New-Look Rebels Hit the Floor: “We have a very skilled team,” says Perry
The new-look Ole Miss basketball team opened summer workouts this week.
The Rebels return three players (Malik Dia, Eduardo Klafke and Zach Day) from last season’s 24-win and Sweet 16 team. They also signed seven transfers, three Top 100 high-school players and former Eurobasket MVP Ilias Kamardine.
Travis Perry came to Ole Miss from Kentucky. The 6-foot-1 Perry is a former 4-star and Top 100 prospect, according to On3. Perry appeared in 31 games (four starts) for the Wildcats last season. He averaged 2.7 points in 9.7 minutes per game. Perry shot 36.6 percent from 3-point range (15-41) in 18 SEC games.
“I feel like we have a very competitive group,” Perry said this week, when asked of his first impressions of his new team. “We have a lot of athleticism. [The SEC] is the most athletic league in the country. You want a lot of size and athleticism to kind of control what we want to control on the defensive end.
“We have a very skilled team. We have a team that compliments each other well [and] guys that can space the floor and score the ball from around the arc very well. But also guys that are smart inside the arc that know how to either get their shooters open or get themselves open by screening or something like that.”
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Perry was a prolific prep star.
He broke the long-time KHSAA scoring record as a junior for Lyon County. He guided the Lyons to a Sweet 16 title at Rupp Arena the following year and was named Mr. Kentucky Basketball.
Perry finished with 5,481 career points — seventh-most ithe history of high school basketball at the national level.
“I’ve been very impressed with our team, but above all, I’ve been impressed with the competitiveness that we have,” Perry said. “Everybody wants to win in whatever drill it is, and I think that’s the most important thing.”
The included practice photos were provided by Ole Miss Athletics.
Transfers Travis Perry (Kentucky) and Kezza Giffa (High Point)
Louisville transfer James Scott
Zach Day
Butler transfer Augusto Cassia
Ouachita Baptist wing Hobert Grayson
Top 100 signee Patton Pinkins
Zach Day
Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard
Patton Pinkins
Top 100 signee Tylis Jordan and Kansas transfer AJ Storr
Ole Miss star returner Malik Dia
Max Smith
LSU transfer Corey Chest
Second-year guard Eduardo Klafke
Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard
Top 100 signee Niko Bundalo
