Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard discusses the mindset of Moussa Cisse and Brandon Murray as they await NCAA waiver decision
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard talked Wednesday at Media Days about transfers Brandon Murray and Moussa Cisse who are still awaiting a waiver decision from the NCAA as each has already used their one-time “free” transfer.
Murray arrived at Ole Miss after having played initially at LSU before transferring to Georgetown. Cisse comes to the Rebels via Memphis and Oklahoma State.
Although it has to be immensely frustrating for the players to continue to wait to hear about their futures for this coming season, their head coach is impressed with how they are handling it.
“Yeah both guys, Moussa and Brandon, have attacked this situation, I think, with a lot of professionalism, a lot of maturity,” said Beard.
“We talk about it. We have a truth-telling program. We don’t spend a lot of time in our organization trying to play mind games. We just put it out there. So, there’s obviously a lot of unknowns right now, especially as the season approaches quickly.”
Chris Beard
The Brandon Murray file
Murray, ranked the No. 8 recruit in the transfer portal and the No. 1 shooting guard on the market in 247Sports’ rankings, visited Ole Miss back in April over Easter weekend and committed April 10. While at LSU, Murray was a starter in 32 of 33 of the Tigers’ games and was selected to the All-SEC Freshman Team. That season, he averaged 10 points, three rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He entered the transfer portal after LSU fired head coach Will Wade.
While with Georgetown last season, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Murray notched 27 starts and averaged 35 minutes per game, shooting 40% from the field. He also averaged 13.7 points per game, finishing second on the team, to go with an average 3.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists.
The Moussa Cisse file
Cisse, who committed to the Rebels back in May, was a former 5-star prospect who started his career at Memphis. There he earned AAC Rookie of the Year in 2020-2021. After one season, Cisse transferred to Oklahoma State.
Last season in Stillwater, Cisse started in 20 of his 32 games played. He blocked a team-high 52 shots, shot 58 percent from the floor and notched six double-doubles. The year before, he led the Big XII in blocked shots.
In two years with the Cowboys, Cisse earned two All-Big XII Defensive Team honors. His game shines as both a rebounder and rim protector where he led the Big XII in both block percentage and total rebound percentage this past season.
Cisse averaged 6.8 PTS, 8.0 REB, and 1.9 BLKs. Offensively, the big man’s game revolves around transition rim runs and being the roll man.
Mentality while waiting
While it’s obvious the reasons the Rebels could really use Murray and Cisse this season, Coach Beard talked Wednesday about the mentality of his players as they navigate the ongoing situation.
“On one hand, we talk about it, keep everything in the open air. Then, on the other hand, guys are doing a great job controlling what they can control — and that’s just approaching each day, whether it’s practice or individual workouts or the academic piece of being a student athlete. So kind of two-fold. We’re definitely not ignoring what’s going on with that, but also, we’re just attacking each day, controlling what we can control.”
Chris Beard on waiting for NCAA decision on waivers for Cisse and Murray
Next Up
Ole Miss will host Tusculum for a preseason exhibition on October 30 at 7 p.m. CT. The Rebels will open the 2023-2024 season on November 6 against Alabama State inside the SJB Pavilion. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
