Mississippi-Born Head Coaches

With Hugh Freeze coming on board, the Magnolia State flavor grows even richer in the Ole Miss coaching ranks. Born in Oxford and raised in Independence, Freeze is one of six native Mississippians currently serving as head coaches for Rebel teams. Here is the full list and their hometowns:

Football: Hugh Freeze, Independence
Men's Basketball: Andy Kennedy, Louisville
Women's Basketball: Renee Ladner, Gulfport
Men's Golf: Ernest Ross, Grenada
Men's Tennis: Billy Chadwick, Jackson
Track & Field: Joe Walker, Utica

Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.

Hoops Guides Hit Newsstands

As the respective Ole Miss basketball seasons tip off, media guides have hit newsstands. Kudos to hoops SIDs Joey Jones and Kristen Saibini for jobs well done. Guide covers are below, and you can check out the men's guide and women's guide on the official site. Click here to order copies of the guides.

Tad Pad Nostalgia

This photo gallery was posted earlier today on OleMissSports.com, showing off Tad Smith Coliseum's new floor design. It made us think of all the looks the Tad Pad floor has displayed since opening in 1966, so we have put them here for your viewing pleasure.

Feel free to let everyone know which is your favorite. I think I'm already partial to the new one. (Editor's note: the new floor design is navy blue, not black - it just looks that way because of the camera lighting.)

1966

1990

1995

1999

2006

2007

2010

2011

Price Herrington, Dream Advance In WNBA Playoffs

Former Ole Miss player and current assistant coach Armintie Price Herrington, helped the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive year.

The Dream beat the Connecticut Sun 2-0 in the best of three series to advance to the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Fever. Game One of the Atlanta/Indiana series will be played on Thursday in Indianapolis.

In the Dream’s two playoff games against the Sun, Price Herrington averaged 10.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.

During the regular season, Price Herrington played in 34 games with 21 starts. She averaged 8.5 points, 3.0 rebound and 2.8 assists per game.

Below is a picture of Price Herrington that appeared on the front page of the women's basketball section on ESPN.com prior to the start of the WNBA playoffs. (ESPN.com)

Here is a link to a story written by Graham Hays on ESPN.com today about Price Herrington and the WNBA playoffs.

Women's Hoops Heads To Canada

The Ole Miss women’s basketball team will get an early start to the 2011-12 season, playing games the first week of August as part of a seven-day, four-game trip to Vancouver, Canada.

Under NCAA rules, teams are allowed a foreign trip once every four years. This will be the first foreign tour for the Rebels since the 2006-07 team went to the Bahamas. The Rebels will be in Canada from August 2-8.

“We are very excited and so appreciative to our administration for giving us this opportunity,” head coach Renee Ladner said. “With 10 practices, we get a head start for the upcoming season. Having such a young team comprised of mostly underclassman, it gives us a chance to practice, play and travel together. We have already seen so many great things in a short period of time.”

The Rebels will fly to Vancouver on Tuesday, August 2 and will play its first game on August 3 against the University of Fraser Valley. Ole Miss will also face Canadian World University Games on August 4, the University of Fraser Valley again on August 5 and Thompson Rivers University on August 6.

A daily player blog, photo gallery and game recaps will be available on OleMissSports.com.

For more information on the trip, click here.



Photo credit: vancouver.ca

UPDATED (Again): Summer Brings More New Rebels

There has been a change in plans since yesterday's post. While Tobias Singleton was admitted for Ole Miss' second summer term, he had already missed the first three days of both of his classes and felt it would be best to hold off on beginning classes until the fall semester. His eligibility -- like all of our newcomers that are enrolled -- is not a concern. Tobias simply wants to get a fresh start in August.

Original post on July 5:
We mentioned in our original blogpost that there could be additions to our list of newcomers enrolled in the second summer term, and today brought one -- All-American wide receiver Tobias Singleton. That means 21 of the 23 football signees are already on campus. I'm looking at you strength coach Don Decker!

