In honor of Star Wars Day, a day in which all schools and places of employment should be required to sit through movie marathons, I figured we could look at some of the Star Wars storylines for Ole Miss.

The last baseball game I saw in Swayze was on Star Wars day and I was able to come home with a poster of some Rebel baseball players, holding lightsabers and being a part of the Rebel Alliance. I think if May the 4th ever falls Tuesday thru Thursday, the Rebels should be required to play their mid-week game on that night.

But I digress...

(Remember when Admiral Ackbar had a huge backing to become the next mascot for the university?)

A New Hope

This one is fairly simple as Ole Miss Basketball has swung for the fences by hiring Chris Beard as their new head coach. Beard is quite possibly the most talented basketball coach to step on the court for the Men’s program. The early returns in recruiting have not been anything to write home about, but he did manage to keep Matthew Murrell in house, which is a big deal.

As the evil empire of Kentucky continues to trend down, could Beard rebuild the Rebel Alliance into a program that can compete at the Andy Kennedy level or higher?

The Return of the Jedi

Lane Kiffin returns to Oxford after an offseason of flirting with the Auburn job. Kiffin did not do himself any favors with how the situation was handled, on top of not rolling out the red carpet and kissing the feet of Arch Manning, but something tells me he will be back in good graces soon enough.

In terms of the Empire, Emperor Saban over at Alabama probably has his worst QB situation in quite some time, could this be the flaw in their new Death Star plans that Kiffin can take advantage of?

Solo

Welp, the baseball team’s disappearing act after winning the National Championship has been hard to watch. Bianco’s solo act as a champion will still make him a legend here on campus, as some building in the baseball facilities will certainly be named after him one day. Rebel fans have been forced to be satisfied with the one-hit-wonder of a season by Dirty Mike and the boys and accept that this season in Bianco’s tenure ranks up there with Solo as a Star Wars movie, towards the bottom.

Rogue One

Perhaps one of the best movies in the Star Wars universe, Ole Miss Basketball recruit Rashaud Marshall, will hopefully live up to the same hype. The flip-flopping circus of his recruitment has been something, to say the least. Perhaps his last decommitment had something to do with the commitment of Cameron Barnes and transfer Jamarion Sharp who play similar positions, but bro make up your mind.

The Force Awakens

Led by female Jedi, Rey, a new trilogy in the Star Wars universe kicked off in 2015. After years in hiding thanks to the carnage brought on by Kylo Ren, the force is awakened and hope is kindled for the good guys.

Ole Miss Women’s Basketball has been rejuvenated, hope rekindled since the hiring of Coach Yo. A badass on the court and on the recruiting trail, nobody can tell her nothing. While Rey leads the resistance on the big screen, Coach Yo is leading a new wave of Rebels into territory that hasn’t been seen in decades.

All kidding aside, just like the Star Wars move franchise, Ole Miss Athletics seems to be in good hands — not without its ups and downs of course.

So, May the 4th be with you