Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com
The unofficial start of the 2019-20 college basketball season got started Wednesday when the coaches met with the media in Hoover at SEC Media Days. Ole Miss’ coach Kermit Davis answered questions about this season’s squad.
Davis is entering his second season at the helm of the Rebels. Last season, he became the SEC Coach of the Year after a 20-13 record and a 10-8 mark in conference play. Ole Miss made it to the NCAA Tournament in his first year.
Ole Miss comes into this season with one veteran senior — Breein Tyree — in the backcourt.
“We have great experience in our backcourt with Breein Tyree and Devontae Shuler,” Davis said. “We are young in some other areas, but I think our team looks more like an SEC team this year with length and athleticism.”
Tyree returns for his final season for the red and blue as the league-leading scorer.
“(Tyree) is going to get a lot of attention and he will have to be able to defer,” Davis said. “He has gotten so much better off of the ball screen offense and reading the secondary defenders. I hope his assist to turnover can be 2:1 if he and Devontae need to share point guard responsibility.”
The Rebels got to the Big Dance last year but lost to Oklahoma, and even though the team will have to repeat the process, Davis plans to “establish the program nationally.”
The Rebels will tip off the season on Nov. 4 in a hurricane relief exhibition contest as they take on Mississippi College.
