Ole Miss men’s and women’s basketball make very bad history in the very same season

Ole Miss men’s hoops dropped a bad one to Vanderbilt at home on Saturday night, 82-69. The at-home fail drops the men’s Rebel roundballers to dead last in the SEC to finish the season, where they coincidentally meet with Ole Miss women’s hoops, which also finished dead last in the SEC this year.

Both basketball coaches are leaving Oxford, as earlier this week it was reported that women’s hoops coach Matt Insell was being let go.

Ole Miss athletics director Ross Bjork thus has two full coaching searches on his hands this off-season, following the most disastrous year in basketball for an SEC institution since 1999, when South Carolina’s men and women paired up to both finish dead last in the conference.

What’s noteworthy here is how Carolina responded to that abysmal mess. They brought in now USA women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley and for the men Frank Martin, both of whom have revived Gamecock hoops as serious national contenders. Both outfits reached the Final Four last year, and this year Staley’s club appears hell-bent on another Final Four appearance. The men’s side of Cocky hoops may hold more doubts, but they’re still a formidable side, especially on defense.

Perhaps Ross Bjork should look to Columbia’s hiring practices as he moves forward with basketball coaching candidates this offseason.