Ole Miss Basketball: Coach Beards lands another big in top-30 John Bol

The frontcourt roster building continues for Ole Miss Basketball, landing one of the top bigs in the 2024 class. What does John Bol offer the Rebels?

Around a month ago, the Florida Gators thought it had landed the big of its future in John Bol. He’s a consensus top-40 prospect in next year’s recruiting class, hovering around 5-star status if he continues improving. Listed at 7’2, Bol is a quality rim-running and interior defender with a high overall ceiling as an impact player in college.

Unfortunately for the Gators, Bol decided to de-commit, having new teams involved in the process. And although he had previously announced a list of four new options, the center visited a team that wasn’t mentioned in Ole Miss Basketball. He apparently liked what was presented on the visit because shortly after, Bol committed to them.

New head coach Chris Beard has made rebuilding the frontcourt a major priority after losing everyone but Jaemyn Brakefield this offseason. Besides the three freshmen, the Rebels also brought in two of the best defensive centers in college basketball. Jamarion Sharp is a 7’5 center and the nation’s leader in blocks for the past two years, while Moussa Cisse is a former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

From a playing-time standpoint, Ole Miss will be losing Sharp no matter what after next season. It’s more complicated with Cisse because as a two-time transfer, he needs a waiver to play. If that doesn’t happen, he’ll redshirt and have 1-2 years left. So in that scenario, Bol would have to be willing to come off the bench for a bit. And that doesn’t even include incoming freshman Cameron Barnes, who is a four-star recruit in his own right.

Still, it’s a problem that Coach Beard and the Rebels are willing to deal with. Because now, they’re set to have 40 minutes of quality interior depth in the SEC for potentially the next few years. And now, the team can focus on building up the backcourt for the rest of the 2024 class.