November 2010 Game Time Rebels

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0

Can he help Rebels pull Rabbit fRom hat?

maGiC man masoli

Kennedy’s CRew looKs Ready to Rumble in RuGGed seC

CRaven leads volleyball to suCCess

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Tis the season to sparkle and dazzle

SpeedKills

BETWEEN THE

LINES

Freshman speedster Jeff Scott electrifies more than 61,000 in attendance at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium during the opening seconds of the Auburn game as he out-raced the defense 83 yards to the end zone. Scott’s run gave the Rebels a short-lived lead.

SpeedKills Photo By MAttHEw SHARpE

PicturePerfect

BETWEEN THE

LINES

the 2010-2011 Ole Miss Men’s Basketball team is picture perfect for the moment. while that will likely change with a difficult schedule ahead, the Rebels are surrounded by great expectations this season. Led by senior star Chris warren and a talented surrounding cast, Ole Miss should chal-lenge for the SEC west title this season and finally break through to the NCAA tournament. warren is featured in a story inside this issue.

PicturePerfect

UM pHOtO

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Any contribution made to the Ole Miss Quarterback Club goes directly to the Ole Miss Football program.

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Bus trips to away games with other club members

Members receive inside information on the Ole Miss football program

Annual Quarterback Club Golf Tournament to be held in the Spring

The Ole Miss Quarterback Club is the main fundraising group creat-ed by Ole Miss fans for supporting the specific needs of the Ole Miss football program as identified by Coach Nutt and his staff.

futuRestaR>> Patrick Junen

pAGE 22

>> Rebel Miss of the Month

pAGE 40

>> What Chris Warren Wants

pAGE 50

>> The Business of Tradition

pAGE 68

terrence Metcalf, Sales Director; Advocate Board: Deuce McAlister, todd wade, Romaro Miller, Derrick Burgess, Marcus Johnson, Belton Johnson; paul Gandy, Creative Director; tyler Gallagher, Graphic Design/Web Manager; Hailey Nutt, Account Executive; Brent phillips, Account Executive; Leslie Howell, Account Executive; Astria Goolsby, Account Executive; Sally Marie Hollister, Sales Executive; Victor Fox, Account Executive; David Johnson, Writer; Jacob threadgill, Writer; Matthew Sharpe, Photography; Joey Brent, Photography; Nick toce Photography.

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NOVEMBER 2010

Kirui wins SEC crownpAGE 14

High school QB wants to be a RebelpAGE 38

HuddleUp with J. SternpAGE 19

Pictured on the cover of this month’s Game Time Rebels is quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. A senior, Masoli has stepped in and guided the Ole Miss offense to one of its most productive seasons on record. Masoli is pictured here in the Rebels’ gray jersey worn at home for the Auburn game. The photograph was taken by Matthew Sharpe.

ABOUt tHE COVER

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 11

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0

CAN HE HELP REBELS PULL RABBIT FROM HAT?

MAGIC MAN MASOLI

KENNEDY’S CREW LOOKS READY TO RUMBLE IN RUGGED SEC

CRAVEN LEADS VOLLEYBALL TO SUCCESS

GAMETIMEREBELS.COM

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N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 13

DAVID JOHNSON

it’s g oing to take everything and everybody pulling

in the same direction to right this football season.

It has been a battle and right now the program is hunkered down in a foxhole. It’s not just the players and coaches in that foxhole, either. The alumni and fans are there, too.

And every element must do its part.The coaches have to keep coaching.

The players have to keep playing. And the alumni and fans have to keep cheering and supporting.

When the dust settles from this season, then let the analyzing and the picking apart of the parts begin.

For now, grab your rifle and do your part. Get your Rebel Yell ready for what has boiled down to a three-game charge.

This Ole Miss football team has a record of four wins and five losses as of this writing.

It is still alive.And so is the possibility for a successful

season.Ole Miss is alive in the sense that wins in

two of the next three games qualifies it for

a bowl game. Two wins gives the Rebels a chance to finish with a winning record for the third consecutive season.

The fact of the matter is that the Rebels’ 4-5 record should be 6-3. No man on the moon will make me change my mind about that. The home losses to Jacksonville State and what has proven to be one of the worse Vanderbilt teams in a while are haunting. Those losses changed the course of this season and stymied the momentum of the program.

The task at hand, however, is simple: Beat a struggling Tennessee team on the road; show up at LSU and defeat arch-rival Mississippi State in Oxford. A bowl-qualifying win over Mississippi State heals a lot of gaping wounds this season.

With all that has transpired this season, finishing 7-6 and winning three of the last four would have to be considered a blessing.

No doubt, if the Rebels had defeated Jacksonville State and Vandy, the team and the fan base would be energized right now. The Rebels would be looking at the possibility of eight or nine wins and a quality bowl game.

It is what it is.

But valuable goals are still out there.Is a bowl game is still within reach?Yes.Is a win over Mississippi State still

possible?Yes.Is a strong finish to this season

attainable?Yes.Accomplish all of these things and the

off-season will be filled with memories of how the Rebels finished the season…not how they started it.

Of course, all of the above will help recruiting to an infinite quantity.

This football team is embattled, no doubt.

The Rebels need their fans more than ever. They need you in Knoxville. They need you in Baton Rouge. They will need you when Mississippi State steps onto the surface of Vaught-Hemingway in a few weeks.

We may not all strap the headgear on every Saturday, but believe you me, if you’re an Ole Miss Rebel, we are all in this thing together.

Don’t you quit on them.Don’t do it.

don’t staRt

with the

quitsRebels need theiR fans

by DAVID JOHNSON, Game Time Rebels

Photo By NICK TOCE

KiRui winsSEC X-COuNTry TITLE

X-COuNTry

ole MiSS Se-nior Barn-aBaS Kirui won the third S o u t h e a s t e r n Conference Cross Country champi-

onship of his career this month, help-ing the Rebel men to a fifth-place fin-ish at Hilton Field on the Fort Jackson U.S. Army base. Kirui is the fourth runner in league history to claim three SEC Cross Coun-try titles and the only runner with more than one in school history. He raced to the 8K victory with a time of 23:52.07, beating Auburn’s Ben Cheruiyot by al-most 10 seconds. “It really felt good to win today be-cause it’s my last SEC cross country race,” Kirui said. “I’m glad the race went like we planned. It gives me con-fidence going into regionals and na-tionals. I’m proud to have won the SEC three times.” “Barnabas ran a super race,” Ole Miss head coach Joe Walker said. “He and coach (Doug) Blackwell had a great race plan. On the third lap he broke the race open for a commanding vic-tory against very good competition.” The Ole Miss men had their best showing at the SEC Championships since finishing fifth in 1996. Martin Kirui, Barnabas’ younger brother, placed 14th with a time of 24:41.91, while Kip-chirchir Kiptoo was 25th with a time of 25:03.66. Loren Newsom and Max Holman also scored for the Rebels. Barnabas Kirui was named to the All-SEC first team, while Martin Kirui received second-team honors. Kiptoo who placed third among fresh-men in Monday’s race, was tabbed to the SEC All-Freshman team. Logan Waites led the Rebel women to their best showing since 1990. Waites turned in the highest SEC Championships finish ever by an Ole Miss woman with her 16th-place effort (21:27.71) in the 6K, helping the team finish ninth. Katie Breathitt, in her first season after switching sports from the Rebel soccer team, was second for the Rebel women with a 29th-place showing (21:51.04). Kayleigh Skinner, Anne Threlkeld and Allison Kneip also scored

for Ole Miss. By far the most decorated long-distance runner in Ole Miss history, Kirui boasts a list of accomplishments highlighted by the three SEC cross country titles, an NCAA title in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, four SEC track and field individual titles, two SEC Outdoor Runner of the Year awards and two SEC Cross Country Athlete of the Year awards. The Litein, Kenya native has also been honored by the league for his work in the community and in the classroom, and has earned a national academic award from the USTFCCCA. “Barnabas comes from a tough background, but he had a tremendous desire to get an edu-cation,” Blackwell said. “He has a great overall desire, and he’s a winner in every sense of the word.” The Ole Miss men and women will compete next in the NCAA South Regional, to be held on Saturday, Nov. 13 in Birmingham, Ala. If either Ole Miss team or any individuals qualify for the NCAA Championships, they will run on Nov. 22 in Terre Haute, Ind. Kirui finished fourth at last year’s NCAA Cross Country Championships, the highest ever finish by a Rebel.

