Graphic Courtesy of Ole Miss Basketball
In his first year at the helm of the Ole Miss basketball program, Kermit Davis has been named the Coach of the Year in the SEC.
After being picked to finish last the SEC, Davis has led the Rebels to 20 wins so far in his first season, and it appears that the Rebels are headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 4 seasons. In the midst of a successful first season, Davis was named the SEC Coach of the Year by the conference’s coaches and by the Associated Press.
“First of all, I would like to thank Ross Bjork for giving me this wonderful opportunity at Ole Miss,” Davis said. “It’s an honor to be recognized among such an elite group of coaches that we have in the SEC. A huge thanks to the hard work of our coaching staff, support staff and players that make these awards possible.”
The quick turnaround of the Rebel basketball program has gone well noted across the country after Ole Miss finished 12-20 last season. The eight-win improvement from 2018 is the largest turnaround among Power 5 schools this season.
Davis joins Kentucky’s John Calipari and Florida’s Mike White as the only active coaches to win 20 games in their first season in the SEC.
The SEC also released their First and Second All-SEC teams with Ole Miss’ Breein Tyree and Mississippi State’s Quinndary Weatherspoon named to the first-team. Ole Miss’ Terence Davis was named to the second-team.
Mississippi State’s Reggie Perry was also named to the SEC’s All-Freshman Team.
The Rebels will face Alabama in the SEC Tournament on Thursday, and Mississippi State awaits the winner of Vanderbilt and Texas A&M.
