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OXFORD – A five-hour drive from Atlanta back to Oxford with a stop for gas provides a lot of time to think. And, given what I witnessed first-hand over the last week or so, I needed every minute of it.
Did Ole Miss just really do that?
Here was Ole Miss men’s basketball – a program making just its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance ever and looking for its first tournament win in a decade. No, there was no nervousness on Selection Sunday, as the Rebels had firmly placed themselves in the field by battling through the gauntlet that was the SEC.
But as sixth-seeded Ole Miss’ opening matchup against No. 11 seed North Carolina approached, I couldn’t help but ask myself how long this journey was going to realistically go on for. Did the Rebels have the horsepower to make a run into the second weekend and potentially beyond? To be honest, I wasn’t completely sure.
This is why I’m not a coach or a gambler.
The Rebels survived a late surge from the Tar Heels in the first round, dominated third-seeded Iowa State in the Round of 32 and advanced to their second-ever Sweet 16 and first since 2001. Ole Miss ultimately lost a tight matchup with No. 2 seed Michigan State Friday, ending the Rebels’ magical run.
As I stood in the locker room postgame in front of an inconsolable Sean Pedulla – one of the Rebels’ heartbeats who hit big shot after big shot when his team needed it most this year – another thought crossed my mind that admittedly probably should have more throughout the season: This group of young men was rather remarkable.
Ole Miss was in dire straits when Chris Beard was hired in 2023, having won a combined 25 games the previous two seasons. And, deservingly so, Beard has gotten much of the credit for the Rebels’ turnaround – 44 wins in two years, including 24 this season, tied for the third-most in program history.
But the image of Ole Miss’ stars sitting in chairs surrounded by their teammates – some offering consolation, others unable to grip the reality of the situation themselves, that many had just played their last college basketball games – sticks with me. To see how much they cared up-close and personal, to witness how much they truly enjoyed each other’s company, gave me a newfound respect for what the players themselves were able to accomplish.
So, back to that car ride home from Atlanta. I had long envisioned writing a story or column about how Ole Miss’ players should be remembered when and if their tournament run came to an end. The group that turned things around, spearheaded by seniors Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield, the duo that never budged while the losing took place early in their careers, deserved a fitting tribute. I went around the locker room and asked several players about this team's legacy and how they wanted to be remembered individually. Despite the pain in their eyes, they told me their stories.
A few minutes into my car ride Saturday, I came to a realization: This really isn’t a story for me to tell, is it?
I didn’t sweat through practices or endure the triumphs and agonies. I really can’t speak on what this team should be remembered for because I wasn’t in the room most of the time. I see things from a bird’s-eye view, but ultimately it’s not my legacy. It’s Murrell’s and Brakefield’s and Pedulla’s and all the other players’.
I then found my solution: Why not let them tell me and everyone else reading what their legacies should be? After all, they know best.
So, here is how a few members of the 2024-25 Rebels want to be remembered as people and as a team, in their own words.
Note: Answers have been edited for brevity
Senior guard Sean Pedulla
“We gave everything. We came in each day and gave it literally everything. I don’t think anybody expected us to be here (besides) ourselves. For that, I love these guys and I’ll never forget this group. … We gave everything.”
“I wish I could say I could go back and I regret something or I wish I could have given more. But I think I speak for everyone when I say we gave all-out effort. We bought in 100%. We did everything we had to do. We just ran out of time.”
Senior guard Davon Barnes
“Nobody really had us going this far (besides) us … We all believe in each other, just Day 1, that we can make a run in this tournament, and we did. It sucks to go out this way, but we just have to (keep) our heads up (and) be proud of ourselves.”
“I want it to be remembered as toughness. This team battled through a lot, from the start of the season to this point now, we’ve been doubted, we’ve been disrespected from every aspect, and we continue to prove people wrong again and again, time and time again. … We were a tough group.”
“We (were) a truth-telling program. We always told people the truth, no matter if it was bad or good. And ultimately that just helped take it to this point, because we always stood together, we always could be real with each other and be able to have these open conversations to where we can be able to have a conversation, if somebody’s doing bad, somebody’s doing good, that we can be able to have the relationship to where they know it’s coming from a good place.”