14 g a m e t i m e r e b e l s

BARNABAS KIRUI

“BarnaBas comes from a tough Background, But he had a tremendous

desire to get an education,”

Blackwell said. “he has a great overall desire,

and he’s a winner in every sense of

the word.”

“BarnaBas comes from a tough Background, But he had a tremendous

desire to get an education,”

Blackwell said. “he has a great overall desire,

and he’s a winner in every sense of

the word.”

UM PHOTO

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Members of the Ole Miss men’s basketball team took time out of their busy schedules preparing for the 2010-11 season to visit with kids from the local Boys and Girls Club. the Rebel players helped the children build scarecrows for their garden, and they also showed them a few moves in some friendly games on the basketball court. “It was a nice experience to go back and be involved in the community and spend time with the little kids,” said sophomore Reginald Buckner. “they look up to us as role models, and they were really excited because we are basketball players and they’ve seen us on tV.” this is part of an ongoing relationship between the basketball team and the Boys and Girls Club of Oxford. Last December, team members were involved in giving gifts to several children from the community.

rebs visit local youthGivinG baCK

COMMuNITy

Assistant Athletic Director For Sports

Production

HuDDleuP with J. steRn

by DaviD Johnson, Game Time Rebels

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 19

“i cherish the t r a d i t i o n and the sto-ries, but the g r e a t n e s s

and memories need to be brought anew,” says J. Stern, who is the assistant athletic director for sports produc-tion at Ole Miss. And Stern, who has been on the job for 20 years, is doing his part to capture those memories in the age of instant information and increasingly amazing digital technology. Everything from the week-ly coaches’ shows, to video footage, to Rebel Vision to the clips playing on the jumbotron inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, has Stern’s finger prints on it. In short, he is Ole Miss’ elec-tronic guru when it comes to athletics.

On any given home foot-ball Saturday, Stern ar-rives at his state-of-the art production studio adjacent to Vaught-Hemingway six hours before kickoff. “I’ll start setting up, dragging out stuff; just to get ahead of the game,” he relates. He has perhaps the best seat in the house inside the studio, as multiple cameras deliver the action-packed imagery across a wall of video moni-tors. “We have 78 games per year that we do a full crew for, and regular TV broad-cast, as well,” Stern offers. During football season, he’s back at it early again on Sundays, filming the coaches show at 10 a.m., followed by an editing process that takes nearly three hours. Stern is also the man re-sponsible for the popular

celebrity “Are You Ready” jumbotron overtures shown just prior to the kickoff of Rebel football games. On this day, he has just wrapped up a shoot with former Ole Miss All-American Terrence Metcalf. “I never stop with that,” he explains. “A lot of folks make suggestions on who we should get, and I listen. A lot of Ole Miss people have connections to people, and we follow up. We’ve really had very few people turn us down.” Don’t search for the clips on the Internet, though. Stern doesn’t let them leave his grasp, even after the clips have played on the big board. “One thing people don’t realize is that we do not pub-licize these. We don’t post them on the Internet. Peo-

ple have told me it wouldn’t hurt anything so why not put them online? Well, you get into an endorsement area with these stars then, and sometimes that’s not what they want,” he continues. Among Stern’s favor-ite “Are You Ready” celebs are Dennis Quaid, Russell Crowe and Snoop Dog. He has, however, had a few ce-lebrities to decline. “Very few have said no. Tiger Woods watched our demo and declined. He wrote me a nice letter, though.” A native of Alabama, Stern has found a home at Ole Miss. “I came here for a year in 1990. I had a lot of job of-fers, but we went to the Ga-tor Bowl and I decided I just wasn’t going to leave. It’s been 20 years now. I’ve ab-sorbed this tradition.”

Dear Dr. Boyd, My son has a torn meniscus that may require surgery. I noticed that Enrique Davis was back playing at homecoming after suffering a torn meniscus earlier in the season. What is a torn meniscus and how long will my son be out from sports? laura, Jackson, MS

The meniscus is a crescent-shaped structure located between the shin bone and thigh bone inside the knee. It is made of water and fibrous cartilage which allows it to act as rubbery shock absorber in the knee. The meniscus is important in preventing degenerative (wear and tear) arthritis. There are two menisci, a medial (inside) and lateral (outside), which also provide stability to the knee when ligaments are torn. Tears to the meniscus occur during sporting events in younger patients. A twisting injury is the usual event causing injury. In older individuals, the meniscus may tear due to the tissue becoming degenerative over time. The most precise way your doctor can diagnose a torn

meniscus is by history of the symptoms and palpating the joint line of knee where the meniscus is located. Horizontal palpation along the joint line with swelling in the knee may lead to your physician to order Xrays and possibly an MRI. The physician exam, Xrays, and the MRI are all used in conjunction to formulate the diagnoses. Patients with meniscus tears are classified into two categories: young or middle aged. This is done in an attempt to rule out any arthritis in the knee in middle age or older patients due to poor outcomes with treatment of meniscus tears in patients who already have arthritis. Treatment options for meniscus tears include observation, excision, repair, or replacement of the meniscus. In general the meniscus has great

difficulty in healing itself due to its poor blood supply that limits the transport of healing cells to the area of injury. Therefore, many people with meniscus tears require arthroscopic surgery. Most often surgery consists of attempts at sewing the torn parts together if the tear is located in an area that has blood supply and if the patient is young.(This technique works best in patients who have to undergo ACL surgery at the same time as the meniscus surgery because both structures are torn.) Otherwise, the meniscus tear is trimmed and the remainder sculpted with arthroscopic instruments. Attempts are made to save as much meniscus as possible in order to provide continued shock absorption in the knee and prevent arthritis. Young athletes that undergo trimming of the meniscus, usually return to competition approximately 3 weeks after surgery. However, patients that require full repair of the meniscus are placed on crutches after surgery to aid healing and may require many months of healing prior to returning to sports.

ask Dr. BoydQuestions for Dr. Boyd? Send them to [email protected]

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 21

• Menisci are crescent shaped shock absorbers in the knee.

• The meniscus has a rubbery property to protect the knee from arthritis.

• Injury to the meniscus occurs in twisting injuries in young athletes while middle aged and older patients may have injury due to wear and tear on the tissue.

• Tears in the meniscus usually do not heal themselves because of poor blood supply in the tissue; therefore arthroscopic surgery is usually required in young and middle aged patients.

what you neeD to know:

Dr. Daniel Boyd

futuRe staRfReshman walK-on’s time Comes eaRly

by JaCoB thReaDGiLL, Game Time Rebels

futuRe staRfReshman walK-on’s time Comes eaRly

patrickjunen

Photo By MAttHEw SHARpE

huntsville, Alabama, is home to the highest percentage of PHDs per square mile in the world. It is home to NASA’s Marshall

Space Center, Boeing, Toyota, and other industrial research companies. Naturally, Huntsville attracts many of the country’s top engineers…engineers like Rebel lineman Patrick Junen’s father, who works for NASA in the “Rocket City.” Junen decided to walk-on at Ole Miss this June, turning down scholarship offers from FBS schools including Arkansas State, in part because Ole Miss offered a major in engineering, while the others did not. Enrolling at Ole Miss on an academic scholarship, Junen figured after a few years of hard work he might be able to earn a football scholarship, and maybe even some playing time down the road. It turned out to be a very short road.

