Six days after announcing his intent to wait to step down as head coach until the end of the 2017-18 season, Andy Kennedy announced Sunday that he was departing immediately. After a 62-79 loss Saturday extended the Rebels’ losing streak to seven games – nine losses out of their past 10 games – the camel’s back broke.
After Kennedy’s resignation, assistant coach Tony Madlock was named interim head coach at Ole Miss. Over his 21 years of coaching experience, Madlock has spent time as an assistant at Arkansas State, UTEP and, most recently, Auburn. In the middle of his fourth year at Ole Miss, no one understands the legacy Kennedy leaves in Oxford more than Madlock.
“AK’s a legend here. He’s the all-time winningest coach,” Madlock said.
Ole Miss basketball and Kennedy have been inseparably intertwined since 2006; moving on will take time. Madlock realizes this. Tasked with finishing out the season and unifying the team post-Kennedy, his focus is on the Rebels’ remaining games.
“It’s a tough situation, especially for the guys. You’ve been doing something, hearing the same voice all year and now a new voice comes in. It’s something we’ve got to deal with,” Madlock said. “We can’t change it, and we’ve got to move forward.”
For the players, Kennedy is Ole Miss basketball. He was involved in every current player’s recruitment and had a knack for connecting with his team. Breein Tyree, a sophomore point guard from Somerset, New Jersey, came to Mississippi to play for Kennedy. Now, he is faced with a difficult decision.
“I came to Ole Miss to be a Rebel. I love the university. Depending on the coach that they bring in, I’ll definitely look at here,” Tyree said. “I’m not saying I’m transferring. I’m not saying I’m staying. We’re just keeping our options open.”
Players that transfer between NCAA programs are required to sacrifice a year of eligibility on the bench before returning to action. Tyree, a highly rated recruit out of high school, would be subject to this penalty should he choose not to return next season, unless the NCAA grants him an exception.
Senior forward Marcanvis Hymon, on the other hand, said he hopes to finish his final season as a Rebel on a high note.
“We’re just looking forward to these last couple of games,” Hymon said.
After a rocky two-week period, the team cannot afford to lose any further ground to SEC opponents. Trips to Missouri and Kentucky, as well as home matchups against Tennessee and Vanderbilt, lie ahead. Sitting last in their conference, Madlock and the Rebels desperately need wins.
“The atmosphere’s been kind of up and down because we haven’t been playing the way we should play. We’ve been losing,” Hymon said. “When you’re losing, nobody likes to lose, and coach, he’s a big competitor. I knew he wanted to win. We all want to win. But it wasn’t going in our favor, so the atmosphere was kind of up and down. But it’ll get better.”
With no head coaching experience under his belt, these next games could define Madlock’s career. The task is certainly daunting. Postseason is all but out of the question, and there is simply not much left to play for. But for seniors like Hymon, these games are not throwaways. They mean everything.
“Play for the people who are in that room,” Hymon said. “Play for the staff. Play for Madlock. Play for your brothers. Play for each other.”