Original post on June 30:
Ole Miss' second summer term got underway today, which brought 16 additions to the Rebel Family. Among the new scholarship student-athletes admitted for the session are six from baseball, four each from football and women's basketball and two from men's basketball. Notable in the group is Murphy Holloway, who is beginning his second stint on the Ole Miss hoops squad, and Boston Red Sox draftee Senquez Golson, who is opting for Vaught-Hemingway Stadium instead of Fenway Park. It should be noted that students have until Tuesday to enroll in the term so there could be additions.

Baseball
Auston Bousfield
Hawtin Buchanan
Chris Ellis
Josh Laxer
Chase Reeves
Sikes Orvis

Football
Nickolas Brassell
Senquez Golson
Keith Lewis
Jamal Mosley

Women’s Basketball
Amber Bryant-Singletary
Jordan Frizzell
Monique Jackson
Danielle McCray

Men’s Basketball
Maurice Aniefiok
Murphy Holloway

Mincy Named Assistant at Lipscomb

Former Ole Miss women's basketball player Jada Mincy has been named an assistant coach at Lipscomb University.

Mincy, who played at Ole Miss from 2003-07 and helped lead the team to an Elite Eight appearance as a senior, had been an assistant at McNeese State for the previous two years.

While with the Rebels, Mincy made three postseason appearances with Ole Miss. She ended her career having played in 92 games and made 66 starts. She averaged 4.3 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game during her career.

The official release from Lipscomb can be found here.

Armintie Ready For 2011 WNBA

Ole Miss women's basketball assistant coach Arminite Price was one of 28 former SEC players on opening day rosters for the 2011 WNBA season which kicked off this weekend. Price, who is in her fifth season in the WNBA, came off the bench to record 13 points and three steals in 20 minutes of action as the Atlanta Dream fell to the NY Liberty 94-88 in OT. Fans will have a chance to catch Price, who played at Ole Miss from 2003-07, and the Atlanta Dream Thursday night on ESPN2 when the Dream hosts the Washington Mystics at 6 p.m. CT. Fans can also follow the Dream for free through WNBA LiveAccess on several games throughout the season.

Coliseum Rain: Cause and Future Prevention

The following is the University Physical Plant’s evaluation of the cause and future prevention concerning rainwater entering Tad Smith Coliseum during Thursday night’s women’s basketball game. It should be noted that there was a complete roof replacement that was finished in November 2009.

What occurred?
Rainwater entered from the dampers located in the cupola area of the Coliseum. In the best interests of the student athletes’ safety, the entering rainwater caused suspension and subsequent cancellation of a women's basketball game. The water entering the building was described as a light sprinkle and at no time were there gushes or streams.

What meteorological conditions were present during the event?
Straight-line winds gusting to 45 mph and driving rain were present and directly contributed to the in-leakage of water onto the arena playing surface.

How many dampers are there on top of the coliseum?
There are 24 pneumatic dampers on the circumference of the cupola on the roof of the Coliseum. The University Physical Plant and Athletics departments had anticipated this type of unacceptable failure and had taken steps to mitigate its undesirable effects. Notably, before the men's Kentucky game a few weeks ago, the dampers were actually screwed shut.

What purpose do the dampers play?
The dampers are in place to allow for ventilation of the Coliseum. These dampers work in conjunction with the outdoor air intake system of the air handlers at the Coliseum. Normally, when the air handlers are running they pull in outside air. The dampers in the cupola act as relief dampers to prevent over pressurizing the Coliseum. The Coliseum is presently under a slight negative pressure, meaning the air is flowing into the building from the outside.

Why did the dampers allow water to pass through?
The dampers are the original components of the air ventilation system of the Coliseum. These dampers were never intended to be airtight and are not a deterrent to blowing rain. Rain carried by wind of sufficient velocity will push through the damper assemblies. Thursday evening's heavy rain and high winds allowed water to follow the path of least resistance.

How is the University going to prevent this from occurring again?
With the help of an engineer and possibly an architect, the Physical Plant will begin working through Facilities Planning to develop a proposed long-term solution to this issue.

Former Rebel Shining As Prep Coach

Off to an 8-3 start after last night's win over MVSU, the Ole Miss women's hoops team is winning with one of the youngest lineups in the SEC. The Rebels had to replace six players off last year's NIT team including senior guard LaKendra Phillips, who has stayed in the game as an assistant coach for her high school alma mater Ridgeway in Memphis. Check out a great feature on Ken in Wednesday's Commercial Appeal. Visit the high school page on commercialappeal.com.

