OXFORD – A five-hour drive from Atlanta back to Oxford with a stop for gas provides a lot of time to think. And, given what I witnessed first-hand over the last week or so, I needed every minute of it.
Did Ole Miss just really do that?
Here was Ole Miss men’s basketball – a program making just its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance ever and looking for its first tournament win in a decade. No, there was no nervousness on Selection Sunday, as the Rebels had firmly placed themselves in the field by battling through the gauntlet that was the SEC.
But as sixth-seeded Ole Miss’ opening matchup against No. 11 seed North Carolina approached, I couldn’t help but ask myself how long this journey was going to realistically go on for. Did the Rebels have the horsepower to make a run into the second weekend and potentially beyond? To be honest, I wasn’t completely sure.
This is why I’m not a coach or a gambler.
The Rebels survived a late surge from the Tar Heels in the first round, dominated third-seeded Iowa State in the Round of 32 and advanced to their second-ever Sweet 16 and first since 2001. Ole Miss ultimately lost a tight matchup with No. 2 seed Michigan State Friday, ending the Rebels’ magical run.
As I stood in the locker room postgame in front of an inconsolable Sean Pedulla – one of the Rebels’ heartbeats who hit big shot after big shot when his team needed it most this year – another thought crossed my mind that admittedly probably should have more throughout the season: This group of young men was rather remarkable.
Ole Miss was in dire straits when Chris Beard was hired in 2023, having won a combined 25 games the previous two seasons. And, deservingly so, Beard has gotten much of the credit for the Rebels’ turnaround – 44 wins in two years, including 24 this season, tied for the third-most in program history.
But the image of Ole Miss’ stars sitting in chairs surrounded by their teammates – some offering consolation, others unable to grip the reality of the situation themselves, that many had just played their last college basketball games – sticks with me. To see how much they cared up-close and personal, to witness how much they truly enjoyed each other’s company, gave me a newfound respect for what the players themselves were able to accomplish.
So, back to that car ride home from Atlanta. I had long envisioned writing a story or column about how Ole Miss’ players should be remembered when and if their tournament run came to an end. The group that turned things around, spearheaded by seniors Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield, the duo that never budged while the losing took place early in their careers, deserved a fitting tribute. I went around the locker room and asked several players about this team's legacy and how they wanted to be remembered individually. Despite the pain in their eyes, they told me their stories.
A few minutes into my car ride Saturday, I came to a realization: This really isn’t a story for me to tell, is it?
I didn’t sweat through practices or endure the triumphs and agonies. I really can’t speak on what this team should be remembered for because I wasn’t in the room most of the time. I see things from a bird’s-eye view, but ultimately it’s not my legacy. It’s Murrell’s and Brakefield’s and Pedulla’s and all the other players’.
I then found my solution: Why not let them tell me and everyone else reading what their legacies should be? After all, they know best.
So, here is how a few members of the 2024-25 Rebels want to be remembered as people and as a team, in their own words.
Note: Answers have been edited for brevity
Senior guard Sean Pedulla
“We gave everything. We came in each day and gave it literally everything. I don’t think anybody expected us to be here (besides) ourselves. For that, I ...