Senior guard Dre Davis
“We didn’t really listen to the outside perception of our team. I feel like we believed we were a team that was good enough to make it to San Antonio. … Day in and day out, that’s the team we wanted to be, we tried to be, every time we stepped on the court.”
Junior forward Malik Dia
“We worked hard. … People have no idea how basketball-oriented we were from the jump. Doing all the 4 a.m. workouts to the lifts to basketball practices, three hours, double practices. This team fought. And to do something only one other team has done, that’s unbelievable. … I’m just forever grateful for the opportunity, this platform. It’s such a blessing.”
“The best team in Ole Miss history to date. There’s no question about it. I firmly stand on that.”
“This is what I wanted to do when I came to Ole Miss. I told coach Beard, I said, he's talking about winning and going to the Final Four and being the change at Ole Miss. And I said I want to be a part of that. To be a part of this is just unreal.”
Senior forward Jaemyn Brakefield
“Somebody who stayed patient, in their fifth year, they were put around a team that was relentless and guys full of not only talent on the court but off the court.”
“Somebody who did everything they could for this program. Everybody went the extra mile and got out (of) their comfort zone to make the name on the front of the jersey relevant.”
Senior guard Matthew Murrell
“I’m a warrior. …There wasn’t much winning here at Ole Miss in the past years. We turned it around. … As most everybody knows, I’ve been battling through injuries this year. These guys around me kept my confidence playing through the pain and the adversity. When I look back at my career, I want people to say I’m a warrior.”
“(At a) young age, my mom instilled in me, never run away from your problems, attack them head on. And I felt like my situation at Ole Miss – maybe it wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t the worst. It could have always been worse. I was blessed to get an opportunity, a lot of guys don’t even get the opportunities that I have. So, never take it for granted. I’m not going to just run and go to another school when things aren’t going right … I’m blessed to be in this situation. God blessed me. … I’m just happy I was able to make my mark on Ole Miss basketball.”
“This is what I wanted. Obviously, we wanted to go further. Our team goal was to be in San Antonio, to compete for a national championship. But this was – I couldn’t have asked for anything more, especially with this team. And I told coach (Beard), I don’t care about stats … I’ve done that and made All-SEC, I don’t care about that. I care about winning. We did that here at Ole Miss this year.”
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Did Ole Miss just really do that?
Here was Ole Miss men’s basketball – a program making just its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance ever and looking for its first tournament win in a decade. No, there was no nervousness on Selection Sunday, as the Rebels had firmly placed themselves in the field by battling through the gauntlet that was the SEC.
But as sixth-seeded Ole Miss’ opening matchup against No. 11 seed North Carolina approached, I couldn’t help but ask myself how long this journey was going to realistically go on for. Did the Rebels have the horsepower to make a run into the second weekend and potentially beyond? To be honest, I wasn’t completely sure.
This is why I’m not a coach or a gambler.
The Rebels survived a late surge from the Tar Heels in the first round, dominated third-seeded Iowa State in the Round of 32 and advanced to their second-ever Sweet 16 and first since 2001. Ole Miss ultimately lost a tight matchup with No. 2 seed Michigan State Friday, ending the Rebels’ magical run.
As I stood in the locker room postgame in front of an inconsolable Sean Pedulla – one of the Rebels’ heartbeats who hit big shot after big shot when his team needed it most this year – another thought crossed my mind that admittedly probably should have more throughout the season: This group of young men was rather remarkable.
Ole Miss was in dire straits when Chris Beard was hired in 2023, having won a combined 25 games the previous two seasons. And, deservingly so, Beard has gotten much of the credit for the Rebels’ turnaround – 44 wins in two years, including 24 this season, tied for the third-most in program history.
But the image of Ole Miss’ stars sitting in chairs surrounded by their teammates – some offering consolation, others unable to grip the reality of the situation themselves, that many had just played their last college basketball games – sticks with me. To see how much they cared up-close and personal, to witness how much they truly enjoyed each other’s company, gave me a newfound respect for what the players themselves were able to accomplish.
So, back to that car ride home from Atlanta. I had long envisioned writing a story or column about how Ole Miss’ players should be remembered when and if their tournament run came to an end. The group that turned things around, spearheaded by seniors Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield, the duo that never budged while the losing took place early in their careers, deserved a fitting tribute. I went around the locker room and asked several players about this team's legacy and how they wanted to be remembered individually. Despite the pain in their eyes, they told me their stories.
