Ole Miss Basketball: Why Sean Pedulla is the most important team transfer for 2024-25

A new era began for Ole Miss last season when Chris Beard took over the helm of the program. That new era got started off well during nonconference play before the Rebels struggled to 10th place in the SEC. There were certainly good and bad moments last season and plenty to build on the future, and luckily enough there should be even more talent in Oxford this upcoming year.

Ole Miss was led by four double-digit scorers and Allen Flanigan is the only of the bunch that doesn’t return. Even after losing some of their depth to graduation or the Transfer Portal, the Rebels are excited to have leading scorer Matthew Murrell, talented point guard Jaylen Murray, and highly-regarded forward Jaemyn Brakefield all back for another year.

Building on what’s already in place, Beard and his staff were very busy in recent months, adding half a dozen names by utilizing the Portal. Among the most notable were Mikael Brown-Jones, a power forward from UNC Greensboro, Dre Davis, a talented scorer from Seton Hall, and Belmont forward Malik Dia, who really showed out as a sophomore with the Bruins. However, the big name that Beard lured to town was Sean Pedulla.

The former point guard at Virginia Tech, Pedulla spent the last three seasons with the Hokies, transforming into a standout guard in the ACC. After decent contributions off the bench as a freshman, he was a full-time starter the last two seasons. His game took another step forward this season as a junior as he averaged 16.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists, earning Third Team All-ACC honors in the process.

Even with great returning talent in the backcourt, the addition of Virginia Tech’s leading scorer is fantastic news for the Rebels. Pedulla is not someone known for hitting long-range shots, but makes fireworks all over the court on offense. He’s an efficient scorer while also ranking 4th in the ACC in assists last season. He’s an immediate starter and difference maker on the court for these Rebels.

What’s important for Ole Miss is that there will be even more talent on this roster moving forward. Pedulla might not need to score 16 points a night, especially when he’s going to be important in distributing the rock and forcing the issue on both sides of the ball. We’re not saying he won’t be the Rebels’ leading scorer on certain nights; he’ll certainly have standout performances, but he makes everyone around him better too.

With a roster loaded with veteran talent and armed with intriguing transfers, Ole Miss has potential to get back into the postseason and perhaps contend in this difficult SEC. If Pedulla is on his game and transitions smoothly to life at Ole Miss then this program will have that chance. Can his game take another step forward in these new surroundings?