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SPOKANE, Wash. — Yolett McPhee-McCuin was at a Nike event this past summer. The Ole Miss women’s basketball coach had an itch of curiosity, so she asked an executive what would eventually happen to the company when Phil Knight, the 87-year-old billionaire co-founder, dies.
Their answer was simple: Thrive.
That’s what McPhee-McCuin also sees for the post-Madison Scott era for Ole Miss, which began Friday.
“We're going to thrive or everything that she's done has been in vain, and I won't let that happen,” McPhee-McCuin said.
The No. 5 seed Rebels’ season ended Friday in a 76-62 loss to No. 1 UCLA (33-2) in the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 at Spokane Arena. So did the Ole Miss career of Madison Scott, who’s out of eligibility and leaves the program in a vastly different place than when she arrived five seasons ago.
“The standard now is the Sweet 16 and beyond,” McPhee-McCuin said.
At first glance, Scott as a prospect didn’t seem like a fit for Ole Miss.
She’s from Maryland, a five-star prospect and a McDonald’s All-American. The Rebels had just gone 7-23 and winless in the SEC in McPhee-McCuin’s second season. The program never had a McDonald’s All-American before, so why would she want to break that barrier at Ole Miss?
“When Maddie and I talked about what the dreams and aspirations would be, I told her, ‘By your senior year, we'll go to at least a Sweet 16,’ ” McPhee-McCuin said.
That was accomplished in 2023, her junior year, the Rebels' first time in the Sweet 16 since 2007. They’ve now made the NCAA tournament in three consecutive seasons for the first time since 1996.
Scott has been a pillar of it all.
“She does a lot and not only on the court, but the impact she has on the Oxford community, her foundation, they love her,” Rebels guard KK Deans said. “She's built a legacy that no one can take away from her at Ole Miss.”
Scott, a three-time All-SEC player, led Ole Miss in scoring this season. Her 155 career games played are the most in program history. The 6-foot-2 point guard/forward leaves Ole Miss in the top 10 in program history in points, rebounds, double-doubles, free throws and blocks.
And she was the one who hit the game-winning shot against Baylor that sent Ole Miss to the Sweet 16.
In addition to Scott, the Rebels (22-11) will lose Kennedy Todd-Williams and Starr Jacobs, the second and third highest-scorers on the team. McPhee-McCuin has made it clear that retooling the roster will be done through the transfer portal, not through high schools. Ole Miss will need another Scott, but the transfer equivalent.
MORE: Why Malik Dia cried after Ole Miss basketball's Sweet 16 loss to Michigan State
The plan is to keep doing what Scott has laid the foundation for: To thrive.
“As a program, we are on the upward,” Deans said.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss women's basketball: Madison Scott leaves improved program
Continue reading...
Their answer was simple: Thrive.
That’s what McPhee-McCuin also sees for the post-Madison Scott era for Ole Miss, which began Friday.
“We're going to thrive or everything that she's done has been in vain, and I won't let that happen,” McPhee-McCuin said.
The No. 5 seed Rebels’ season ended Friday in a 76-62 loss to No. 1 UCLA (33-2) in the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 at Spokane Arena. So did the Ole Miss career of Madison Scott, who’s out of eligibility and leaves the program in a vastly different place than when she arrived five seasons ago.
“The standard now is the Sweet 16 and beyond,” McPhee-McCuin said.
Why Madison Scott was so important to Ole Miss women’s basketball
At first glance, Scott as a prospect didn’t seem like a fit for Ole Miss.
She’s from Maryland, a five-star prospect and a McDonald’s All-American. The Rebels had just gone 7-23 and winless in the SEC in McPhee-McCuin’s second season. The program never had a McDonald’s All-American before, so why would she want to break that barrier at Ole Miss?
“When Maddie and I talked about what the dreams and aspirations would be, I told her, ‘By your senior year, we'll go to at least a Sweet 16,’ ” McPhee-McCuin said.
That was accomplished in 2023, her junior year, the Rebels' first time in the Sweet 16 since 2007. They’ve now made the NCAA tournament in three consecutive seasons for the first time since 1996.
Scott has been a pillar of it all.
“She does a lot and not only on the court, but the impact she has on the Oxford community, her foundation, they love her,” Rebels guard KK Deans said. “She's built a legacy that no one can take away from her at Ole Miss.”
Scott, a three-time All-SEC player, led Ole Miss in scoring this season. Her 155 career games played are the most in program history. The 6-foot-2 point guard/forward leaves Ole Miss in the top 10 in program history in points, rebounds, double-doubles, free throws and blocks.
And she was the one who hit the game-winning shot against Baylor that sent Ole Miss to the Sweet 16.
In addition to Scott, the Rebels (22-11) will lose Kennedy Todd-Williams and Starr Jacobs, the second and third highest-scorers on the team. McPhee-McCuin has made it clear that retooling the roster will be done through the transfer portal, not through high schools. Ole Miss will need another Scott, but the transfer equivalent.
MORE: Why Malik Dia cried after Ole Miss basketball's Sweet 16 loss to Michigan State
The plan is to keep doing what Scott has laid the foundation for: To thrive.
“As a program, we are on the upward,” Deans said.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss women's basketball: Madison Scott leaves improved program
Continue reading...