After the Rebels averaged just 2.5 yards per carry against Tulane, and were routinely stopped on short yardage runs in the 28-14 loss to Vanderbilt, the coaching staff decided to make a change at left guard. So there Junen was, just four games into his college career against Fresno State in the starting lineup. “If you had told me before the season I would be playing, I wouldn’t have believed you. Absolutely not,” Junen deadpanned. Junen wasted no time making an impact, as the 6-foot-8 300 pounder was instrumental in opening running lanes during Ole Miss’ 55-38 victory which saw the Rebels rush for 425 yards, the most since 1977. Despite starting seven different offensive line combinations in eight games mostly with freshmen and sophomores, Ole Miss ranks first in the conference in sacks allowed and fourth in the SEC in rushing yards per game.

“With as many changes we’ve had in our front and as many injuries we’ve had, it has been a struggle at times, but the kids have responded,” offensive line coach

PAtRICK JUNEN

UM PHOTO


Mike Markuson said. “You hate to lose, stats are one thing you want to win, but we are showing progress. We just have to keep at it.” Starting with the dismissal of Rishaw Johnson after the Jacksonville State game, an already thin line was decimated by injuries. Josh Tatum suffered an ankle injury his first start, then Logan Clair was lost with a broken heel. Junen himself missed the Auburn game tending to a ankle of his own. “Everyone is doing the best they can,” Junen said. “There has been adversity, but you have to fight through that. Just when you get used to someone next to you having your back, they go down, but you have to get back at it. I think we have done a good job at that.” Lineup changes haven’t been the only transition for the offensive line as the play calling has gone to a spread option look to compliment the dual threat ability of Jeremiah Masoli. Junen said zone

blocking remains a staple for success. “We’ve adapted with it. Anything to help Jeremiah get accustomed to the offense is great with us because he makes us look good,” he related. Offensive line is the only position other than quarterback to require as much reading of the defense. The level of complexity of the different stunts, twists and slants a defensive line shows is dramatic change from high school to college. “I’ve adapted to the speed of the game in the SEC. Everything is faster and stronger. Coming straight out of high school and going into that, it took some time to get acclimated, but feel like I’ve been improving,” Junen said. “If you look at Auburn’s offensive line it is interesting that those are the guys we tossed around and beat up a little bit with Peria Jerry,” Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt said. “We’re going to have that kind of group. They have held their own and are

getting a push.” It might be tough to accept after three consecutive losses, but the experience gained for the Ole Miss offensive line will register at 20/20 after the season. “In hindsight a lot of them are getting good playing experience and are going to be good players for us,” Markuson said. “We just have to keep encouraging them.” Junen is not a prototypical guard at 6-foot-8, but he shows enough flexibility to get low enough to block defensive tackles and stay within a good pad level. “(Feedback from the coaches) has generally been pretty good,” Junen said. “I’m a freshman and still making mistakes, but they get in there and coach me up, and I’m getting better.” The novelty of his situation, from walk-on to SEC starter, has yet to wear off for the 18 year-old. “It’s been an amazing experience,” Junen said. “The coaches have faith in me that I’m going to do the job.”

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 25

Clean up with your very own Ole Miss vacuum cleaner. Nothing will come in more handy after a day of watching college football and celebrating the Rebels with your friends. Available at Johnson’s Furniture, Oxford, $399.

Watch your Rebels in comfort by sitting on this Ole Miss bean bag. The perfect addition to any Rebel Room. Available at Johnson’s Furniture, Oxford, $84.

Keep warm through those long winter nights with a Rebel snuggie. Available at Campus Book Mart, Oxford, $26.99.

Start your day with the Ole Miss Signature Coffee Collection. Available at Campus Book Mart, Oxford, small bag of coffee, $2.99; big bag of coffee, $7.99; mug, $17.99; coffee container, $9.99.

Fan Fetti can help you celebrate all Rebel victories. Available at Campus Book Mart, Oxford, $3.99.

The perfect addition to any home or office setting, Ole Miss bar stools in a leather finish. Available at Johnson’s Furniture, Oxford, $158.00.

Show your Ole Miss pride with a great selection of T-shirts. Available at Cat Daddy’s, Oxford, prices vary.

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 27

Photos by Paul GanDY

legendsOle Miss

FRANk “BRUISER” kINARD, LEFt, AND JOHNNy VAUGHt EyE tHE REBELS IN tHIS CIRCA 1960 pHOtOGRApH. kINARD AND VAUGHt BROUGHt GLORy AND NAtIONAL RECOGNItION tO tHE OLE MISS FOOtBALL pROGRAM; kINARD AS BOtH A pLAyER AND COACH; AND VAUGHt AS tHE HEAD COACH OF tHREE NAtIONAL CHAMpION REBEL SQUADS.

kINARD LEttERED At OLE MISS FROM 1935-1937 AND wAS tHE CO-CAptAIN OF tHE ’37 tEAM. HE wAS tHE FIRSt ALL-AMERICAN At OLE MISS, EARNING tHE DIStINCtION IN 1936 AND 1937. HE wAS A FIVE-tIME ALL-pRO AS A tACkLE IN HIS NINE SEASONS OF pROFESSIONAL FOOtBALL. FOLLOwING HIS pLAyING CAREER, HE REtURNED HOME tO OxFORD tO COACH tHE REBEL OFFENSIVE LINE FROM 1948-1970.

VAUGHt wAS tHE HEAD COACH OF tHE REBELS FROM 1947-1970 AND AGAIN IN 1973, LEADING OLE MISS tO NAtIONAL CHAMpIONSHIpS IN 1959, 1960 AND 1962. HE ALSO CAptURED SIx SEC tItLES IN HIS OLE MISS CAREER. ELECtED tO tHE COLLEGE FOOtBALL HALL OF FAME IN 1979, OLE MISS ADDED HIS NAME tO ItS StADIUM IN 1982.

GAME tIME REBELS IS pROUD tO SALUtE tHESE OLE MISS LEGENDS!

legendsOle Miss

(662) 234-3163

6 County Road 118, Abbeville, MS 38601 (Cross Streets: Between Cr-118 and MS-7/Cr-204)

We learn through experience and play

The 2010 university of Mississippi Homecoming Queen, Diana Price, who is escorted by her father, Stephen Price during halftime of the rebels’ victory over Louisiana-Lafayette. Thirty-six of the 58 previous homecoming queens were in attendance at the 2010 game. And how’s this for longevity? Fifty-seven of the 58 queens crowned by Ole Miss are still living. Now that’s a fountain of youth!

OurQueenP

hoto By JO

Ey

BR

EN

t

s C o R e C a R d4-5 (1-4 seC)

Ole Miss began a stretch of three games against nationally-ranked opponents with a valiant effort in Tuscaloosa.

The end result, however, was a 23-10 loss to the Crimson Tide.

Alabama, the defending national champion, entered the game ranked No. 8 and coming off a loss to South Carolina. The Rebels, after a reeling start to the season, had won two in a row.

Alabama led 10-0 after the first

quarter and 16-3 at the half. The Crimson Tide held a 23-10 lead after three quarters. Neither team scored in the final period.

A 22-yard field goal from Bryson Rose in the second quarter and a 15-yard TD connection between Melvin Harris and Jeremiah Masoli in the fourth quarter accounted for the Ole Miss scoring.

The loss dropped the Rebels to 3-3 overall and to 1-2 in SEC play.

