Ole Miss men's basketball 2024-25 roster officially unveiled (2024)

The Rebels are looking to make a significant second-year leap in the Chris Beard era.

Jared Redding

OXFORD, Miss. – It was a busy offseason for Chris Beard and his staff as they prepare for year two in Oxford, but hard work on the recruiting trail pays off, as the 2024-25 Ole Miss men's basketball roster has been set.

Sixteen student-athletes will represent Ole Miss for the 115th season of men's basketball, highlighted by a depth of experience, scoring ability, and position flexibility. The roster includes 12 players with previous college experience, with over 900 games played, over 500 starts, over 9,000 career points scored, and over 900 career made threes among the group.

The program welcomes back six returners from a season ago, as Jaemyn Brakefield, Cam Brent, TJ Caldwell, Robert Cowherd, Jaylen Murray, and Matthew Murrell will take the floor for Ole Miss once again.

Returning for his fourth year with the Rebels, Brakefield has proven himself a mainstay in the starting lineup, with 88 career starts for Ole Miss. A forward with strong shooting ability to space the floor, the Jackson, Miss. native became the 43rd player in school history to join the 1,000-point club at the end of last season.

After spending the 2022-23 season with the team, Brent saw his first action last year after playing in six games. The guard from Jackson, Miss. closed out the regular season with six minutes against Texas A&M, scoring his first collegiate point while adding an assist and steal.

A member of the 2022 recruiting class, Caldwell is set to begin his third season in Oxford after getting plenty of experience as an underclassman. In 63 career games with the Rebels, the guard as scored 323 points while grabbing 125 rebounds and dishing out 67 assists.

Joining Caldwell in the 2022 high school class, Cowherd returns as a sophomore after redshirting his freshman season. The six-foot four-inch guard from Georgia appeared in 10 games for the Rebels last year, showcasing his shooting ability and intense defensive motor.

One of three starters from a year ago returning to the team, Murray brings his flashy offensive game back to the program for a second year. The New York native started all 32 games for Ole Miss at point guard in 2023-24, finishing third on the team in scoring at 13.8 points per game, and held an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.40, the fourth-best mark in the SEC.

Returning for his fifth season with Ole Miss, Murrell is set to be one of the premiere players in not just the SEC, but all of college basketball in 2024-25. The guard from Memphis, Tenn. ranks 16th in program history with 1,444 career points for the Rebels and fifth in career made threes with 218. He earned All-SEC Second Team and NABC All-District Second Team honors last season.

The program welcomes six new transfers to the team via the transfer portal, including Davon Barnes, Ja'Von Benson, Mikeal Brown-Jones, Dre Davis, Malik Dia, and Sean Pedulla. The highly touted group has been ranked as the No. 14 transfer class in the nation by both On3 and 247Sports.

A guard from Sam Houston, Barnes averaged 13.5 points and 3.5 rebounds last year, highlighted by a 21-point performance against Ole Miss in the Tad Pad game. The second-leading scorer on a team that won 21 games last year, the Memphis, Tenn. native spent his first two college seasons at Texas Southern, where he led the team in scoring as a sophomore.

Entering his fifth year of college basketball, Benson joins the program after playing last season at Hampton, where he averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in just over 15 minutes per game. The team leader in blocks last season with 46, he looks to return his defensive abilities to the SEC, after spending three years with South Carolina.

Another fifth-year senior, Brown-Jones is coming off a first-team all-conference season at UNC Greensboro where he led the team and ranked second in the SoCon in scoring with a clip of 18.9 per game. He also led UNCG and was sixth in the conference with an average of 7.5 rebounds per game. Brown-Jones was ranked as the No. 34 player in the transfer portal and the No. 8 power forward by On3.

One of five members of the Ole Miss roster with over 1,000 career points, Davis spent his first two seasons at Louisville before moving on to Seton Hall for the previous two. A key starter at both programs, Davis recently helped lead Seton Hall to an NIT Championship, earning a spot on the all-tournament team after averaging 16.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game. He was ranked the No. 63 transfer player in the nation by 247Sports, and No. 64 by Rivals.

An athletic forward, Dia spent last season at Belmont where he averaged 16.9 points and led the team in rebounding with 193, all while averaging just over 23 minutes per game. His defensive abilities shined last year as he grabbed 27 steals and blocked 26 shots. He previously spent his freshman season with Vanderbilt, but joins Ole Miss as the No. 15 transfer player in the country according to Rivals.

A key member of Virginia Tech since his freshman season, Pedulla comes to Ole Miss with over 100 games played, over 1,200 career points, and over 300 career assists in three seasons. The point guard led the Hokies in scoring at 16.4 points per game last year and was named to the All-ACC Third Team. Pedulla was ranked the No. 38 transfer in the country by Rivals, and the No. 46 player by 247Sports.

A trio of freshmen and a preferred walk-on round out the roster for Ole Miss.

Listed as the second-highest recruit in program history according to 247Sports, John Bol comes to Oxford from Overtime Elite, where he averaged 10.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game as a senior. The 7'2" forward became the second Ole Miss signee in the past four years to earn a spot in the prestigious McDonald's All-American game, where he proved to the nation why he earned the No. 54 overall ranking by both On3 and ESPN in the 2024 class.

Eduardo Klafke prepares for his first full season with the program, after he got to spend last spring training with the team as an early enrollee at Ole Miss. After training with the prestigious NBA Academy Latin America, Klafke was ranked the No. 120 player in the 2024 class by On3, and has flashed elite shooting ability and basketball IQ. The 6'5" Brazilian guard comes from a basketball family, as his father Rogerio Klafke played with the Brazilian National team in the 1996 Olympics, and FIBA World Cup in 1994, 1998, and 2002.

