Sunday afternoon, Ole Miss announced the commitment of former Texas Tech and Buffalo forward Josh Mballa which marked the Rebels’ fourth transfers addition this offseason. Around this new core, head coach Kermit Davis has built a team that will be far more competitive in the SEC than last season and will challenge almost anyone in the conference defensively.
OLE MISS TRANSFER ADDITIONS:
Jayveous McKinnis, Jackson State
12.4 PTS / 10.3 REB / .6 AST
Myles Burns, Loyola New Orleans (NAIA)
15.2 PTS / 8.9 REB / 3.4 AST
Theo Akwuba, Louisiana
9.1 PTS / 7.9 REB / .7 AST
Josh Mballa, Buffalo
13 PTS / 8.6 REB / 1.1 AST
After a struggle to finish 13-19 and 4-14 in conference play; good for 13th place in the SEC, the Rebels roster has been rebooted this offseason with all four incoming transfers previously earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in their respective conferences.
While Ole Miss will lose senior Nysier Brooks to the professional ranks and guard Jarkel Joiner has transferred to NC State, junior guard Matthew Murrell, former Duke transfer Jaemyn Brakefield, and second-leading scorer Daeshun Ruffin will all return for next season as top-100 prospects from their individual recruiting classes.
With each of these three set to take developmental steps forwards and contribute more, Ole Miss could be somewhat of a surprise team in the SEC heading into next season as Davis looks for his second tournament appearance during his time at Oxford.
TPR’S PROJECTED LINEUP FOR OLE MISS:
Daeshun Ruffin, G
Matthew Murrell, G
Josh Mballa, F
Jaemyn Brakefield, F
Theo Akwuba, C
