{"time":1778255614856,"blocks":[{"id":"dQI8o8F7bZ","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The number"}},{"id":"RX0Bod_XL-","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"3 — Returning players. That's it. Ilias Kamardine, Patton Pinkins and Zach Day are the only Rebels coming back from a team that went 15-20. Chris Beard is rebuilding Ole Miss basketball — again — for the second consecutive offseason."}},{"id":"pOssAVkeGk","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The departures"}},{"id":"vTNrQD5XIS","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Ole Miss lost 59.2 points per game worth of production. That's 78% of the team's scoring output walking out the door."}},{"id":"D3yTHPicfp","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Graduated / Out of eligibility:"}},{"id":"2RfmnLbZqP","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- AJ Storr — 15.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.9 APG. Led Ole Miss in scoring. Named to the All-SEC Tournament Team after averaging 19.4 PPG across four tournament games. Invited to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament."}},{"id":"57akL6h3-1","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Malik Dia — 14.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG. Also invited to the Portsmouth Invitational."}},{"id":"BFM-IK0OB7","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Kezza Giffa — 5.9 PPG, 1.3 RPG. Played 28 games."}},{"id":"s_fdOPtCv-","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Max Smith — 1.0 PPG. Appeared in 10 games."}},{"id":"cSE6Bqo55l","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Transfer portal:"}},{"id":"6vQrt9W0ej","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Travis Perry (Dayton) — 5.3 PPG, 1.1 APG. Started 16 games as a sophomore."}},{"id":"UfmsccGdsV","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Eduardo Klafke (Butler) — 4.6 PPG, 2.5 RPG. Started 12 games."}},{"id":"xZsfhOd6_J","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- James Scott (Georgia) — 3.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.3 BPG. Led the team with 46 blocks. Started 27 of 35 games."}},{"id":"ZxQ-KPBz7f","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Corey Chest (McNeese State) — 2.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG."}},{"id":"UUJN5Rmv_-","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Augusto Cassia (UTEP) — 2.2 PPG, 1.6 RPG."}},{"id":"92xq-MQkNv","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Tylis Jordan (Georgia Tech) — Redshirted as a four-star freshman (No. 47 nationally). Followed former Ole Miss assistant Wes Flanigan to Georgia Tech."}},{"id":"mm14D6wqqg","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Niko Bundalo (destination TBD) — 0.5 PPG. McDonald's All-American. Ole Miss's highest-rated recruit ever per 247Sports. Left after one season."}},{"id":"6qZsF1zuiN","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Koren Johnson (destination TBD) — 1.8 PPG, 1.4 APG."}},{"id":"PDrr4anJ9_","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Hobert Grayson IV (destination TBD) — 1.4 PPG. Appeared in five games."}},{"id":"c-OGj1g6x9","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Total production lost: 59.2 PPG, 27.1 RPG, 9.6 APG."}},{"id":"9N5sweJibB","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Staff losses: Assistant Wes Flanigan left for Georgia Tech."}},{"id":"m50ECKXNWw","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The arrivals"}},{"id":"m7uPRr0ZCt","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Beard went six deep in the portal and signed four freshmen — a 10-player haul to fill the holes left by a 13-player exodus."}},{"id":"p-xCl1fQi-","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Transfer portal:"}},{"id":"uzxsz-9T2_","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Adam \"Budd\" Clark (Seton Hall) — G, 5-10. 12.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.9 APG. All-Big East Second Team. All-Big East Defensive Team. Started all 33 games. Previously played at Merrimack."}},{"id":"VjcZS6OQlD","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Dasear Haskins (Saint Joseph's) — F/G, 6-8. 11.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.4 APG. Started all 36 games. Shot 48% from the field."}},{"id":"jO7J5GJGHC","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Roman Siulepa (Pittsburgh) — F, 6-6, 210 lbs. 10.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG. Started all 33 games as a freshman. 97 offensive rebounds. Shot 46.1% from the field."}},{"id":"0pO-GcSXWG","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Santiago Trouet (Arizona State) — F, 6-11, 218 lbs. 8.