Ole Miss Basketball Preview 2015

New Faces, Same Expectations

Senior Guard Stefan Moody is Preseason First Team All-SEC for 2015

Just like most years in the preseason, there is a large question mark surrounding the Ole Miss basketball program. Many are wondering how the new faces will contribute, and others are waiting to see whether some guys on this roster will step into new roles smoothly. However, these questions are normal for a new-looking team like Ole Miss, but Andy Kennedy seems always to pull through with any roster he is given.The only known on this basketball team is the star from Kissimmee, Florida, Stefan Moody. As a junior, Moody led the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game, a stat which was fourth in the conference. He led the conference in FT percentage with .903, a stat which was a respectable seventh in the country. But anyways, the point is this guy is the real deal, but he cannot do it alone.

New Faces

Andy Kennedy has brought in some new players who are looking to contribute immediately. The new guards include Sam Finley, Rasheed Brooks, Terence Davis, and J.T. Escobar. The only new face from the forward position is graduate-transfer Tomasz Gielo, a 6'9" stretch-four from Liberty University. From what I have seen, it looks as though Sam Finley will take over the point guard role as Jarvis Summers graduated months back. It is clear that Ole Miss will need key contributors out of this group in order to reach the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years. 

Familiar Faces

As previously noted, Stefan Moody is a familiar face that Rebel basketball fans have come to know very well. The familiar faces include Moody, Martavious Newby, Anthony Perez, Sebastian Saiz, Marcanvis Hymon, and Terry Brutus. Newby is one with much experience under his belt while he has played 84 games in his first 3 seasons, and he is easily the best defender on this squad. Anthony Perez is another senior who will have to have an increased role this year after having dropped from 7.1 from 2.6 in PPG from 2013-14 to 2014-15. However, Perez averaged 24.5 PPG for the Venezuelan national team in the summer. Also, Sebastian Saiz will have to boost his role in order for the Rebels to have success this year. The junior from Spain averaged 7.6 PPG with 5.5 RPG last year, and with Dwight Coleby having transferred to Kansas, AK will have to rely on Saiz for post duties. Hymon and Brutus have both seem slim minutes during their times as Rebels, but as Brutus tries to get back healthy and on the floor, Hymon will have his role significantly improved from his freshman year where he averaged 1.2 PPG. 

With all of the new faces, it is very tough to put a postseason prediction down for this team, but after a glance at the 29-game regular-season slate, I think high teens-low twenties in the win column would be likely for this team. An NCAA Tournament bid would not be surprising, but even though predictions do not matter, I have not seen a website having the Rebels in the tournament. Do not forget; the NEW Pavilion at Ole Miss is scheduled to open January 7 against the Alabama Crimson Tide. ICYMI, here is the schedule for the 2015-16 season.