Coach Yo, Ole Miss players excited about upcoming trip to Italy; looking forward to team bonding
OXFORD, Miss. – Ahead of their trip to Italy on Sunday, Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and some of her players from the women’s basketball team spoke Monday afternoon with the media.
After finishing with a 25-9 record last season, along with an exciting Sweet Sixteen appearance, the Lady Rebs will look to continue building chemistry among the new faces — three transfers and five freshmen — during their upcoming time in Europe.
Big Expectations
It was clear listening to Coach Yo as she readies to travel across the world she is excited about this group.
“Team 49, really excited about this group…they’ve only been here as a group three weeks…one of the things I really like about our group is the personalities, last year we were a lot more ‘fun-loving.’ This group is still fun loving but competitive and super focused.”
Coach Yo on Team 49
Returning star Snudda Collins was the first player to speak to the media, and she touched on the new players and how they are all bonding. She was also asked what she has been working on to improve her game this offseason.
“One of the most uncomfortable things for me this year has been working on my communication more. I’ve been here going on four years; I know what Coach Yo wants, so just making sure the team is successful with communication.”
Snudda Collins
The New Faces and Their Roles
Rebel fans will be seeing three new transfers on ‘Team 49’ in the Pavilion this year along with five true freshman. Those transfers are KK Deans (Florida), Kennedy Todd-Williams (North Carolina) and Kharyssa Richardson (Auburn).
Deans has already cemented her spot as ‘PG1’ according to Coach Yo, and when asked about being an ‘unsung captain’ on the team, Deans replied, “They know, I don’t feel like it’s under the radar.”
Coach Yo also spoke about Deans’ leadership, explaining how the point guard reminds her of herself and brings a type of fierceness and competitiveness that every team needs.
Kennedy Todd-Williams’ nickname is ‘Toddy’ and as Coach Yo explained, it seems like she just fit right in at Ole Miss in every way.
Todd-Williams looks to bring much-need scoring to this group. She averaged just over 13 points per game last year while shooting nearly 40% from the field. ‘Toddy’ talked about bonding with this group and going to Italy for the first time.
“I feel like it’ll be a new opportunity for us to bond with each other. And I’m a baller, so I’m just ready to compete with them and, you know this will be my first time going out that way (to Italy).”
Kennedy Todd-Williams
Up Next
Coach Yo and the Rebs will play exhibition games in Italy July 30th through August 8th. The full schedule for next season has not been released but big-time matchups with Oklahoma and Louisville early in non-conference play have already been announced.
Stay tuned to The Rebel Walk for all your Ole Miss sports coverage!
Kameron Wicker
Kam is an undergraduate at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he’s from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn’t stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He’s a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.
