Report: Ole Miss basketball hires former Georgetown assistant Robert Kirby

Ole Miss has hired former Georgetown assistant Robert Kirby, bringing some new flavor to the Rebels coaching staff.

According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, the high-profile assistant is going from coaching under Patrick Ewing to the staff of Kermit Davis.

“Source: Ole Miss’ Kermit Davis will hire Robert Kirby as an assistant coach,” tweeted Rothstein. “Kirby was on staff at Georgetown last season.”

Per the Hoya’s team website, Kirby was been a part of Ewing’s staff from his inaugural season until this offseason, helping the program hit significant early milestones. Over last two seasons, the program picked up major awards from the Big East Conference, with most recently Jagan Mosely being a recipient of the league’s Sportsmanship Award in 2020.  

Moreover, Georgetown added that with a berth to the 2019 National Invitation Tournament, the Hoyas saw a return to the postseason for the first time since the 2014-15 season. In three years as a member of Ewing’s staff, Kirby helped the Hoyas to five wins over opponents ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, including a trio during the 2019-20 campaign. 

In addition to his time at Georgetown, Kirby spent a bevy of time at multiple different schools across the country. To illustrate, the team website mentions the former assistant coach’s time at LSU (2012-13, 2016-17), Memphis (2013-15), Georgetown, Mississippi State (1998-2010; 1989-93), Houston (1993-98), Southeastern Louisiana (1988-89) and UALR (1985-88). Moreover, Kirby has been involved in more than 580 NCAA Division I victories and 18 postseason squads, per the Hoyas.

Now, Robert Kirby is returning to the SEC under Kermit Davis at Ole Miss. The Rebels will be looking to make some noise next season, and the high-profile assistant can help with that.

Report: Ole Miss transfer Josh Mballa withdraws name from NBA Draft

Former Buffalo star Josh Mballa has reportedly withdrawn his name from the 2022 NBA Draft. The super senior will play for Ole Miss next season, where he transferred to earlier this month.

The 6-foot-7 native of Bordeaux, France spent his freshman season at Texas Tech during the 2018-2019 season that saw the Red Raiders fall in the national championship game to Virginia in overtime. He would transfer to Buffalo for the next three seasons, where he went on to become an all-around force for the Bulls as a two-time All-MAC and two-time MAC All-Defensive selection, as well as the 2020-21 MAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Appearing in 99 college basketball games through the first four years of his career, Mballa has tallied 29 double-doubles and has recorded 12 games with at least 15 rebounds, and nearly averages a double-double across his career at 10.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Last season, Mballa was one of the top offensive rebounders in the nation, leading the MAC and ranking sixth in the NCAA at 3.7 offensive boards per contest to boot.