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Ole Miss basketball lands trio of studs on National Signing Day

Sip the tea and stay a while.

NCAA Basketball: Missouri at Mississippi Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The BasketRebs are preparing to hit the court in a couple of weeks to begin the 2020-21 season, but head coach Kermit Davis & Co. aren’t taking time off the recruiting trail.

On Wednesday, the Rebels gained three guards to close out the recruiting cycle, including the top-ranked player in the state of Mississippi. I’ve never claimed to be a recruiting analyst, but I’m tackling this one for the boys at Red Cup, and honestly, these kids’ numbers speak for themselves.

4-star Daeshun Ruffin

Overall rank: 53
Point guard rank: 10
Hometown: Jackson, Miss.

It’s always nice to land the best talent in your home state, and Ruffin provides just that for Ole Miss. Ruffin is a top-100 player and is a consensus four-star, giving the Rebels their highest-rated signee since

[checks notes]

Matthew Murrell in 2020.

In the 2020 5A State Title Game, Ruffin only managed to drop 33 points in The Pavilion and secure All-State and Gatorade Player of the Year honors. Seems decent.

With these numbers in mind, the Clarion-Ledger listed Ruffin as the best player in the state of Mississippi and named him to their annual “Dandy Dozen.”

3-star James White

Overall rank: 125
Shooting guard rank: 30
Hometown: Conyers, Ga.

Then there’s James White who measures in at 6-foot-5 and is the No. 9 player out of Georgia, himself hailing from Heritage High School in Conyers. White accumulated 724 points in his junior season alone and earned first team all-state and all-region honors last season. His large frame also helped him average eight rebounds per game.

We have to wait a while before these guys see the floor at The Pavilion, but with a team that, on paper, is talented this year and a lot of talent waiting in the wings, things are looking good for the tea sippin’ coach and his Rebels.

3-star Grant Slatten

Overall rank: N/A
Shooting guard rank: 35
Hometown: Sparta, Tenn.

Let’s move on to Mr. Slatten who is the No. 7 player in the state of Tennessee and already has 1,808 POINTS SCORED IN THREE YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL BALL and is also listed at 6-foot-5. I’m told that’s efficient, but I’m waiting on confirmation. This man averaged 26.8 points per game as a junior for White County High School which, again, seems efficient, but I could be wrong.

He’s got some bounce, too.