Ole Miss Basketball: Looking Back At Andy Kennedy And At The Present
Ole Miss basketball fans are excited about Rebels hoops and the success we’ve seen so far in 2019 but a degree of that falls on Andy Kennedy.
When you ask most Ole Miss basketball fans if they are surprised by the current success by coach Kermit Davis and the Rebels and most will admit they are. Ask the same Rebels how much of that success can be attributed to former head coach Andy Kennedy and they will likely admit it is a lot. Despite the way the 2017-2018 season ended for Ole Miss and the way Kennedy left in the middle of the season, this season is a great one so far.
First and foremost we should appreciate all which Andy Kennedy brought to the Ole Miss program while he was head coach. Second, we should really appreciate Andy Kennedy and the grace he has shown since leaving Oxford. So far this season we have seen Andy Kennedy be as gracious as a former head coach could be to his former team being very complimentary of what coach Kermit Davis has produced in his first season as Ole Miss head coach.
Of course, if you are Ole Miss basketball fan and followed Ole Miss over the years then you know this is a very good team. Naturally coach Kermit Davis should get the credit for what he has done to make this season a success so far. Davis kept the AK team from last season together and actually got Terence Davis to return for his senior season which has led to the Rebels success and especially SEC record thus far. Keep in mind most of this same line-up belonged to AK at one point.
More To The Story
Ole Miss Rebels
As with almost any Ole Miss subject there is always more to the story. When you look at the situation between Ole Miss and Andy Kennedy and where he is today there is certainly so. Had former Chancellor Jeff Vitter accepted AK’s terms we might be seeing this same success with him as head coach but Vitter rejected all which AK wanted.
When a chancellor gives you no out then you take your own out and that is what Andy Kennedy did. His resignation from Ole Miss basketball was not a selfish one but one which would better the Ole Miss basketball program.
Don’t worry though, Andy Kennedy is doing a great job and succeeding despite the pressure put on him by an inept administration. When it all boils down all AK wanted was more money for his assistant coaches. Not the bad guy in this spectacle by the ‘then’ Ole Miss admin.
But Great Things Come
Regardless of how you may feel about former Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy and his sudden departure from the program you can’t deny he left his mark on the Ole Miss basketball program. Until the very last AK recruit leaves Ole Miss he will continue to do so. As well as coach Kermit Davis has done with this team there is still an AK recruit on the roster.
As long time Rebels fan Harry Harwell stated on Facebook in the one and only Rebel Nation group, “Andy Kennedy handed the keys to a Corvette to Kermit Davis!” While many Ole Miss basketball fans might still fault Andy Kennedy for leaving the program he did as good-by the University of Mississippi as it did for him. What he did for Ole Miss basketball in the last 13 years is great and the way he has presented himself as former coach is awesome!
Fast Forward
So here we are in the 2018-2019 Ole Miss basketball season. We have a new coach in Kermit Davis and a former head coach who is one of the best basketball analyst in the nation on the SEC Network. For myself I have watched each and every comment from Andy Kennedy about the team he coached just a year ago.
Ole Miss basketball may be on a roll but so is Andy Kennedy. AK is doing a great job with the SECN and it shows with every comment which he makes. Even Kennedy himself stated to new head coach Kermit Davis in an interview when speaking about junior Dominik Olejnicazk’s performance Saturday against the Razorbacks.
"“We finally have someone that can coach a big man.” ~Former Ole Miss Coach Andy Kennedy, SECN analyst"
Regardless of how you may view Andy Kennedy and his time at Ole Miss you have to admit that is a very great comment. Without a doubt AK loves Ole Miss and his time there as head coach. Is Ole Miss better with coach Kermit Davis? Obviously so and the former coach is willing to admit it. Coach AK took us to some amazing places as a basketball program and coach Kerm is sure to as well. This is a great program right now and part of that thanks belongs to AK as well as Kerm.
As Ole Miss Rebels we have seen some coaches come and go and there have been few who were as gracious in their comments as Andy Kennedy. There are those of us like Harry and myself who believe we have seen some great ones and we have seen situations where coaches burned bridges. Andy Kennedy was always a different kind of coach, he always has been and always will be. Thank you Andy! Hotty Toddy!