Chris Beard and his staff struck while the iron was hot, landing another top player from the transfer portal after bringing in Kentucky's Travis Perry a few days ago. The Rebels bring in their second player from Louisville, forward James Scott, who is choosing Ole Miss over other options.
Scott was one of Beard's two top targets remaining in the portal, landing the coveted ACC transfer. He averaged 7.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season for the Cardinals, and averaged 6.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and 1.0 assists over his two seasons with Louisville after transferring from Charleston.
A few weeks back, Ole Miss fans felt a little concerned when only three players had come through the door after losing a massive chunk of the roster that got them to an NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen last season. We should never doubt Beard, who has landed four players the previous week, three of whom have high projections for the season.
Travis Perry and now Scott followed French national Ilias Kamardine. The former has a big following in his nation, and expectations are that he could be a big player next season, having tested the NBA waters in 2023.. Perry holds the record for post points in the state of Kentucky at the high school level, and Scott is another top player under the boards.
Beard has USC transfer Desmond Claude on their radar and looks to be up against Duke for his commitment, with Florida dropping out. If they can add the former Trojan who was a solid scorer, the team looks pretty healthy for another NCAA Tournament push. Even without Claude, it is a team that can challenge with freshman Tylis Jordan and Patton Pinkins coming in from the 2025 class; both have the opportunity to be a big part of the rotation.