Ole Miss Men’s and Women’s Basketball have been monitoring the transfer portal to see who they could potentially pick up. As long as the portal is open, anyone is fair game. Despite acquisitions and projected commitments, Ole Miss has lost players to the transfer portal as well.
Entered the portal (men’s)
As of now, Ole Miss Men’s Basketball has now suffered three departures in this transfer portal cycle: center Rashaud Marshall, guard Brandon Murray and center Moussa Cisse.
Marshall saw action in only 19 games and had his season-high scoring of nine points during a game against Eastern Washington. Marshall showed a lot of promise in limited minutes, but the young big man sought a bigger role with another team, landing with Arkansas State.
Murray found himself in a minimized role compared to his time at LSU and Georgetown, partially due to complications with his NCAA transfer portal waiver. After being allowed to play once his waiver was approved, the skilled guard never found his groove, averaging a little less than four points per game.
Cisse, who found himself teetering in and out of the starting lineup in place of fellow center Jamarion Sharp, entered his name into the transfer portal on April 10. Like Murray, Cisse was dissimilar to the player he was at Oklahoma State and Memphis.
Prospects in the portal (men’s)
The Rebels have a few players they are looking at in the portal. In just a week, Ole Miss has been selected as a school of interest among many players. Some of these players include guard Sean Pedulla from Virginia Tech, who took a visit to Ole Miss recently and guard Tony Perkins from the University of Iowa.
Pedulla averaged 16.4 points per game with 4.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists, Perkins averaged 14 points per game with 4.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists and Brown-Jones had the highest average, with 18.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
Mikeal Brown-Jones from the University of North Carolina Greensboro announced his commitment to Ole Miss on April 13. Brown-Jones averaged right around 19 points per game for UNCG and comes to Oxford hoping to make an immediate impact.
Joining Brown-Jones will be former Seton Hall guard Dre Davis and former Belmont forward Malik Dia –– two pieces that will only help to bolster the Ole Miss depth for this upcoming season.
Entered the portal (women’s)
Ole Miss Women’s Basketball has lost three players to the transfer portal, including Zakiya Stephenson, Marijah Avijas and Elaunna Eaton.
Although Stephenson played in 30 games, she only started in five. Her best game was against Louisville, where she had six assists and three steals. The rough-nosed guard has found a new home at James Madison University where she hopes to acquire an expanded role.
Avijas played in 17 games and had two starts. She scored 11 points against Michigan during the Battle 4 Atlantis Championship game. The Serbian freshman will take her talents to Columbia University.
Eaton played in 21 games off the bench and had a season-high in points at six against Alcorn State University. The sharpshooting guard took her time in the portal, trying to find the perfect fit for her skillset. Eaton will land just north of Oxford with the Memphis Tigers.
Prospects in the portal (women’s)
The Rebels picked up Michigan State guard DeeDee Hagemann. She averaged 12.3 points per game and received Second Team All-Big Ten Honors.
Along with Hagemann, the Rebels have picked up Arkansas Pine Bluff forward Starr Jacobs. While the three-star recruit sat out this past season, Jacobs was named 2022-23 Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
Both teams will continue to look in the portal to find more players to help build a solid foundation for next season.