A guard from Midland, Texas, Zach Day averaged 24 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists as a senior at Midland Christian last year, where he helped lead his team to a state championship.

Preferred walk-on Max Smith averaged 24 points per game while in high school, but recently earned his degree from Ole Miss after coming to Oxford as a member of the 2020 class.

Release courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics

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JERSEY NUMBERS:

#0 Malik Dia

#1 Mikeal Brown-Jones

#2 TJ Caldwell

#3 Sean Pedulla

#4 Jaemyn Brakefield

#5 Jaylen Murray

#6 Robert Cowherd

#7 Davon Barnes

#8 Eduardo Klafke

#10 John Bol

#11 Matthew Murrell

#14 Dre Davis

#21 Ja'Von Benson

#22 Max Smith

#31 Zach Day

#55 Cam Brent

Ole Miss men's basketball 2024-25 roster officially unveiled (2024)

FAQs

Ole Miss men's basketball 2024-25 roster officially unveiled? ›

The Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team represents the University of Mississippi in the sport of basketball. The Rebels compete in the NCAA Division I and the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

How tall is number 3 on Ole Miss men's basketball team? ›

2024-25 Men's Basketball Roster
#NameHt.
3Sean Pedulla6' 1''
4Jaemyn Brakefield6' 8''
5Jaylen Murray5' 11''
6Robert Cowherd6' 4''
13 more rows

Is Ole Miss basketball D1? ›

The Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team represents the University of Mississippi in the sport of basketball. The Rebels compete in the NCAA Division I and the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

What is Ole Miss's record in basketball? ›

2023-24 SEC Standings
TeamCONFOVR
Ole Miss7-1120-12
Georgia6-1220-17
Arkansas6-1216-17
Vanderbilt4-149-23
10 more rows

Who is the HC of Ole Miss basketball? ›

Chris Beard was named the 23rd head men's basketball coach at Ole Miss by Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter on Monday, March 13, 2023. A four-time conference coach of the year and 2019 national coach of the year, Chris Beard brings his long run of success to Oxford and the SEC.

Who was number 18 at Ole Miss? ›

In tribute to Ole Miss legend Archie Manning, the speed limit on the University of Mississippi campus is 18 MPH in homage to Manning's retired jersey No. 18. He was named to the All-SEC team in 1969 and 1970 and was the Mississippi Sportsman of the Year and SEC Most Valuable Player in 1969.

Who is number 11 on Ole Miss? ›

J. Watkins

What sport is Ole Miss known for? ›

We are well-known for an epic gameday experience that is the best in college football, and a home-field advantage that is second to none in college baseball.

Why is it called Ole Miss? ›

The university's byname "Ole Miss" was first used in 1897, when it won a contest of suggestions for a yearbook title. The term originated as a title domestic slaves used to distinguish the mistress of a plantation from "young misses".

Will Ole Miss drop the name Rebels? ›

In response to the recent surge in national support for the Black Lives Matter movement, Ole Miss Esports publicly announced their removal of the name “Rebels” from their team and from all team-affiliated hashtags, making them the first university sports program to ever do so.

What was Ole Miss best year? ›

Ole Miss most wins in a single season
  • 1955: 10-1 (5-1 SEC)
  • 1959: 10-1 (5-1 SEC)
  • 1960: 10-0-1 (5-0-1 SEC)
  • 1962: 10-0 (6-0 SEC)
  • 1971: 10-2 (4-2 SEC)
  • 2003: 10-3 (7-1 SEC)
  • 2015: 10-3 (6-2 SEC)
  • 2021: 10-3 (6-2 SEC)
Dec 30, 2023

What year did Ole Miss go undefeated? ›

The Rebels' 1962 season is Ole Miss' only undefeated and untied season: 10–0. They capped off the season with a victory in the Sugar Bowl, but finished No. 3 in both major polls.

Is Ole Miss good at basketball? ›

While the Ole Miss Men's Basketball team is not taking home any trophies this season, the team still had a very successful year in Beard's Oxford debut. They have a lot to build off of going into next season, and the expectations will be much higher for year two of the Beard regime.

Did Bill Jordan go to Ole Miss? ›

Bill Jordan graduated from Ole Miss in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in business administration and returned to Columbus to work at his family's boat dealership.

Who is Ole Miss basketball court named after? ›

Craddock Court is the floor to Ole Miss' basketball home and another reminder of what the family does for the community. The Craddocks own Craddock Oil Company and other properties that include convenience stores and restaurants throughout Mississippi and the surrounding area.

Who is Ole Miss strength coach? ›

Nick Savage - Head Football Strength and Conditioning Coach - Football Support Staff - Ole Miss Athletics - Hotty Toddy.

How tall is Sharp for Ole Miss? ›

He played college basketball for John A. Logan College, Western Kentucky, and Ole Miss. At 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m), he was one of the tallest Division I players ever and is one of the tallest living humans.

How tall is number 3 on Duke? ›

GAME LOG
GUARDPOSHT
Spencer Hubbard #55G5'8"
Jared McCain #0G6'3"
Tyrese Proctor #5G6'5"
Jeremy Roach #3G6'2"
3 more rows

How tall is Floyd Mason? ›

How tall is Floyd Mason? Floyd Mason is 6-5 (196 cm) tall.

How tall is Mark Turgeon? ›

Turgeon earned All-State Tournament team honors in both of those years. Although only 5 feet 10 inches out of high school, Turgeon earned a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Kansas under coach Larry Brown. Turgeon played in four straight NCAA tournaments, becoming the first KU player to do so.

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