After some good work in his first two seasons in Oxford, Chris Beard and this Ole Miss program took a step in the wrong direction last year. Beard took the Rebels to the Sweet Sixteen in 2025 before last year’s disappointment. Ole Miss ended up just 15-20, tying for 14th place in the SEC and falling through the cracks in this talented conference.
Top scorers Malik Dia and AJ Storr underwhelmed at times last season but both are gone, leaving the Rebels looking in new places for talent. There are a few returning pieces and two of them played important minutes last season. Ilias Kamardine is back for another year while Patton Pinkins hopes to build on a successful freshman campaign.
Their new lineups will be filled with transfer additions and we don’t have time to detail all these new faces. We know that Roman Siulepa will play a key role after his work at Pittsburgh and the same could be said about Arizona State’s Santiago Trouet. Former Saint Joseph’s forward Dasear Haskins will play a role while there’s recent excitement in adding Micah Handlogten after he was granted an additional year of eligibility.
East Coast to Mississippi
In regards to importance, we’re leaning towards Adam Clark and what he specifically means to this year’s version of the Rebels. A 5-10 point guard originally from Philadelphia, he was a mid-major star at Merrimack, becoming NEC Rookie of the Year and then First Team All-MAAC, leading those conference in steals both years. As a junior, Clark was a key piece at Seton Hall, averaging 12.7 points and 4.9 assists during a nice campaign for the Pirates.
No one expected him to match that production from Merrimack, where he put up nearly 20 points a game in his sophomore season. He’s not a great outside shooter, but Clark has shown that he can run the point in a power conference and can put the ball in the basket closer to the rim. He’s had great assist and steals numbers throughout his career and provides a veteran presence on a team looking in many new places in this backcourt.
He may not be as notable an addition as Dia or Storr were last offseason, but Clark can be a better asset for the Rebels. They need him to play his role well in leading the charge on this new crew, and likely wouldn’t mind if he can find his shooting touch as well. With all of the talent both old and new in the SEC this season, Ole Miss has an uphill battle ahead, but they surprised many with that run two years ago. Can they produce another incredible result?
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