Too little too late was the theme in Fayetteville, Ark., as the Razorbacks handed the Rebels a loss in a game delayed twice by inclement weather. Arkansas led by as many as 21 points early in the third quarter before Ole Miss began to surge. Twice in the fourth quarter the Rebels pulled to within a touchdown of the lead, only to let the slippery Hogs out of their grasp. “We’ve been a team like this all year; we had too many missed opportunities,” said Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt. “When you get an opportunity like the interception in the first quarter, you have to take advantage of it and get them down. We’ve been consistent at doing that where we don’t play together, offense, defense and special teams. We have glimpses of really good things for a young group. In this league, you have to take advantage. Jeremiah Masoli hit Markeith Summers on a 43-yard touchdown pass with 11 minutes and 39 seconds to play in the game, cutting the Arkansas lead to 24-17. However, just seconds later

the Ole Miss defense left the barn door open, allowing Knile Davis to run free for a 71-yard score and put the Rebels down 31-17. Masoli and Summers would connect again on the ensuing possession, this time on a 22-yard TD pass. Bryson Rose’s PAT again pulled Ole Miss to within a touchdown, 31-24. Arkansas would riddle the Ole Miss defense again when Davis slashed the Rebel defense for a 22-yard scoring run, putting the Razorbacks ahead 38-24 with seven minutes and 15 seconds remaining in the game. The Ole Miss offense would threaten to tighten the game again, but Brandon Bolden fumbled the football out of the “Wild Rebel” formation and Arkansas recovered. “I just dropped the ball and couldn’t get on it fast enough,” Bolden said. Masoli turned in a huge day for the Rebels, rushing for 98 yards while throwing for 327 and three scores. The 327 yards through the air was a career high for Masoli. The loss dropped the Rebels to 3-4 overall and to 1-3 inside the SEC.

s C o R e C a R d

Alabama 23, Rebels 10

Arkansas 38, Rebels 24


MARKEITH SUMMERS

weeks 6 & 7

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 33

MARKEITH SUMMERS

Photograph By Matthew Sharpe

s C o R e C a R ds C o R e C a R d

Auburn 51, Rebels 31

The Ole Miss offense produced points, while the Rebel defense produced another flat performance, as Auburn continued its march through the SEC with a Saturday night torching in Oxford.

Auburn quarterback Cam Newton caught a touchdown pass, threw two TD passes and spent most of the night grinning from ear-to-ear as the Tigers bounced Ole Miss 51-31. Auburn running back Mike Dyer finished the evening with the most impressive stats, slicing up the Rebels for 180 yards on the ground. Newton was held to 45 yards on the ground.

Ole Miss looked ready to play early on, taking a 7-0 lead seconds into the game when freshman Jeff Scott took a handoff and raced 83 yards to paydirt. The first quarter ended with the two teams locked in a 14-14 tie.

The second quarter was all Auburn, as the Tigers built a 34-17 halftime lead off a precise offensive attack and Rebel miscues.

“It was a great crowd tonight and we started out just like wanted it to with 7-0,” said Houston Nutt. “You have to give Auburn credit. They have a great football team.

Auburn led 44-17 at the end of the third quarter.

A pair of Brandon Bolden touchdowns in the final period of play made for the final of 51-31.

Jeff Scott finished the game with nine carries for 134 yards.

“He is an electrifying guy and can fly,” said Nutt. “He outran a championship-caliber team, and that is saying a lot for a freshman. We got a lot of babies out there tonight and I was proud of them. I think they did a good job.”

Ole Miss dropped to 3-5 on the season and to 1-4 in the conference.


4-5 (1-4 seC)

Jeff sCott

Photographs By Matthew Sharpe

Rebels 43, uL-Lafayette 21 Homecoming was celebrated at Ole Miss with a victory, as Ole Miss proved too much for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Despite a sparse crowd and a first-half injury to quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, the Rebels built an early lead and never wavered. Masoli left the game in the second quarter with what was described as a “mild concussion.” Running back Brandon Bolden continued his assault on opposing defenses, rushing for 136 yards and two scores. He also caught four passes for 80 yards and a TD. Bolden had some help with the rushing attack, as teammate Enrique Davis wheeled and whirled his way through the Ragin’ Cajun defense for 116 yards. All told, Ole Miss hammered ULL for 298 rushing yards on the night. It was the first time in 11 years that Ole Miss finished with two 100-yard rushers in a game. “It’s good to see Enrique Davis back. He is just now getting back to speed. He ran hard and fast tonight. Brandon Bolden is very valuable because he does so many things for us. I am very proud of both of them. They really took the load for us and relieved pressure off of Nathan.” Ole Miss led 24-7 after the first quarter and took a 30-21 advantage into the half. Backup QB Nathan Stanley completed 6-of-14 passes for 108 yards in relief of Masoli. Masoli was 5-of-8 for 72 yards and a score before exiting the game. Freshman linebacker Mike Marry led the team with 11 tackles in his first career start. Bryson Rose kicked a career high five field goals for Ole Miss. “It felt good, it was an awesome day,” said Rose. Five field goals is a great achievement so I’m very pleased with myself.” Ole Miss improved to 4-5 overall.

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 35

weeks 8 & 9

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the quaRteRbaCKsnathan stanley (12) and

Randall maCKey (1) watCh fRom the sideline

as JeRemiah masoli leads the Rebels down field.

has the Jeremiah Masoli experiment worked for the Ole Miss rebels?

The best answer to that question

might be in the form of another question.

Where would this team be without Masoli under center?

Fact: The Ole Miss offensive line is amongst the leaders in the SEC in fewest sacks allowed.

Fact: That stat is very misleading.A dropback, pro-style quarterback

such as Nathan Stanley would likely have taken a beating behind what is a promising but banged up and

very, very young rebel line. Maso-li’s presence mitigates a lot of the rebels’ shortcomings up front. His ability to leak outside the pocket has sparked the offense and prob-ably helped keep him…and Nathan Stanley… alive. It has also allowed the rebel coaching staff to redshirt the talented Mr. (randall) Mackey.

So, the answer is yes. The chance Houston Nutt took on bringing Masoli to Oxford has paid off; much more than what the W’s and L’s in-dicate. While no one expected the season to get off to such a sluggish start (and no one really expected the defense to be so, well, bad at times), Masoli’s presence has with-

out a doubt made this team better. It’s also given Stanley and Mackey the opportunity for another year of maturation.

Through nine games, Ole Miss ranks sixth in scoring offense in the SEC, averaging 32.7 points per game. The rebels are fifth in to-tal offense with a 417.4-yards-per-game clip. The rebels are second in rushing offense (221.6) and ninth in passing offense (195.9).

Masoli ranks seventh in the SEC in total offense, generating 218.6 yards per game. He has carried the ball 92 times for 446 yards, while completing 57 percent of his passes for 1,521 yards and 12 touchdowns.

masoli move pays dividends

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 37


Photo By MAttHEw SHARpE


dyeinG to be a

Rebel

tennessee qb hopes futuRe at ole miss


rECruITING

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 39

dyeinG to be a

Rebel

DYlan DYe is a junior at Dyer County High School in Newbern, Tennessee. Stand-ing 6-foot-3 and weighing in at 190 pounds, he is one of the top-rated pro-style quar-terbacks in the southeast. He’ll travel to San Anto-nio, Texas, to participate in the U.S. Army All-American Combine in January, demon-strating his skill set in front of a nationwide audience. Meanwhile, he is staying busy guiding Dyer County through the Tennessee 5A state play-offs and corresponding with an army of college coaches on his trail. “I’d say Cincinnati has re-cruited me harder than any-one,” Dye related. “They’re on me all the time. Missis-sippi State, Louisville, Stan-ford, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Illinois, Wisconsin, Rutgers, Tennessee, UCLA, Memphis and some schools in smaller conferences contact me a lot, too.” Through 10 games this sea-son, Dye has thrown for 23 touchdowns and more than 2,300 yards. He has an im-proving time of 4.8 seconds in the 40-yard dash. “I’m being told that my strength is my ability to make just about any throw,” Dye said. “I’ve been told I have the ability to put the ball in about any spot.” A quick view of film also shows that Dye has an ultra-quick release and makes ex-cellent decisions with the ball in his hands. Fortunately, for Ole Miss

fans, the Rebels are in the hunt for Dye. As a matter of fact, one could say Ole Miss is the lead dog. “Ole Miss has been recruit-ing me hard, too,” Dye said. “I may be living in Tennes-see, but I’m a Mississippi boy. I’ve been a Rebel my en-tire life. There is no doubt I am a heavy lean to Ole Miss.

