Win Case opens up on Kermit Davis' love for Ole Miss

Ole Miss will soon enter a new era with Kermit Davis out as head coach as of Friday. But interim head coach Win Case, who has coached with Davis for 15 years across two schools, wanted to highlight Davis’ contributions to and love for the program after the Rebels won Saturday.

“First, I just want to start off just saying a little bit about Coach Davis,” Case said after the game. “I get emotional just thinking about it. I’ve never in my life seen a guy that works as hard as he does. He’s a great man. He’s a great coach. Bottom line, we didn’t win ball games. I know he understood that. But the thing that I want to say is this. The love that he has for Ole Miss is amazing. Within two or three hours of knowing he wasn’t going to be retained for next year, he’s on the phone call with recruits telling them that they need to still come to Ole Miss because Ole Miss has a special place. I second that motion. I second it because I know how special this place is. But the bottom line is we didn’t win enough ball games, and he understands that. He definitely understands that. But he will definitely continue to root for Ole Miss.”

In its first game after letting go of Davis, Ole Miss defeated LSU in a battle of two teams sitting at or near the bottom of the conference standings. Jaemyn Brakefield led the way with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

The game capped off a stretch of arduous days for the Rebels program, giving them some satisfaction after the tough news about Davis.

“It’s been very emotional,” Case said. “I’ll tell you this: when he went and met with the team, Coach Davis is one of these stoic guys. Don’t really show his emotions, nothing on his sleeve., But I can tell you this, there was not a dry eye in that locker room when he announced to them that he was not coming back and he wasn’t going to coach anymore. Tears in his eyes as well and all the players. I really, truly believe in my heart of all the hard work that Coach Davis went throughout this season with his team played a hand in us winning tonight. I truly believe that.”

Ole Miss AD Keith Carter’s statements on Kermit Davis, Win Case after announcing decision

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter announced Friday the firing of Kermit Davis and the promotion of Win Case to interim head coach.

“We thank Coach Davis for his dedication to the Ole Miss basketball program and our student-athletes,” Carter said in a statement. “No one wanted to bring a title home to Mississippi more than him, and we appreciate the passion for that goal that he shared with our team every day. As he has throughout his career, Coach Davis worked tirelessly to produce a winner, and we wish him, Betty and his family the very best in the future.”

Davis was 74-79 in 153 games as head coach of the Rebels. He led the program to one NCAA Tournament in his first season coaching the team.

The gig is Case’s first time coaching a Division I program. He has a 392-169 record as a head coach at the NAIA and Juco levels.

“This team has fought hard all season, and we expect that to continue over these final games,” Carter said. “We appreciate Coach Case stepping in during a time of transition, and he will have the full support of our administration as we close out this season.”