NCAA Basketball: Top 10 impact head coaching hires from 2006
By Joey Loose
7. Andy Kennedy (Mississippi)
The Ole Miss basketball program has seen success in its history but ended 2006 with a fourth straight season under .500. The SEC remained a strong conference, especially with Florida coming into their own, and it was time for a new face to lead the Rebels. That coaching search led the program towards Andy Kennedy, who faced an uphill battle in this tough conference.
A former high school star in the state of Mississippi, Kennedy played his college ball under Jim Valvano at NC State before spending his final years at UAB. He was an assistant at his alma mater for six years before joining Bob Huggins’ staff at Cincinnati. When Huggins and the Bearcats split ways, Kennedy took over as interim head coach. Ole Miss hired him directly after that brief coaching stint.
Kennedy accomplished a lot in his twelve years leading this Rebels program. They didn’t become an elite program, but played solid winning basketball, making a pair of NCAA Tournaments and a whole host of NIT bids. His Rebels were over .500 in all but his final season with the program. Kennedy’s impact on this program was positive and consistent, meaning his work in Mississippi was certainly satisfactory.