Spectacular BPF

You may have seen a tweet from @peteboone today that said,

"The BPF is looking great w new artwork, etc and more to be done. Oh yes the basketball teams are looking good, too. AK seems really excited"

Well, here are some new pics to prove it:

Ole Miss Basketball Video Board Under Construction!

Daktronics workers are well underway with the installation of the new basketball video board. Here are some photos of the construction. How exciting for Coach Kennedy and Ladner.

Memphis Club Meeting Monday

The summer tour of Rebel clubs is coming to a close with one of the biggest of the season. The Rebel Club of Memphis hosts its kickoff meeting Monday at the Botanic Garden beginning at 5:30 p.m. Among those on hand will be Houston Nutt, Renee Ladner, Mike Bianco and Pete Boone. Contact Paul Gould at (901) 619-2900 or ppgould@hotmail.com for tickets and other info. One of the other major club meetings of the summer was the Rebel Reunion last week in Jackson. Catch a recap, courtesy of the Clarion Ledger.

Price Featured In AJC

There is no offseason for Armintie Price. She does a great job as an assistant coach for the Rebel women's hoops team in the winter, and in the summer, she suits up for the WNBA's Atlanta Dream. She is one of two players on the Dream that coach at their alma mater, along with K-State's Shalee Lehnin, and the duo's on-court coaching skills were recently highlighted by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

WNBA Draft Set For Thursday

The 2010 WNBA Draft is set for Thursday at 2 p.m. on ESPN2. Coverage will shift over to ESPNU at 3 p.m. for the second and third rounds. Ole Miss senior guard Bianca Thomas is projected as a second round pick and could be the fifth Rebel in school history to be drafted into the WNBA. Check out this link for the draft order.

BPF Floor Installation

As you arrive on campus today for the various games, I recommend entering via the Coliseum Drive exit so you can get a closer look at our magnificent new Basketball Practice Facility. While the interior decorating is continuing, I know our coaches and players are already enjoying the various luxuries that the $13 million, 51,000-square-foot structure has to offer. Here is a look at how the floor installation took place.

Thomas Moving Up In WNBA Mock Draft

Ole Miss All-America candidate Bianca Thomas continues to solidify her case as one of the nation's elite players. Thomas is first in the SEC and 10th in the nation in scoring with 21.3 points per game and just recently set a new school record for the most three-pointers in a single season. The Henderson, Tenn., native is definitely one of the most sought out seniors in the NCAA and is expected to be one of the top picks in this year's WNBA Draft. In the latest mock draft from DraftSite.com, Thomas is projected to be taken by the Washington Mystics with the 14th pick. Take a look at the complete mock draft by following this link.

Vote For Bianca Thomas

Rebel senior guard Bianca Thomas is one of 10 finalists for the 2009-10 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, and fan voting constitutes one-third of the final total to determine the winner. You have two ways of casting your vote to help Bianca win this award. You can either vote online by following this link or text W10 to 74567.

Come Watch Bianca Thomas Tonight

In case you haven't heard, Bianca Thomas is a certified star ... seriously. The women's basketball world has basically ignored our senior Rebel for most of her career, but it was hard for everyone to miss the 42 points she hung on No. 12 LSU Sunday ... the most ever scored by a woman in the Tad Pad. The Rebels have rolled to a 3-1 start in SEC play and host rival Mississippi State tonight at 7 pm. BE THERE! Bianca and this team deserve your support. All Ole Miss students, faculty and staff get in FREE, and the first 1,000 fans receive free t-shirts courtesy of Oxford T-shirt company and Snackbar.

For more on Bianca, check out David Brandt's story in the Clarion Ledger.
Clarion Ledger: No doubting Rebels' ignitable Thomas

Stollings To Appear On Ohio Radio Show

Ole Miss women's basketball assistant coach Marlene Stollings is scheduled to appear on the radio show Talking Sports with Mr. Bobbie. It's a weekly sports talk radio show out of Columbus, Ohio. Stollings is slated to be a guest on the show Wednesday at 7 p.m. and will discuss women in sports. You can listen live by following this link.