I love it there, and I love Ole Miss. Make sure you put my hometown as Cleveland.” Dye was born in Cleveland, Mississippi. He lived there through his sixth-grade year before his family uprooted for Tennessee. While living in Cleveland, he became a Rebel fan and loved to play foot-ball in his front yard with the kid from next door. That kid was none other than fresh-man Rebel safety Brishen Mathews, whose father was on a coaching stop at Delta State at the time. “Oh man, Brishen and I use to have some battles in the yard,” Dye recalled. “It was pretty intense out there. We were really good friends, and

we loved to play football.” As is often the case with childhood friendships, the Dye family’s move to Tennes-see and the nomadic nature of college football coaching separated the boys. “I haven’t talked to Brishen since I was a kid,” Dye ex-plained. “I’ve watched him play a lot this year, though. I’m sure he’s still the same great guy. I’m really happy for him.” Dye attended the Vander-bilt and Fresno State games this season and says he plans to attend the Egg Bowl. “I like going to Oxford as much as I can. The campus, the stadium, the atmosphere, the entire town is incred-ible. Most of my family has always been die-hard Ole Miss. Oh, and there sure are a lot of pretty girls there,” he laughed. “I like Coach Nutt a whole lot, too. I believe in the pro-gram and want to be a part of it. Ever since I was a little kid I have wanted to play for Ole Miss. Even with all this recruiting stuff, that hasn’t changed very much. I’m still an Ole Miss fan.” Dye is awaiting the return of his ACT scores but notched a 24 on his ACT practice test. He says he is being recruited by Ole Miss assistant Chris Vaughn. The Rebels have not offered a scholarship yet, ac-cording to the junior. “I hope that’s coming. I want to be an Ole Miss Reb-el,” Dye deadpanned. “I al-ways have.”

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Brandon Bolden has been a man on a mission this season.

His mission? To prove himself one of the top running backs in the Southeastern Conference.

Through nine games, Bolden’s mission is going fine.

The junior from Baton rouge has rushed for 727 yards and nine touchdowns this season. The opportunity to become just the fifth rebel to rush for 1,000 yards in a season is easily within his grasp. Those to reach the plateau before him are Kayo Dottley (1949, 1950); Dexter McCluster (2009); BenJarvus Green-Ellis (2006, 2007); and Deuce McAllister (1998). Bolden will need to average 91 rushing yards per game against the likes of Tennessee, LSu and Mississippi State to reach the mark.

Bolden currently ranks sixth in the SEC in rushing yardage, averaging 80.8 yards per game. He’s also averaging a whopping 6.0 yads per carry.

Bolden is also second on the team in receptions with 24 for 276 yards and three touchdowns. He is producing 111.4 all-purpose yards per game.

bolden ClosinG in on

benChmaRK

the Rush to

1,000

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 43

12 issues

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CRaven suCCess

Photograph by niCK ToCe

VOLLyBALL

WHITNEY CRAVEN

CRaven suCCess

rebelSOpHOMORE

kEy IN pROGRAM’S

SURGEby JaCoB thReaDGiLL,

Game Time Rebels


w hitney Cra-ven freely ad-mits that her vertical jump

probably isn’t as high as it should be. But it makes sense that when Ole Miss volleyball coach Joe Getzin describes his team’s leading outside hitter he uses the adjective ‘deceptive.’ While some of her team-mates might be able to dunk volleyballs into a basketball hoop, the 5-foot-10 sopho-more, who is the second shortest player on the ros-ter, is the Rebels most con-sistent performer. Craven makes her mark both offensively and defen-sively. She averages a team high 3.05 kills per game and her 203 digs second on the team. “I know my opponents jump a lot higher than I do, but a big part of it is being able to see their hands and where they are trying to block,” Craven said. “I’ve always had the ability to see what is happening on the other side of the net.” Craven describes a seem-ingly innate ability to read the defense before it is time to attack. What seems dif-ficult to the untrained eye has become instinctive for Craven, who began playing club volleyball at the age of seven. By the time Craven was a senior at Assumption High School in Louisville, Ken-tucky, she was ranked one of the top 100 players in the country and ready to take her talents to the Southeast-ern Conference. “Honestly the team was the reason I decided to come to Ole Miss,” Craven said. “The coaches are a big part of it, but I just got along so well with the girls. Other places I was recruited at I got along well, but I didn’t feel as comfortable there as I did here.”

In 2009 Craven played well enough to earn SEC freshman of the week hon-ors twice, and a spot on the year-end All-Freshman team, but the Lady Rebels struggled to a 10-20 record. The transformation into a team that now stands third overall in the SEC (17-7, 11-3) began in the spring

and offseason, as the team developed a different ap-proach toward the game. Craven said the team started wearing wristbands, and if any player displays negative emotion, they have to switch wristbands. “Honestly I couldn’t tell you how many times I’d come into practice last year

like ‘Oh geez, it’s just an-other day,’ Craven said. “This year every challenge we have come up against we have been like, ‘We can do this.’ Coach has been re-ally focused on keeping that positive attitude.” For Getzin the transition of Craven in her sophomore year has as much to do with


Photograph by NICK TOCE

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 31

attitude change as it does with her consistently har-nessing her top 100 poten-tial. “She has really matured as a player in the sense of con-sistency,” Getzin said. “She had some breakout matches last year, but then she would disappear for a match or two. Once we hit conference

play this year her numbers have been fantastic.” The Lady Rebels struggled early on in non-conference play, losing three of the their first five matches. But as their record has improved Craven’s numbers have, too. She averaged 2.31 kills per game in non-conference play, lower than her clip as

a freshman. Since entering SEC play Craven is averag-ing 3.64 kills per game in-cluding matches of 16 kills against Georgia, 15 kills against Mississippi State and 22 kills against Arkan-sas. “Coaches will say it and say it. A freshman can think they are good enough to

come in right away and play like a senior, but the experi-ence and the level of compe-tition is very huge,” Craven said. “Now that I have a year on me it has made me a little more comfortable on the court, realizing the types of teams I am going to be go-ing against.” As the Lady Rebels try to return to the NCAA tourna-ment for the first time since 2007, Craven is focused on finishing the season strong for her classmate Courtney Cunningham, who was lost for the season to an ACL in-jury early in SEC play. “It is really inspiring to see someone work so hard. Ever since she has been hurt I’ve wanted to do it for her more than anything.” Craven’s growth in her sophomore campaign has not gone unnoticed by her teammates. Junior Regina Thomas is usually the one to finish off a point when Cra-ven isn’t able to. “She has been an amaz-ing teammate this year,” Thomas said. “I have seen so much growth from her. Last year as a freshman she was good, but I feel like she has grown so much since then. She is doing things for the team that we need done. She is putting the ball away, she is making digs when we need her to, and she has been contributing all around. She just does a million different things on the court.” Craven doesn’t feel as comfortable talking about herself as she does on the court, but even she knows what the team needs from her to win. “I think I have a stabilizing effect,” Craven said. “Coach has said ‘When you play well it is like a domino effect, and other people play well too.’ I don’t think I make very awe-some plays I think I’m just that consistent player that is really needed.”