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG. Led Arizona State in rebounding. Started 30 of 31 games. Previously played at San Diego."}},{"id":"4LFkaVrsfX","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Stefan Cicic (Pepperdine) — C, 7-0, 260 lbs. 4.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG. Shot 53% from the field. Previously played at Tulane."}},{"id":"DMB0L9vdOi","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Christian Brown (James Madison) — F, 6-8, 236 lbs. 3.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.5 BPG. Set the JMU freshman record with 49 blocks. Shot 56.3%."}},{"id":"kXXmqINdTf","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Freshmen:"}},{"id":"IUm-YZn7YJ","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Yohance Connor — CG, 6-2. 4-star, No. 104 nationally. Averaged 27.2 PPG at Combine Academy in Charlotte."}},{"id":"wEEAtSfRZ3","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Jaron Saulsberry — SF, 6-7. 4-star, No. 112 nationally. Averaged 14.2 PPG at the Peach Jam."}},{"id":"5vxHXge7X1","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- Daniel Patton — SF. 3-star, No. 311 nationally. Averaged 20.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG at Cy Falls HS in Texas. Shot 48% from three."}},{"id":"Fqo_elBNKN","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"- TJ Clark — G, 6-3. Former Overtime Elite player who spent the past season playing professionally in Mexico's CIBACOPA league (10.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.3 APG). Committed in December 2025. Eligibility pending NCAA approval."}},{"id":"9hlD8onzz4","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The targets"}},{"id":"olxnkmZt6-","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Beard isn't done. Per HottyToddy.com, he's looking to add \"one or two more pieces.\""}},{"id":"kfjVQvSrTL","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The primary remaining target is Devin Williams (FAU, previously UCLA) — a 6-10 forward who averaged 7.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 2.6 BPG. Ole Miss had a Zoom meeting with Williams, but he's also considering Arizona, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma and Seton Hall."}},{"id":"lWYbKVJzqz","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Ole Miss lost a key target when ND Okafor — a 6-10 forward from Washington State who had committed to the Rebels on April 18 — flipped to Mississippi State. That flip stings."}},{"id":"6K1FqerQ71","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The fit"}},{"id":"9PhS-K3lFG","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The three returners are the foundation. Kamardine (11.3 PPG, 3.8 APG) started all 35 games and was granted an extra year of eligibility. Pinkins (9.3 PPG, 42.2% from three, 85.9% from the line) was efficient across the board as a freshman. Those two are the constants in a roster that has been almost entirely rebuilt around them."}},{"id":"lsDiOUH0cz","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Beard's portal strategy addressed the two biggest problems from 2025-26: frontcourt depth and rim protection. Trouet (6-11), Cicic (7-0) and Brown (6-8 with 49 blocks) bring size and physicality that Ole Miss didn't have. Siulepa is a physical rebounder from Pittsburgh. Haskins at 6-8 gives Beard a versatile forward who can guard multiple positions."}},{"id":"XCq7Kz4cp4","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Clark fills the point guard need. A former Overtime Elite player with professional experience in Mexico, he brings a different profile than anything else on the roster. Connor and Saulsberry are the long-term bets from the high school class."}},{"id":"gXY9cSha86","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The concern is cohesion. This is the second straight year of near-complete roster turnover. Beard's portal recruiting philosophy — \"It's a conversation. When the two sides align, I think that's where perfect matches are made\" — sounds patient. But 10 new players in a locker room that went 15-20 last year means the 2026-27 Rebels will need time to figure out who they are."}},{"id":"Kzvydzv4MC","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"\"I've never experienced a season like we did last year,\" Beard told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. \"So for me, there's a lot of fuel, lot of opportunity.\""}},{"id":"jGNRSzaNXw","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers and chat with fellow members."}},{"id":"thSQ3I3hII","type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!"}}],"version":"2.31.5"}

THE BOARD: Ole Miss basketball