The comeback of Ole Miss Guard KK Deans | Rebels head back to The Bahamas for tournament action
OXFORD, Miss. — One year ago on November 20th, 2023 the Ole Miss women’s basketball team traveled to The Bahamas to compete in the Battle 4 Atlantis Championship. Head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and her squad would leave the tournament as champions, defeating the Michigan Wolverines 60-49 in the finals, but the team would endure a heartbreaking loss as point guard and team leader KK Deans suffered an injury that ended her season.
Late in the second quarter of the championship game against the Wolverines, Deans went down, holding her knee. Her pain was obvious to Coach Yo and the team as Deans left the game.
The following days would reveal the Greensboro, North Carolina native needed surgery on her knee, ending her season and impacting the Rebels’ team tremendously.
“We were devastated when KK went down,” Coach Yo explained at SEC Media Days last month.
“She’s the heartbeat of our team, an extension of me and had really been working hard and had big goals.” Coach Yo on KK Deans It was not easy for Deans but she persevered. “I just had to trust in God. He has a plan for me, and it just wasn’t my time. Every day, I came in with that attitude. I don’t take for granted any time I step foot on that basketball court,” Deans said at SEC Media Days this year. “That will really push me the rest of my life. Basketball isn’t everything. Whenever it ends, I need to keep that energy with whatever I do next.” Deans, a former Florida and West Virginia player, was playing great basketball before her injury with the Rebels last year, averaging 9.3 points and leading the team with 3.8 assists. Unfortunately, to make it even harder, this was not the first time Deans had to deal with a season-ending knee injury. She suffered a similar fate in 2021 when playing for West Virginia. Suffering the second consecutive season-ending injury of her career last season affected both Deans and the Ole Miss team tremendously. She was the main facilitator and three-point scorer for the Rebels, and Coach Yo had to completely adapt a new game plan without one of her star players. Though the injury brought a halt to Deans’ season, it could not stop her role on the team, as she continued to be a presence on the bench for every game. Her vocal leadership supported and pushed her teammates throughout the season. “It was a tough time, but I really learned about myself outside of basketball with what I needed to change, what I needed to do on a day-to-day basis. I knew my teammates needed me whether I was on or off the court. I was intentional, being there every step of the way and encouraging them whenever I could. It was good and bad at the same time, but as much encouragement as I gave them, they gave it to me back.” KK Deans on supporting her team while injured Coach Yo expressed her thoughts on Deans and just what she means to the team. “I’ve always been impressed with KK’s tenacity and toughness, but after seeing her go through the process of returning after this ACL injury, I’m even more inspired by her character and her will to want to be back and be there for the team. We had a lot of success last year and she had a lot to do with that. She was a coach on the bench, she was a great ear for our players. We’re excited to have her back.” Coach Yo on KK Deans During this past year, Deans worked hard and continued therapy, making her way back to the court and finding out more about herself in the process. She talked about what it was like to suffer two consecutive season-ending injuries in a row. “The first time it was kind of like shocking. [I was] Broken, mentally broken. I never saw myself getting injured. So it was kind of like a mental battle. This time, it was like, ‘Okay this is what I’ve been dealt with again. Let’s do it again.’ At first I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I’m going through this again, especially so recent.’ But overall, it’s a reflection of your time and what you do outside of the basketball court that affects on the basketball court.” KK Deans on her injuries Announcing she would return for the 50th season of women’s basketball at Ole Miss, just weeks after the 2023-2024 season ended, Deans refused to let her college career end off an injury, and she has high hopes and goals for this season. Through the team’s first four games, Deans looks like she never missed any time. She is the Rebels’ leading scorer, averaging 12.8 points per game, shooting 43% from the field and 40% from behind the arc. She appears to easily be stepping back into the role of the scorer and three-point shooter last year’s team dearly missed. KK Deans is making up for lost time. Deans has scored 35 PTS in the first two games of the season for @OleMissWBB pic.twitter.com/ZnaGCZvfrr — Jake Hromada (@JakeHromada) November 11, 2024 Deans knows all she has been through will help her in the long run. “So, just reevaluating and learning who you are outside of the sport is another element with injury. I think that all will help me in the long run and you learn so much through injury to help you with life in general.” KK Deans on growing through injury Deans and the team left this morning to head back to The Bahamas to compete in the Continental Tire Baha Mar Championship. Ole Miss opens with Boston College on Monday, November 25 at 4:00 p.m. (CT). Then Rebels will then play either Oregon or UConn depending on the outcome of the first-round action. Daylan is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas and currently a junior Journalism major at Ole Miss with an emphasis in sports media and a minor in history. In addition to his work for The Rebel Walk, Daylan is the creator of 'The Daylan Show,' a podcast that shares stories from people all over the sports and media world. He is an avid Arsenal, Cowboys, and St.Louis Cardinals fan. Daylan has a strong passion for photography, including many sporting events and photoshoots.
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