Preview of 2014-15 Ole Miss Men’s Basketball team

With the Ole Miss’ Men’s basketball season right around the corner, here’s who to look out for when the Rebels are on the court.

Plenty of front court depth

Aaron Jones started 27 games last season.

This is the most depth the Rebels have had in quite some time, and a lot of it can be found in the front court.

• Sophomore center Dwight Coleby finished the 2013-2014 season 5^th on the team in blocking. His scoring progressed in the final four games of the season.

• Sophomore forward Terry Brutus is returning from a medical redshirt due to a torn ACL in his left knee last season. His freshman year, the 2012-2013 season, he managed to grab 47 rebounds and shot 64% from the floor.

• Senior forward Aaron Jones started in 27 of the 33 games in the 2013-2014 season. He averaged 6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks.  He led the team and the SEC with 69 blocked shots.  He also led the team and ranked 10^th in the SEC in rebounding.

• Junior forward Anthony Perez shot 40.1% from the floor, 33.3% behind the arc, and 68.8% from the line this past season.
• Sophomore Forward, Sebastian Saiz finished 2^nd on the team and 5^th among the SEC Freshmen in rebounding.  He averaged 5.6 rebounds per game.

Newcomers add to front court depth

Along with the returners, there are some talented newcomers who add into the mix as well.

• Senior forward M.J. Rhett transferred from Tennessee State. In their 2013-2014 season, Rhett was ranked 18^th in the nation with 9 double-doubles.  The 6-9, 225 pounder gives Ole Miss an experienced, strong frontcourt player.

• Freshman forward Marcanvis Hymon was a 3-star prospect from Whitehaven High School in Memphis, Tennessee. He averaged 18 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 3 assists.  Hymon earned all-region and all-metro honors as a high school senior.

• Freshmen center John Crnogorac averaged 10 points, 8 rebounds, 8 blocks, and 4 assists at Marshall Academy in Holly Springs, Mississippi.

Back court experience for the Rebels

Senior Jarvis Summers leads the 2014-15 Rebels Men’s Basketball Team. (Photo Credit: Ole Miss Athletics)

Like the front court, Ole Miss’ back court has some depth as well.  The largest returning contributor is senior guard Jarvis Summers, who is joined by returners LaDarius “Snoop” White and Martavious Newby.

• Jarvis Summers earned all-SEC second team honors from the league’s coaches and honorable mention from the Associated Press in the 2013-2014 season. He won the Howell Trophy as the best college basketball player in the state of Mississippi.  He averaged 17.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists.  Summers ranked 1^st on the team in assists and minutes played.  He also ranked 8^th in the SEC in scoring and 4^th in assists.  Summers is the most consistent player for the Rebels’ program over the past 3 seasons.  He is the SEC’s returning leading scorer and assists leader.

• Senior guard LaDarius “Snoop” White started 16 of the 33 games he played last season. He was 3^rd on the team in scoring, assists, and 3 pointers.  He averaged 7.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists.

• Junior guard Martavious Newby averaged 3.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1 assists, and .9 steals per game. He shot 55.1% from the field and 50% from the line.

Newcomers bringing the hype

A lot of the hype surrounding this year’s team can be attributed to some very talented newcomers who have joined the team: Stefan Moody, Roderick Lawrence, and Terence Smith.

• Junior guard Stefan Moody is a transfer from Kilgore College. There he averaged 17.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.  He will be a difference-maker in the upcoming season and will take off some of the perimeter pressure off Jarvis Summers in the back court.

• Junior guard Roderick Lawrence transferred from South Plains Junior College where he started all 35 games. He earned all-conference and all-region 5 honors and helped lead his team to the NJCAA National Tournament quarterfinals.  He averaged 13.1 points and 6.1 rebounds.

• Terence Smith, Senior guard, transferred from Tennessee-Martin where he led the team in scoring at 14.6 points per game. He shot 82.2% from the line and 42.9% from the floor.  He was ranked 3^rd in the Ohio Valley Conference in 3-point field goal percentage.

The Rebels’ have an exhibition game tomorrow verses Delta State at 7 p.m. in Oxford. Admission is free and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.

The Rebels then kick off the season with a home opener on Friday, November 14 verses Charleston Southern at 6 p.m.