In his second season as the head coach of Ole Miss in 2024-25, Chris Beard led the Rebels to their second Sweet 16 appearance, ultimately falling short against Tom Izzo and Michigan State.
Prior to his first season with the team in the 2023-24 season, Ole Miss went 12-21 (3-15 SEC). Since his arrival, the Rebels have posted a record of 44-24 and picked up key wins over top-five Alabama and Tennessee teams this past season.
Considering the depth of the SEC with a record 14 teams selected to the 2024-25 NCAA Tournament, Beard's coaching ability has been on full display as he has turned Ole Miss into one of the top programs in the conference and one that will likely remain a contender with him in charge. After all, he was the 2019 Associated Press National Coach of the Year, as well as the Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2019 and led Texas Tech to the National Championship game in 2019.
Things will look a lot different in Oxford next season with the Rebels' top three scorers all leaving after using up their eligibility. Guard Sean Pedulla (15.4 PPG), forward Jaemyn Brakefield (11.1 PPG) and guard Matthew Murrell (10.8 PPG) are all exiting the program, as are guard Jaylen Murray (10.3 PPG), guard Dre Davis (10.1 PPG) and forward Mikeal Brown-Jones (4.1 PPG).
Despite losing four of their top five scorers from 2024-25 and having a quiet start to the offseason, the Rebels got a boost from the transfer portal on Tuesday that should give the program some more confidence heading into next season.
Ole Miss picks up key player in transfer portal
Guard AJ Storr, who played for Kansas last season and averaged 16.8 PPG the season prior at Wisconsin, committed to Ole Miss on Tuesday, giving the Rebels a potential go-to option as they look to build off a successful 2024-25 campaign. After beginning his career at St. John's and averaging 8.8 PPG, Storr transferred to Wisconsin, where he recorded a career-high 16.8 PPG. Although his 6.1 PPG in his junior season at Kansas was a career-worst, he proved at Wisconsin what he is capable of and why Ole Miss should be thrilled after landing him in the portal.
Storr's 6-foot-7 frame gives Ole Miss some length and someone that can put up 20 or more points on any given night, as he proved 11 times with the Badgers in his sophomore season. While Ole Miss is losing most of its production from last season, forward Malik Dia (10.8 PPG), who was tied for the third-most points on the team in 2024-25, is returning. That gives the Rebels someone who averaged 20.8 minutes a game and played in all 36 games.
On top of that, Ole Miss landed LSU transfer Corey Chest (6.1 PPG) and junior Koren Johnson, who transferred from Louisville after being sidelined with a shoulder injury, but averaged a career-high 11.1 PPG during his sophomore season at Washington.
Ole Miss may have lost a lot of production to its roster, but these key additions, especially Storr, have the program positioned for continued success going forward. If Beard continues to put the pieces together and pick up the top transfer prospects in the country, Ole Miss could have many more good years to come.