After the conclusion of the 2025 Ole Miss Basketball season on Saturday, men’s head coach Chris Beard and women’s head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin took a quick turn to the transfer portal to recruit new talent and rebuild their teams entering the 2025-26 season.
It is safe to say that both Rebel basketball programs exceeded expectations this year.
The men secured their 10th NCAA Tournament appearance as a No. 6 seed and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history and the first since 2001. Meanwhile, the women earned their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth as a No. 5 seed and reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in the last three seasons.
This marked the first season in school history that both the men’s and women’s basketball teams competed in the NCAA Tournament. This year, they were one of just four schools to have both teams vying for a Sweet 16 victory in their respective tournaments.
Women’s basketball
The Lady Rebels finished their season 22-11, including 10-6 in SEC play. Some of their most notable games wins include wins against then No. 7 LSU, then No. 8 Kentucky and No. 14 Baylor. This season also marked McPhee-McCuin’s fourth consecutive 20-win season with the Lady Rebels.
The season concluded with a loss 76-62 against No. 1 UCLA on March 28 in the Sweet 16.
The Lady Rebels have five graduating seniors and seven players who have entered the portal since it opened on March 24.
Madison Scott, Kennedy Todd-Williams, Starr Jacobs, Tameiya Sadler and KK Deans will graduate this season. Scott and Deans announced they will both declare for the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Those who have entered the portal include Heloisa Carrera, Rhema Collins, Fatumata Djalo, Jite Gbemuotor, Mariyah Noel, Kharyssa Richardson and Ayanna Thompson.
On Monday, March 31, the Lady Rebels secured three transfers in one day. McPhee-McCuin added Virginia forward Latasha Lattimore, Wichita State forward Jayla Murray and Central Florida guard Kaitlin Peterson to the roster.
Lattimore, the 6-foot-4 senior from UVA, averaged 14.3 points and 8.2 rebounds last season. This will be her fifth season, and Ole Miss her fourth team. Lattimore started her career at Texas, spent two seasons at Miami and one at UVA.
Additionally, Lattimore was the top-ranked player in Canada and the sixth-best forward in 2021 per ESPN.
Murray played in 32 games for the Wichita State Shockers this season. The forward averaged 12.4 points and 5.3 rebounds on the season.
The 5-foot-9 senior guard, Peterson averaged 21.4 points for the Knights last season and scored 1,154 points in two seasons with UCF — a tie for fifth-most in program history.
Last season, McPhee-McCuin added six transfers and signed just one freshman. This small freshman class stems from McPhee-McCuin’s preference for an older team.
“Coaches now are (general managers),” McPhee-McCuin said in an interview with The Clarion Ledger. “We’re all figuring out who is leaving, who is staying. We only signed one freshman because I prefer a mature team. I don’t think in today’s times you can be young. By the time they get old, they’re ready to get rid of you, so you kind of have to stay mature and stay old, and you can see that with my team.”
Men’s basketball
The Rebels had a historic year under the leadership of Beard in his second season coaching Ole Miss. The Rebels posted a 24-12 overall record and finished 10-8 in conference play.
Beard was selected the 2025 Jim Phelan National Coach of the year, an award presented annually to the top head coach in Division I college basketball.
This season, the Rebels set school records of most three-pointers scored in a single season (300) and fewest turnovers per game (9). The Rebels advanced to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament, falling to Michigan State 73-70 on March 28.
Of the team’s talented starting five, Sean Pedulla, Dre Davis, Malik Dia, Matthew Murrell and Jaylen Murray, four are graduating and are out of eligibility. Dia is the only remaining starter. From the bench, Jaemyn Brakefield and Davon Barnes have also finished their time in collegiate basketball.
John Bol has entered his name in the transfer portal. The 7-foot-2 true freshman center came to Oxford as the No. 17-rated center in the 2024 recruiting cycle and a Top 75 prospect in the country.
While Ole Miss has no transfers signed to next season’s roster, Beard and his team have hit the ground running with recruiting.
Beard hosted official visits for Creighton guard Pop Isaacs and Utah State guard Carter Welling on March 31.
Isaacs, a 6-foot-2 guard from Las Vegas, missed the 2024 season opener with the Bluejays due to recovery from his hip surgery this past spring.
Upon his return, Isaacs made an immediate impact to Creighton’s lineup, averaging 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists over eight games with the Bluejays.
As for the 6-foot-10 forward from Utah State, Welling shot 47.8% from the floor and averaged 13.1 points per game.
Welling is a tireless rebounder on the court, leading the Wolverines in rebounds per game with 6.3 this season.
Beard retains a core of young talent ready to step up and fill the gaps left by departing players. Forward Dia will be a key piece next season, alongside true freshman Eduardo Klafke.
Beard highlighted the culture being built at Ole Miss and reflected on the season as proof of that progress.
“Ole Miss Basketball isn’t going anywhere,” Beard said following the Rebels’ loss to Michigan State in the Sweet 16. “And we’ll never forget these seniors that took us on a special ride this year.”
