Rebel Hoops Recruiting Update....

I know some of you care about recruiting and others don't. I also know most of you don't care about Rebel basketball at all right now with football season starting up. However, I thought it would be worthwhile to highlight how our recruiting class is shaping up right now. To put it in one word: Excellent. This (potentially) will be the best signing class EVER at Ole Miss. Coach Torrey Ward and AK have done an excellent job bringing in talent during their tenure, and this year appears to be their best job yet. I will do my best to highlight who has already committed (and decomitted) so far, and then look at a couple of prospects we hope to bring in. Without further ado....

Committed:

1) Ladarius "Snoop" White   6'5" 200 lb. Shooting Guard from McComb HS in Mississippi

       -This kid is currently unrated by Rivals, mainly because he hasn't played on the national stage until this summer with his AAU team. I expect him to receive a three-star rating when they do get around to rating him. He is a versatile guard who is very athletic (sound familiar? AK loves guys like this). He should fit in nicely with the program and I think will end up being a very solid player for us during his career.

Decomitted:

1) Tyler Poole   6'6" 200 lb. Shooting Guard/Small forward from Hickory HS in Hickory, North Carolina

        -Tyler carries a three-star rating from Rivals. He committed to us during this past year, but recently decommitted. To be honest, I don't know the details surrounding the situation, but I think the coaching staff cooled on him a little bit and they mutually parted ways this summer. He is almost the exact same size as Ladarius White, however Tyler is known more as a prolific shooter than elite-level athlete. In AK's system, athleticism is valued highly, so I imagine the coaching staff chose to keep White and let Poole go since he is more athletic and they played the same position. I was excited to see us sign a pure shooter, as that is something we have needed badly over the past two seasons (especially considering how often opposing teams play zone against us).

Others We are Pursuing:

1) Johnny O'Bryant 6'10" 235 lb. Power Forward from East Side HS in Cleveland, MS

       - Johnny is a stud. He is a four-star rated prospect by Rivals. They also have him rated as the #36 recruit overall in the country. He plays hard, works hard, and seems to be a potential one-and-done prospect (which would be the first one-and-done kid we have ever signed). He played for the U-17 USA National team for his age group this summer and won a gold medal in Germany. He has been pretty well-documented on this sight, and would be the best frontcourt prospect ever signed at Ole Miss if he comes. He has narrowed his list down to us, Maryland, LSU, Alabama, Georgia Tech, MIami (FL), and State. For all intents and purposes, it seems like this is a battle between us and LSU for his services. He has been rumored to be a long-time Ole Miss lean, and I expect him to sign with us. Though, remember, these are 17 year old kids and they change their minds often.

2) Ky Madden  6'5" 170 lb. Point Guard from Lepanto, Arkansas

     - For all the attention O'Bryant gets, Madden is considered to be the better prospect. He is currently a five-star rated prospect and according to Rivals is the #18 overall recruit in the country. He would be a major get for the coaching staff, and we have long been rumored to be the favorite to land him. He has a list of five schools, but it basically is a battle between us, Arkansas, and Memphis. Everything I have read and heard would indicate we are in the lead.

I am not sure how many schollies we have to give, but I will assume we have four (unless we drop a couple players at the end of the season, which has been the norm lately). We have a couple other prospects we are looking at- mainly Andre Hollins, a three-star guard out of White Station in Memphis, and Jervon Pressley, a 6'8" PF/C from Charlotte, NC. I would prefer to sign another big man with that schollie, but Hollins is a good player who may be hard to pass up.