Perhaps, Rahim Lockhart's nickname, "The Dream," is fitting. He was, after all the motor that pushed the Rebels to their only Sweet Sixteen appearance in school history. Name an All-American for his efforts, Lockhart had us believing that basketball was a legitimate way for Ole Miss students to pass the time. How silly that seems now in retrospect. Then "The Dream" was gone and our long national nightmare - characterized initially by losing seasons under Rod Barnes and then by crushing under-performances and/or barely missed opportunities at the Big Dance under Andy Kennedy - began. At Ole Miss, just a short span of real success can make one a legend. But for a miracle shot by [NAME REDACTED], our dream might have lasted even longer.
Even still, Bianca Thomas was statistically better. She led, at times, the conference in scoring in 2009-2010 and ended up an all conference selection in what was predicted to be a pretty low year for Ole Miss women's basketball. Her lonely heroics (including setting a school record for treys) led to a Rebel upset of LSU (when she scored 42 points) and took the Lady Rebels to a winning season and an NIT bid. Besides that, Thomas was selected in the first round of the WNBA draft, so we will be able to tout her accomplishments, perhaps, for years to come.
Just as a reminder, voting ends Saturday at Midnight Eastern Time.