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 49

In 2009 Craven played well enough to earn SeC

freShman of the week honorS twICe, and a Spot on the

year-endall-freShman team

Rebels aim foR elusivetiCKetto danCe

what waRRen wants


Photographs by niCK ToCe

b a s K e t b a l l

what waRRen wants

ChRis waRRen plays with the confidence of a man much larger than his 5-foot-10 frame.

In that regard it makes sense that he is a fan of the biggest point guard in the NBA, Lebron James.

As Warren enters his final season as the Ole Miss point guard, it is apparent he will be playing with quite the chip on his shoulder.

Ever since he was a high school stand-out, Warren has been fighting the stigma that all short point guards must face. Can they handle big time college ball?

Andy Kennedy was the only major conference coach to extend him a schol-arship offer.

Warren has gone from an unheralded prospect to the most accomplished re-turning player in the Southeastern Con-ference. He could become the first player in Ole Miss history to finish with 2,000 points and 450 assists.

He speaks about his size with an acute awareness of it.

“Being a small guard means you have to be perfect,” Warren said. “You have to outwork everybody, which I try to do. You have to stand out more. What a great 6-foot-6 player does good, you have to do it 10 times better. You have to be the best player on the court.”

Since he stepped on the floor as a fresh-man, Warren has been exactly that—the best player on the court for the Rebels. A starter his very first game, Warren made an immediate impact, leading Ole Miss to a 13-0 record that was highlighted with a San Juan Shootout tournament victory over No. 15 Clemson. When he scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half to lead the Rebels past the Tigers in a late come-from-behind victory, Ken-nedy knew how special Warren could be.

“We’ve got a freshman point guard that is growing right before our eyes,” Kennedy said immediately after the game. ”I would dare to say there are not many tournaments in the country where the MVP goes 5-for-17 in the finale, but you forget about the 12 he missed be-cause of the huge shots that he makes.”

It has been that way for Warren’s en-tire career, hitting shots at the end of the game that make one forget aboutany transgressions. Warren is the only player in school history to make more than 100 3-pointers in a season, and he has done it twice. Injury has been the only thing to slow him down.

He was averaging 19.6 points 11 games into his sophomore year before the fate-ful day in Cincinnati. In the closing sec-onds of a 77-68 loss to No. 9 Louisville

in the SEC/Big East showdown, Warren drove to the basket with his left hand and tried to jump-stop, but his left knee buckled and he fell to the ground.

“I thought at the worst it was a sprain, and I would be back for the next game,” Warren said. ”The doctor got to feeling on me and he told me I probably had a torn ACL, and I kept telling him ‘No, I don’t think I did,’ but I did.”

Warren’s season ended with him ly-ing on the floor of U.S. Bank Arena, but it didn’t come without a silver lin-ing. Terrico White eventually stepped into his vacant point guard and earned SEC Freshman of the Year averaging 18 points per game in conference play, boosting his stock enough to become the first Ole Miss player drafted in the NBA since 2004.

Warren also took the time to reflect on how he could improve his own game.

“I feel like everything happened for a reason. It gave me a chance to watch my team, and to watch more film and to learn from a different point of view.”

He returned for his junior season still displaying blazing speed with the ball in

his hands, and deadly accuracy from be-yond the arc.

Warren has made a 3-pointer in 45 consecutive games, the third longest streak in SEC history.

As a junior he became the first player at Ole Miss to score more than 30 points in a game since 2004, and each time in dramatic fashion.

The Rebels trailed eventual NCAA qualifier UTEP by 12 with five minutes to play before a furious rally created by pressure defense forced the game into overtime. He went nine-of-10 from the free-throw line in overtime to finish with 32 points including going 5-of-10 from 3-point range.

In the SEC regular season finale, Ole Miss once again trailed by double digits with five minutes to play, but Warren hit the game winning 3-pointer, scoring 20 of his 31 points in the second half.

“UTEP and Arkansas stand out as memorable games, but I’ve had a lot of good memories, mostly after the games we win,” Warren said.

Ole Miss has won 24 games, the sec-ond highest total in school history,


in each season Warren has remained healthy, but they have fallen painfully short of an NCAA tournament bid—set-tling instead for semi-final appearances in the National Invitation Tournament at Madison Square Garden

“I have one more year, and if we don’t make it to the NCAA tournament, what have I done? (Kennedy and I) talked more about what extra work I could do to get us in the tournament,” Warren said. “He wants me to be more vocal and work harder than I ever have before.”

Although Warren’s production has remained consistent since his freshman year, Kennedy is quick to point out the improvements he has seen in his star.

“To me, when I look at him, I see a to-tally different player,” Kennedy said. “I see a guy that has always been confident, he’s always had a moxie, a coolness to his game. Now I see a little more assertive-ness, a little more sense of urgency. I ob-viously get frustrated when things don’t go as well as I hoped they would, now I can see it him a little bit now where he can see things not going as smoothly as they should, and he takes control of that.”

For a player who self-admittedly spends most of his free time “chillin’,” the ability to be a vocal leader has been something he has had to work on.

“It goes back to me sitting out a year,” Warren said. “I knew I could help the team more if I could become more vocal, and it really helped me. I say everything happens for a reason. I try to get on my team, and talk to them as often as I can.”

Guards Warren, Zach Graham, and Trevor Gaskins are all entering their fourth year in the program, and provide the mentorship for a young but talented group in the frontcourt.

Warren said this team has the ability to earn an NCAA .

“We pick up things a little faster,” Warren said. “We have a core group of players that have been here before, so we are trying to teach the newcomers the ropes, and they are picking up fast.”

If Ole Miss is going to earn its first NCAA tournament bid since 2002, there is no doubting who is going to take them there.

“There was a lot of talk last year about how Chris and Terrico would co-exist,” Kennedy said. “There were times in big moments last year that they would look at each other and wonder who should take the shot. We don’t have that issue this year. it is CleaR-Cut who ouR leadeR is.”

waRRen has Gone fRom an unheRalded

pRospeCt to the most aCComplished

RetuRninG playeR in the seC. he Could

beCome the fiRst playeR in ole miss histoRy to finish with 2,000 points and 450 assists.

AndyKennedy

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 53

Rebels hope to avoid inJuRy buGs

pest ContRol

Photographs by niCK ToCe

b a s K e t b a l l p R e v i e wm e n ’ s

pest ContRol

zach graham


the question was asked in such a way one would expect Andy Kennedy to respond with a perfect coach-speak, form answer.

“What worries you most about your team,” the fifth year Ole Miss basketball coach was asked days before his team’s exhibition debut.

The form answer there would be something along the lines of, “We are just focused on improving everyday so we can compete inside the SEC.”

Without missing a beat Kennedy of-fered his honest opinion.

“I don’t really have any worries. I like this team,” he deadpanned. “If we can stay healthy, which I can’t control, then my biggest worry is trying not to step on any crack between now and the next six months.”

This isn’t a case of sunshine pumping either.

Over the course of his tenure at Ole Miss, Kennedy has been not shy about pointing out his team’s deficiencies.

Kennedy’s 85 wins in his first four seasons are one win shy of the most for any coach in program history, but there is the lingering question of what it will take to get the program its first NCAA tournament bid since the 2001-2002 season.

It is somewhat ironic Kennedy men-tioned injuries as the only thing he couldn’t control.

In 2007-2008 Ole Miss was one of the few remaining unbeaten teams in Janu-ary and carried a top 15 ranking into the SEC opener against Tennessee. Bruis-ing power forward/center Jermey Par-nell went down with a high ankle sprain mid-way through the game. The Rebels took a four-point lead with two minutes to play, but it would not last. Volunteer forward Tyler Smith scored consecu-tive baskets, including the game winner over Parnell’s replacement.

