The Rebel Road Trip rolled into Lake Tiak O'Khata in Louisville last Wednesday, bringing with it three head coaches of three major sports and Ole Miss director of athletics Ross Bjork.
Men’s basketball Coach Kermit Davis, who was named SEC Coach of the Year in his first year at Ole Miss, had plenty to say about the newest addition to his basketball team.
Davis was candid when answering a question about the signing of Austin Crowley would affect the 2019-20 team.
“No doubt… Austin Crowley can play 1,2 or 3," he said. While Davis said there was no particular big surprise in his first year as head coach, he did not how pleased he was that the fan base grew during the course of the season.
Joining Bjork and Davis on the stop were head football coach Matt Luke and first-year women's basketball head coach Yolette McPhee-McCuin.
Luke is originally from Nanih Waiya and said Lake Tiak-O'Khata was one of his favorite places to eat on Sunday, growing up, also noting that Winston County was where he learned to love hunting and fishing.
When asked about the committee of running backs his team would have if five-star Jerion Ealy chooses Ole Miss over baseball. "Obviously Scottie (Phillips) will be the guy, but Jerion Ealy will help in many ways ,like kick and punt returns and catching the ball from the backfield. He also said the defense, which is often criticized, will be much improved with nine returning starters.
Luke also noted that new offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez had produced a 1,000-yard rusher in each of his last 19 seasons as a football coach.
The last guest speaker was McPhee-McCuin. Much like the others this was he first season as head coach. The lady Rebels finished 12th in the conference with a 9-22 record, but was pleased with the way her team responded in league play and felt the program took a big step forward in her first year at the helm.
Cooper Sanders is budding sports journalist under the mentorship of longtime Mississippi sports writer Austin Bishop. Sanders is a 14-year-old Winston County native whose column regularly appears in weekly newspapers. He can be reached through Bishop at starsportsboss@yahoo.com
