Ole Miss Basketball: Markel Crawford opts to transfer to Rebels

Markel Crawford has decided to transfer to Ole Miss from Memphis and is expected to play immediately for the Rebels.

The wait is over and Ole Miss fans now have a bit of a reason to celebrate as they picked up one of the biggest graduate transfers available Wednesday night.

Former Memphis guard Markel Crawford will transfer to Ole Miss and immediately get the chance to play next season, the school confirmed.

Since Crawford is graduating, he does not have to sit out the year, which is good news for Ole Miss.

Crawford had been considering other schools like South Carolina and Iowa State, according to CBS Sports Jon Rothstein. He even reportedly made a visit to Western Kentucky this week.

The Crawford move wasn’t the only one that Ole Miss made recently. They also picked up a JuCo transfer in Bruce Stevens.

Both Crawford and Stevens are solid pickups for Ole Miss Head Coach Andy Kennedy. He has two players who can make an immediate difference.

Crawford can be a scoring threat for the Rebels. He finished second on the team last season in scoring, averaging 12.8 points per game — a career best — for the Tigers.

Additionally, Crawford finished fifth in the AAC in two-point field goal percentage (.575) and was sixth in steals.

Stevens, meanwhile, played basketball at Jones County Junior College in Mississippi. He led the team in scoring, averaging 16.2 points per game as Jones County finished 29-2.

For his effort, Stevens earned first-team All-American honors from the NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Committee.

Ole Miss can certainly use both players, especially since they lose their second-leading scorer and rebounder in Sebastian Saiz.

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Ole Miss will hope both players can be the key to getting back to the NCAA Tournament. They missed out on the tournament for a second straight season, as the Rebels finished 22-14 with a 10-8 record in the SEC.