had the best 3-point shooting percentage of her career, draining 41.5% to lead West Virginia.
Tenacity and Toughness.
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) October 17, 2024
We’re so excited to see @kkdeans back on the court this season! pic.twitter.com/jdFV9m7cwQ
Ayanna Thompson has played in the second-most games in a Rebel uniform entering this year. She appeared in 29 games as a sophomore, and made her first collegiate start in the 2023-24 season. She played her best ball in the postseason, racking nine points in the final game of the year and a career-high three steals in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Thompson’s defensive game improved from her freshman year, totaling 12 steals and two blocks. As a rebounder, Thompson had a season-best three in two games. She also had multiple-rebound games five times. Thompson also took care of the basketball better, dropping her turnover number by double digits from her freshman campaign.
Just Getting Started
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) May 26, 2023
?? @yanna__20 pic.twitter.com/MWqkOuKYlh
Mariyah Noel is back for the Rebels, acting as the most experienced sophomore on the team. She played in 20 games for Ole Miss off the bench, where she scored 32 points across 7.7 minutes per game. She shot 41.4% from the field.
She put forth her best effort of the season against Alcorn State, scoring a career-high seven points on 3-for-5 shooting in over 24 minutes of gametime. She tallied five rebounds and four assists against the Lady Braves, both are also career bests.
Coming out of high school, Noel was a three-sport athlete and was a two-time Kansas 5A discus state champion. She recorded over 1,000 points in her high school career, where she averaged 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists as a junior.
Freshie gets the bucket in her SEC debut ??@mariyah_noel | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/aR4NP90gQi
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) January 5, 2024
Richardson averaged the fifth-most points per game among Rebels who appeared in at least 28 games, earning double-digit scoring six times last season. Richardson can attribute that feat to successfully developing her 3-point shooting, as she made the first of her career against Oklahoma in the second game of the season. She made half of her 3-point attempts last season.
Prior to coming to Oxford, Richardson spent her freshman year at Auburn, where she averaged 4.7 rebounds per game. She set a career-high mark in rebounds against Florida, grabbing 16 in the contest. Four of those rebounds came on the offensive side. She also led the team in scoring that game with 15.
She paced Auburn in blocks with 23 for the season and averaged 7.2 points per contest.
RICH ??
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) July 8, 2024
Catch Kharyssa's career-high 21 points in Ole Miss' win over Tennessee NOW on SEC Network! pic.twitter.com/NYRnd2nvud
Rhema Collins appeared in 11 games for the Rebels last season. She went 1-for-1 in 3-point shooting and notched 16 total rebounds. She had a season-best four rebounds on two occasions. Collins had multiple rebounds in five of her 11 appearances.
She secured five points and two rebounds against Mississippi Valley in her best game from last season. Collins also secured double-digit minutes against Southern Mississippi, the only time thus far in her career. She had three points, two rebounds and an assist in that span.
Collins came to Oxford on the heels of back-to-back state championship victories in high school. She has represented The Bahamas at the 2019 Centrobasket U17 Women’s Championship, and became the second Bahamian to play under McPhee-McCuin last season.
Thank you for the support Coach!???? https://t.co/sdxk19Z1Nu
— Rhema?? (@rhemaco11ins) January 14, 2023
J’Adore Young returns to Ole Miss after appearing in seven games in her freshman campaign last season. She scored in all but one of those games and had a career-high five points against Georgia.
Young put her 6-foot-4 frame to use, grabbing four rebounds in her last two appearances of the season. She also had four blocks for the year, two of which happening in her last two appearances.
Young is set to medically redshirt for the 2024-25 season, after dealing with injuries most of last year.
We ?? you 10!
— Ole Miss Women's BB (@OleMissWBB) October 2, 2024
Fans have their first chance to catch the star-studded returners and the rest of the Rebel squad in Oxford for its lone exhibition of the season, hosting Christian Brothers on Monday, Oct. 28 at the SJB Pavilion. Ole Miss will then head overseas to begin the regular season against USC for the 2024 Aflac Oui-Play on Monday, Nov. 4.
Follow the Rebels on X at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on X at @YolettMcCuin.