A few minutes into my car ride Saturday, I came to a realization: This really isn’t a story for me to tell, is it?
I didn’t sweat through practices or endure the triumphs and agonies. I really can’t speak on what this team should be remembered for because I wasn’t in the room most of the time. I see things from a bird’s-eye view, but ultimately it’s not my legacy. It’s Murrell’s and Brakefield’s and Pedulla’s and all the other players’.
I then found my solution: Why not let them tell me and everyone else reading what their legacies should be? After all, they know best.
So, here is how a few members of the 2024-25 Rebels want to be remembered as people and as a team, in their own words.
Note: Answers have been edited for brevity
Senior guard Sean Pedulla
“We gave everything. We came in each day and gave it literally everything. I don’t think anybody expected us to be here (besides) ourselves. For that, I love these guys and I’ll never forget this group. … We gave everything.”
“I wish I could say I could go back and I regret something or I wish I could have given more. But I think I speak for everyone when I say we gave all-out effort. We bought in 100%. We did everything we had to do. We just ran out of time.”
Senior guard Davon Barnes
“Nobody really had us going this far (besides) us … We all believe in each other, just Day 1, that we can make a run in this tournament, and we did. It sucks to go out this way, but we just have to (keep) our heads up (and) be proud of ourselves.”
“I want it to be remembered as toughness. This team battled through a lot, from the start of the season to this point now, we’ve been doubted, we’ve been disrespected from every aspect, and we continue to prove people wrong again and again, time and time again. … We were a tough group.”
“We (were) a truth-telling program. We always told people the truth, no matter if it was bad or good. And ultimately that just helped take it to this point, because we always stood together, we always could be real with each other and be able to have these open conversations to where we can be able to have a conversation, if somebody’s doing bad, somebody’s doing good, that we can be able to have the relationship to where they know it’s coming from a good place.”
Senior guard Dre Davis
“We didn’t really listen to the outside perception of our team. I feel like we believed we were a team that was good enough to make it to San Antonio. … Day in and day out, that’s the team we wanted to be, we tried to be, every time we stepped on the court.”
Junior forward Malik Dia
“We worked hard. … People have no idea how basketball-oriented we were from the jump. Doing all the 4 a.m. workouts to the lifts to basketball practices, three hours, double practices. This team fought. And to do something only one other team has done, that’s unbelievable. … I’m just forever grateful for the opportunity, this platform. It’s such a blessing.”
“The best team in Ole Miss history to date. There’s no question about it. I firmly stand on that.”
“This is what I wanted to do when I came to Ole Miss. I told coach Beard, I said, he's talking about winning and going to the Final Four and being the change at Ole Miss. And I said I want to be a part of that. To be a part of this is just unreal.”
Senior forward Jaemyn Brakefield
“Somebody who stayed patient, in their fifth year, they were put around a team that was relentless and guys full of not only talent on the court but off the court.”
“Somebody who did everything they could for this program. Everybody went the extra mile and got out (of) their comfort zone to make the name on the front of the jersey relevant.”
Senior guard Matthew Murrell
“I’m a warrior. …There wasn’t much winning here at Ole Miss in the past years. We turned it around. … As most everybody knows, I’ve been battling through injuries this year. These guys around me kept my confidence playing through the pain and the adversity. When I look back at my career, I want people to say I’m a warrior.”
“(At a) young age, my mom instilled in me, never run away from your problems, attack them head on. And I felt like my situation at Ole Miss – maybe it wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t the worst. It could have always been worse. I was blessed to get an opportunity, a lot of guys don’t even get the opportunities that I have. So, never take it for granted. I’m not going to just run and go to another school when things aren’t going right … I’m blessed to be in this situation. God blessed me. … I’m just happy I was able to make my mark on Ole Miss basketball.”
“This is what I wanted. Obviously, we wanted to go further. Our team goal was to be in San Antonio, to compete for a national championship. But this was – I couldn’t have asked for anything more, especially with this team. And I told coach (Beard), I don’t care about stats … I’ve done that and made All-SEC, I don’t care about that. I care about winning. We did that here at Ole Miss this year.”
Continue reading...