The young team featuring freshman Chris Warren at point guard that had never experienced losing seemed to crumble after that. Parnell didn’t recov-er for two weeks, and the team sorely missed his rebounding and intimidat-ing defensive presence in losses to Au-burn and Mississippi State.

The next season will be forever re-membered as the season of the knee in-

jury, as guards Trevor Gaskins and En-iel Polynice were both out for the season after one game. Warren tore his ACL against Louisville one game beyond the cutoff needed to gain a medical red-shirt. Zach Graham didn’t miss a game, but was unable to practice during SEC play because of a partially torn patella tendon, and the team’s leading scorer, David Huertas, spent the last month of the season in a walking boot. So bitten by the injury bug Kennedy wasn’t even able to practice five-on-five.

As the Rebels limped to a 16-15 re-cord, the situation did allow for the emergence of Terrico White.

Reggie Buckner set the Ole Miss re-cord for blocks as a freshman last sea-son, but it is the games he missed in the heart of SEC play, much like Parnell, with a high ankle sprain that will be re-membered.

Buckner was injured during No.18 Ole Miss’ 84-74 win over Auburn. The next game the Rebels lost at home to Arkansas. Ole Miss went 1-3 without Buckner in the lineup, but even when he did return in home losses to Vander-bilt and Florida, he only played a com-

bined 23 minutes and was held without a block.

The Rebels still had a chance to play their way into the NCAA tournament in the SEC tournament after reeling off four straight wins to finish conference play at 9-7.

The 2007-2008 team likely only needed a victory over SEC cellar dweller Georgia and a good showing the follow-ing game to earn a bid, but fate would intervene. Engaged in a seesaw battle, Warren and Huertas converted three free throws at the end of regulation and the second overtime to tie the game, but the Bulldogs’ Dave Bliss banked in a point blank shot while the defense focused on All-SEC guard Sundiata Gaines. Ole Miss would just become a mention during Georgia’s improb-able run to a conference tournament championship that finished in front of

“i don’t Really have any woRRies. i liKe this team. if we Can stay healthy, whiCh i Can’t ContRol, then my biGGest woRRy is tRyinG not to step on

any CRaCK between now and the next six months.”

b a s K e t b a l l p R e v i e wm e n ’ s

trevorgaskins

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 57

a half-empty Georgia Tech stadium as a tornado ripped through downtown Atlanta.

The Rebels held a halftime lead over Tennessee in their opening game of the SEC tournament last season but the Volunteer defense tightened and forced Warren into a season high nine turn-overs.

Both the 2007-2008 and 2009-2010 teams experienced mid-season swoons. Kennedy often mentioned his team’s inability to handle adversity during his second season, and last season featured a discontent Polynice eventually being suspended and subsequently benched the final weeks of the season because of disagreements with the coaching staff.

As a senior Zach Graham is 23 wins shy of the most in school history over a four-year career. He’s seen a change in this year’s team.

“We’ve got a good feel for each other when we are out there on the court, and even off the court,” Graham said. “We’ve all been working hard. We haven’t had a bad practice. Every day we are getting better.”

The positive bond between team-mates manifested itself early during training camp to Kennedy.

“Communication is key to being solid

defensively, and this group has com-municated better. I think a lot of it is based on the fact we’ve got some expe-rienced guys who have grown into their roles,” Kennedy said.

The unquestioned vocal leader on the court is sophomore guard Nick Wil-liams, who is eligible this season for af-ter transferring from Indiana. Quick to smile, but even faster to encourage and watch out for his teammates, Williams could be the key to keeping the Rebels focused and relaxed during the grind of SEC play.

“Nick is the best teammate I have been around in all of my years in bas-ketball,” Graham said.

“I don’t think it’s a secret,” Williams said about his role on the team. “It’s just me coming in and being a leader on the court. I just think that was a God-given talent for me - being loud and playful,

but when it comes time to be serious, I’m the first one to get on guys and I feel like it’s OK for guys to get on me.”

Warren will be counted on to score points and dish out assists, but Wil-liams is the one counted on to show enough versatility to make a Swiss Army Knife jealous. At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Williams will be asked to score and defend against every position on the perimeter.

“He’s exactly what I thought he would be, and that’s a good thing,” Kennedy said about Williams. “We knew he was going to be ultra-competitive. He has natural leadership abilities and he’s go-ing to be able to score for us in a num-ber of ways. I know each and every day he’s going to come compete, and as a coach, that’s something you relish.”

There is a balance between experi-ence and youth that Kennedy thinks is the perfect mix. The backcourt of War-ren, Graham and Trevor Gaskins have all been in the program for four years, while sophomore Reggie Buckner looks to add offensive polish to his game. Ju-nior Terrence Henry appears ready to cash in on his blue-chip potential after averaging nine points per game the fi-nal month of last season.

Williams won’t be the only new face to make contributions right away. Freshmen Dundrecous Nelson and Demarco Cox have come in and forced their way into the ro-tation, according to Kennedy. Nelson is the point-guard-in-waiting

to Warren, but at 189 pounds Kennedy said he has enough size to play in a two-guard combination with Warren. Cox has already shed over 20 pounds, down to 300. His 6-foot-9 frame should prove valuable under the boards and he pos-sesses an offensive touch around the rim normally not seen by a freshman.

But there is a big difference between having NCAA tournament aspirations in November, and celebrating on selec-tion Sunday.

“As a coach you want to go into the month of March controlling your own destiny,” Kennedy said. “Three of the four years we’ve been in that position and have not gotten it done. We con-stantly preach consistency to this team. If you have a bad weekend, much less a bad week or an untimely injury, you will find yourself looking from the out-side in.”

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Photographs by PAUL GANDY

ole miss women’s basketball coach Re-nee Ladner can’t afford to treat her newcomers like normal freshman. On a team featuring

eight new faces and that only returns two players with significant minutes, the fresh-men will be thrown into the fire.

“Our team has worked extremely hard during the preseason,” the fourth-year head coach said. “They hold each other account-able in practice each day. We ceased being freshmen in the middle of September.

“Our conference is tough, and they fully understand how critical it is to get bet-ter each and every day. From a coaching standpoint, I must be patient but persistent to get through our growing pains.”

As the off-season winds down, Ladner has been surprised with the progress of two freshmen in particular, guard Shae Nelson and forward Pa’Sonna Hope. Hope has established herself in the rotation on the frontcourt.

“Pa’Sonna has a bright future ahead of her,” Ladner said. “She is a raw talent. With her incredible work ethic and desire to improve, she will become a force in our league. Pa’Sonna is always positive and brings high energy. We are so fortunate to have her in our program.”

Hope averaged 12.2 points, and 9.5 as-sists as a senior at Regina High School last season.

With the graduation of Bianca Thomas, Ladner has been in search of a pure jump shooter, and Nelson fits the role.

“Shae Nelson is a shooter. I just have to get her to play both ends of the floor,” Ladner said. “If she will learn to get open and understand the speed and physicality of this conference then she is going to be a great player. I’ll relate it to when Bi-anca Thomas was a freshman and she just couldn’t handle the physicality of it, and how much she grew in two years. We’re not in a situation we can wait two years she has got to get this fast, hard and in a hurry.”

Nelson averaged 16.8 points and 9.6 re-bounds as a senior at Cordova High School in Tennessee, and will play both small and power forward for the Rebels.

The off-season has been tough on Lad-ner’s patience, but she has learned to bal-ance the line between going to hard, and making sure the retention is still there.

