Ole Miss Lady Rebels
Overall Rank: #36
Conference Rank: #7 SEC
Ole Miss saw a big turnaround in year three of the Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin era. The Lady Rebels went from 7-23 in 2019-2020 to 15-12 last season. It resulted in a trip to the WNIT where the team went all the way to the finals. That is a big jump and the program will look to keep that momentum going into 2021-2022. With all five starters back and a handful of Division I transfers to help fill in some gaps, Mississippi suddenly has a team that can seriously compete in the tough SEC and reach their first NCAA Tournament since 2007.
2020-21 Record: 15-12, 4-10
2020-21 Postseason: WNIT
Coach: Yolett McPhee-McCuin
Coach Record: 31-57 at Ole Miss, 125-120 overall
Key Departed Players (starters in bold)
Valerie Nesbitt, Guard, 6.2 ppg
Taylor Smith, Guard, 2.9 ppg
Key Returning Players (starters in bold)
Shakira Austin, Senior, Forward, 18.6 ppg
Donnetta Johnson, Junior, Guard, 12.0 ppg
Madison Scott, Sophomore, Forward, 9.6 ppg
Snudda Collins, Sophomore, Forward, 6.6 ppg
Mimi Reid, Senior, Guard, 5.4 ppg
Jacorriah Bracey, Sophomore, Guard, 3.3 ppg
Caitlin McGee, Sophomore, Forward, 3.0 ppg
Tiya Douglas, Junior, Guard, 2.8 ppg
Iyania Kitchens, Senior, Forward, 1.4 ppg
Jordan Berry, Junior, Guard
Key New Players
Angel Baker, Senior, Guard, Transfer from Wright State
Jaiyah Harris-Smith, Freshman, Guard
Lashonda Monk, Senior, Guard, Transfer from East Carolina
Destiny Salary, Sophomore, Guard, Transfer from Tennessee
Aleah Sorrentino, Freshman, Forward
Projection:
Shakira Austin transferred in from Maryland and made a huge impact last season, averaging 18.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.8 blocks. The 6-5 senior is ready for another big year and to lead Ole Miss to their best season in over a decade. Sophomore forwards Madison Scott and Snudda Collins will rejoin Austin in the frontcourt. Scott is a great complimentary piece to Austin, helping out on the glass and blocking plenty of shots of her own. Collins is the one who can stretch the defense with her outside shooting ability. She knocked down a team high 43 three-pointers. The rest of this group is not great shooters and Ole Miss connected on a mere 3.9 three-pointers per game. That does not mean the backcourt fails to score though. Donnetta Johnson is very good at attacking the basket and Mimi Reid and Jacorriah Bracey can score some points too. Coach McPhee-McCuin picked up three transfers who will add some much needed shooting options to the backcourt. Angel Baker spent three seasons at Wright State where she averaged 18.0 points a season ago. Lashonda Monk has eclipsed the double-digit scoring mark in each of her last three seasons at East Carolina and Destiny Salary saw limited action at Tennessee last year before heading to Oxford. As long as Ole Miss can get a consistent shooter out of the backcourt from that group, this should be a team that can do some damage in the SEC.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 69.6 (95th in nation, 12th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.7 (118, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.4 (83, 10)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.3 (82, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 3.9 (318, 13)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 30.9 (173, 10)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.0 (174, 8)
Rebound Margin: 4.3 (63, 5)
Assists Per Game: 14.2 (93, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 16.3 (203, 11)
Madness 2022 WNBA Draft Rankings:
#2 Shakira Austin
