The Ole Miss Men’s Basketball season tipped off in its season opener on Monday, Nov. 2. Head coach Chris Beard enters his fourth season at the helm and hopes to rebound from a disappointing 2025-26 campaign. Beard hosted two blue-chip recruits from the class of 2028 in Oxford ahead of the season opener for the Ole Miss-Auburn football game.
Five-star prospects Tai Bell and Bamba Touray spent the weekend with the team, attending the football game and touring the facilities. Here is what each player has to offer.
Tai Bell
Bell is a point guard from Miami who stands at 6 feet 3 inches. He averaged 33.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game for Mater Lakes Academy. Prior to his junior year of high school, he transferred to Christopher Columbus High School.
In his Peach Jam highlights, a basketball tournament for the top high school prospects held in South Carolina, Bell played a relaxed brand of basketball. He primarily operates below the rim and frequently finds open teammates, but can get his own baskets when necessary.
Bell comes from an extremely athletic family; his father, Raja Bell, was a 12-year NBA veteran, and his brother, Dia Bell, is a backup quarterback for the Texas Longhorns. There is still plenty of time in the 2028 basketball recruiting cycle, but Bell is a name to keep a close eye on for Ole Miss.
The Rebels have yet to record a commitment in the 2028 class, and Bell lists his interest for the school as “warm” on his 247 Sports profile.
Bamba Touray
Alongside Bell, coach Beard and the Rebels hosted the No. 3 player in the 2028 class per 247sports composite rankings. Touray is seven feet tall and plays for the high school powerhouse Prolific Prep located in the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area.
Bamba Touray. Photo courtesy PRO16/NXTPRO
Touray came to the United States from Senegal and has exploded onto the grassroots basketball scene. His combination of size and athleticism is tough to find at any level, let alone high school. Those two factors have led NBA scouts to look at him as a potential first-round selection in the 2029 NBA draft at 16 years old.
The excitement stems from his potential to be a lethal two-way player. On defense, he can protect the rim and rotate out to the perimeter when needed. Offensively, he can run the floor with an impressive speed for his size and frequently finishes off the break with emphatic two-handed jams.
What is next in the recruiting process?
The class of 2028 still has over a year until its national signing day. It is unlikely that Rebel fans will get an answer on these players’ college decisions for quite some time, but it is encouraging that they visited together.
To maximize the Rebels’ opportunity in getting these athletes, Ole Miss will need to have a successful season, ideally finishing in the top half of the SEC and earning its second berth to the NCAA Tournament in three years.