“In this league, tough is not enough, and

you have to compete at the highest level every night,” Ladner said. “My two return-ers are thinking this is the hardest they’ve ever had it. At the same time, we have the most areas to catch up in and learn it fast. We’re teaching lessons very quickly and we have to hold them accountable to a higher standard.”

Kayla Melson returns for her senior season with 62 career starts, and finished second on the team in scoring last season while leading the SEC in assists. Melson will move over to shooting guard with the arrival of two-time Mississippi Player of the Year Valencia McFarland.

“My job is to mold these freshmen into the best players on the court, and let them know I’m here for them,” Melson said. “I want them to understand that I want to lead this team, and hopefully my leader-ship skills can develop as the season pro-gresses.”

Ladner is known for wanting to cre-ate offensive opportunities by forcing the pressure defensively with a full court, man-to-man style.

“Most importantly, we’re trying to stay in shape because we’re a lean team this year,” Melson said. “In order to compete at the highest level, we have to work out hard every day in order to be the best team on that court.”

Junior Nikki Byrd enters the season with 21 career starts over two seasons, and aver-

aged 6.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game last season. Ladner said Byrd has been inconsistent during the offseason, but at-tributed that as much to her dealing with now having to play both center and power forward.

“She’s got to come on, and we’re ask-ing more of her this year playing two posi-tions, but she is in good physical shape,” Ladner said.

Byrd recorded double-doubles in two of the Rebels’ biggest wins over top 10 oppo-nents last season. She scored 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in their 66-65 win at Georgia, and scored 12 and picked up 11 rebounds at LSU.

Senior center Tori Slusher was voted a co-captain along with Melson, but Slusher has not played since tearing her ACL 18 games into her junior season in 2008. Lad-ner said Melson maintains the role of vocal leader while Slusher is the leader by ex-ample.

Six-foot-1 sophomore Courtney Marbra returns on the frontcourt after being stuck looking for minutes behind Katora Lewis and Elizabeth Robertson last season.

“(Courtney) is a physical specimen that is a very good rebounder, and can get us a lot of points off of put-backs,” Ladner said.

Jasmine Trotter at 6-foot-2 rounds out the Rebel frontcourt. Trotter was a Mc-Donald’s All-American nominee as a se-nior at Marion High School in Arkansas where she averaged 14 points and 13 re-bounds as a senior.

The rest of the backcourt is rounded out with juniors Whitney Hameth and LaTosha

b a s K e t b a l l p R e v i e ww o m e n ’ s


Laws and freshman Kenyotta Jenkins. “Kenyotta is making the transition from a high school for-

ward to an SEC guard,” Ladner said. “She is a good mid-range shooter and is getting stronger each day.”

Hameth scored a career high 15 points including four three-pointers in a victory over San Jose State last season. Laws re-corded career highs in minutes played (23), points scored (10), and assists (5) against Winston-Salem State a season ago.

Ole Miss was picked to finish 10th in the SEC by the media and coaches, a fact that does not phase Melson as she enters her final season.

“Since the team has a lot of freshmen this year, it’s about our determination to compete with those teams that are ranked ahead of us,” Melson said. “Our mindset is to play hard, put everything out on the court, and eventually good things will happen to us.”

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a t first glance they ap-pear to be polar oppo-sites. One is a freshman the other a senior. One relies on her boisterous

personality, the other would rather sit back and flash her sheepish smile.

Despite their differences there is no doubting Kayla Melson and Valencia McFarland are the pillars with which the Ole Miss women’s basketball sea-son will be built.

Head coach Rene Ladner said Mel-son, the senior, and McFarland, the freshman, have been models of con-sistency on a roster featuring eight newcomers and only two players with starting experience.

Melson has the perfect personality to embrace her role as sheppard to the young flock of Rebels.

“You will hear her when she enters the gym, and then when she exits,” Ladner said.

Melson will be the go-to scorer for Ladner after the graduation of Bianca Thomas. Melson is more focused on providing vocal leadership.

“My leadership role on this team is very important because a lot of them look to me to set the tone for them,” Melson said. “If I am calm and poised, and level headed then they will be the same. If I am erratic, then they will be erratic.”

Melson was second on the team in scoring finishing 19th in the confer-ence averaging 12.2 points per game last season. Melson scored 20 points in three consecutive SEC games against Florida, Kentucky and LSU.

“Kayla has become more offensive-minded in the past year. She averaged double figures for us last year, and has that quick first step and an innate abil-ity to get to the basket.”

In the Rebel’s two wins over the na-

tionally ranked Bayou Bengals, Melson dished out a combined 23 assists and had three games with at least 10 as-sists. Melson led the SEC and finished 10th nationally with 5.9 assists per game while playing point guard.

The arrival of McFarland will move Melson over to shooting guard, a po-sition she hasn’t played since high school, but it likely will be Ole Miss’ op-ponents complaining about the move.

“That’ll make us the fastest back-court in the SEC because (McFarland) is really, really quick,” Melson said.

It was a move Ladner was anticipat-ing.

When a player arrives on campus with a resume as impressive as Mc-Farland’s, change is going to come. McFarland was named the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year both her junior and senior seasons while averaging 17.2 points and 4.3 assists, leading her Ray-mond High School team to a 30-1 record and a state championship her senior season. McFarland was ranked the No. 38 recruit in the country by ESPN.

“Being named Gatorade Player of the Year meant a lot to me and I’m glad to have received it two years in a row,” McFarland said. “I feel like I’m progressing from high school and ad-justing to playing in college. I’m getting there. It’s a lot of hard work and time con-suming, but it’s whatever I can do to help the team.”

“She has been game ready since we began,” Ladner said. “What she did in high school is phenomenal, but

when she took it to a national level and actually contributed, that automati-cally gives her a step up.”

A few days before her exhibition de-but McFarland was asked if she was anxious about any aspect entering the game. “I just want to know how big their guard is going to be,” she said with that sheepish grin.

Consider it a defense mechanism. After all that’s a question she has asked herself many times. Listed generously at 5-foot-4, McFarland has been play-ing at a disadvantage all her life.

“When I get on the court I just try to play my game and everything goes away,” McFarland said. “I use my quickness and my heart.”

stay ConneCted with youR Rebels all month lonG!

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N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 67

TheBusinessOf TradiTion

From the "Manning Shrine" at pop-ular local eatery Obey's to a limited edition sculpture of the late, great John Vaught valued at more than $10,000 inside Rebel Rags, Oxford

businesses take great pride in letting their cus-tomers know where their loyalties lie. There's hardly a business in town that doesn't have a photograph of a Rebel great adorning a wall or desk, or a football signed by a team from yes-teryear. Some businesses go to the extreme to make Rebel fans feel at home. And, of course, there's usually a story that goes with the memo-rabilia. At Chick-Filet there's a custom, one-of-a-kind mural that decorates an entire wall. Rebel rags is a virtual carnival of Ole Miss fandom. Mr. Franklin at National Men's Wear has a store full of fine clothing...and Rebel memorabilia...each item with a story that he's proud to share.

Take a photographic visit to some of these Rebel shrines on the next few pages as viewed through the lenses of Game Time Oxford pho-tographers Paul Gandy and Alison Reed.

TheBusinessOf TradiTion

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 69


University Sporting Goods' bathroom wall.

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Rib Cage

University Sporting Goods

University Sporting Goods

The Manning Shrine, Oby's

Abner's

grovegallery

76 G A M E T I M E R E B E L S

grovegalleryPhotographs by Paul GanDY & TYler GallaGHer

N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 0 77

egg Bowl

Ole Miss quarterback John Fourcade eyes an open receiver during the egg Bowl played at Mississippi Veterans Memorial stadium in Jackson on November 21, 1981. Fourcade scored the game-winning touchdown, as the Rebels defeated the Bulldogs 21-17.

1981p a r t i n g s h o t


Documents

November 2010 Game Time Rebels