Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Goes Back-To-Back, Lands Second Commitment in Two Days
Rebels pick up commits from Robert Cowherd and T.J. Caldwell
OXFORD, Miss. — September is a crucial time in the recruiting world for college basketball coaches. Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis is no stranger to this, and if you’ve kept up with our recruiting news on “The Forum” you’ve seen that the Ole Miss staff has been out traveling to see prospects and hosting players on visits. The NCAA allowed basketball staffs to go out and contact prospects starting September 9th. This period runs till November 8th when there is a three-day dead period.
The Rebel staff has been busy, traveling all over the place contacting recruits in both the 2022 and 2023 classes. The team also hosted its own camp where they’ve offered some athletes even in the 2024 class.
Yesterday, September 30th, the Rebels landed their second commitment for the class of 2022 in Robert Cowherd. He joins Nick Krass as a part of the group. (More on Cowherd below.)
Rebels Add Third Commitment on Friday in T.J. Caldwell
2022 four-star TJ Caldwell (@TjCaldwell9) has committed to Ole Miss, he tells @On3Recruits.
Story: https://t.co/irwocacwn8 pic.twitter.com/nzn1MdnA4B
— Joseph Tipton (@TiptonEdits) October 1, 2021
However, the Rebels didn’t stop there as T.J. Caldwell announced his pledge to Ole Miss on Friday. Caldwell made a social media post early Friday stating he was ready to commit.
In less than 24 hours Coach Davis has added two quality players to a class that may grow bigger in the coming weeks.
Caldwell is a SG who is from DeSoto, TX and attends Waxahachie Faith Family Academy. Ranked as the No. 127 player in the class of 2022, he chose Ole Miss over teams such as Arizona State, Maryland, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, USC, TCU, and WVU. In mid-September, he took an official to Ole Miss and followed up with a visit to Arizona State last week.
Caldwell’s game is highlighted by his incredible explosiveness to get off the ground. He has a 45+ inch vertical leap. He plays the game with a chip on his shoulder, and his athleticism and mental drive give him the chance to be a huge upside player. While still fine-tuning some aspects of his game, his athleticism allows him to be on the floor almost immediately.
The Rebels recruited him hard with assistant coach Ronnie Hamilton leading the way. Caldwell was the only recruit on campus the weekend of September 12th.
The Texas product had a huge offseason, saying this in a 247Sports interview:
“I feel like I went out to Peach Jam and showed what I can really do. I moved to the point guard spot and a lot of coaches told me how much they liked me there. A lot of more schools are talking to me now. I think I have ten more schools talking to me since before Peach Jam.“
T.J. Caldwell
TJ Caldwell is bouncy pic.twitter.com/Oh6mtYggH8
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) August 25, 2020
Meeting Robert Cowherd
Robert Cowherd stands at 6-foot-4 and will provide the Rebels with impressive shooting and physical toughness. He chose Ole Miss over offers from several high majors including the likes of Baylor, Georgia, Clemson, Mississippi State, and many others. He was the No. 213 player in the class of 2022 at the time of his commitment and the #32 SG per 247.
Cowherd, who transferred to Southern California Academy from Grayson HS and earlier in his career attended Denmark HS, is an impressive shooter off the dribble and off of movement. His size at over 200 pounds will allow him to play either the two or the three. More than just a shooter, his toughness can allow him to absorb contact on drives and finish through it. Defense is also a growing part of his game as well.
Ole Miss getting a sniper in Robert Cowherd! 🔴🔵@Robert_money3 l #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/CBXuPGsTzx
— Who's Next (@WhosNextHS) October 1, 2021
What’s Next?
After the commitment of Caldwell, Ole Miss is left with two scholarships for the 2022 class — barring an unexpected exit. Caldwell, Cowherd, and Krass are also listed as guards, so the focus now becomes on the forwards and a big.
There are two names fans should be ready for: Malique Ewin and Jalen Reed.
A 6’9/6’10 Center from Georgia, Malique Ewin is set to commit on October 12th. Rated as a four-star prospect (No. 74) by Rivals, Ewin is an athletic big who is very mobile and can rim run with ease and has an advanced handle for a man of his position. He has five crystal ball predictions to Ole Miss and would provide the Rebels with a future need at center. Other schools in the mix include: Alabama, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Illinois.
The other big name to watch is another top-100 prospect in Jalen Reed. Son of former Ole Miss star Justin Reed, Jalen has seen his recruitment blowing up since Pearl Jam. Reed brings a very well-rounded game to the table with inside/outside potential. His biggest weakness is his shooting which he has stated is something he is working on.
Other names to keep an eye on include Kimani Hamilton out of Clinton MS. He just named Ole Miss to his top three alongside Mississippi State and Alabama. LJ Thomas and Jaylen Amir-Martin are two other names that have Ole Miss in the top six or seven.
TJ Oxley
TJ Oxley is the Vice President of Operations and the Director of Community Relations for The Rebel Walk. He is also the Director of Basketball Content and Senior Basketball Writer. He has over five years of experience providing in-depth analysis of college basketball through multiple platforms. A former MBA graduate of Ole Miss, TJ started with The Rebel Walk in 2019.
