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[RebelBond]

I liked Malcolm's intensity last year. He just needed some more reps and conditioning. I hope he can step up because we have one hell of a talented team. If Andy can get the chemistry right, it is going to be a fun year.

RebelBond

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David Brandt's Blog
Andy Kennedy says calm down. Life goes on after election day.
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Rebs pin hopes on Malcolm White
Rebs pin hopes on Malcolm White
Posted 11/5/2008 4:45 PM CST on clarionledger.com

WHITE HOLDS THE KEY: If the Rebels are going to be the NCAA Tournament team they think they can be this season, then it's imperative that sophomore Malcolm White makes huge strides this season. The 6-foot-9 forward didn't play much last season because he was behind three seniors, but there's a great chance he averages more than 25 minutes per game this season. It's hard to believe that a sophomore is the most experienced post player for the Rebels, but it's true. The other options are freshmen Terrance Henry, Murphy Holloway and Kevin Cantinol, along with JUCO transfer DeAundre Cranston. Said Kennedy: "(Malcolm) sees that if he does not step up and provide leadership, than I don’t know where we are going to get it along our front line."



But has he improved enough to be a legit SEC starter? Well, White has put on about 10 pounds and looks noticably stronger. He said he's not pushed around in the post nearly as much as he used to, and his biggest focus is on defense and rebounding. White is one of the team's more talkative players, and after a little bit of prodding said his goal "is to average a double-double this season." That might be a bit of a stretch, but I do believe White can average around 10 points a game. It's the 10 rebounds per game that might be a stretch, though 6 or 7 a night would be fine with Kennedy. I'll be writing more about this in our basketball season preview package that comes out this weekend. It's a good weekend to do it since both Ole Miss and Mississippi State have off weeks in football...



THE ROTATION: Obviously, Ole Miss is packed at the wings with Eniel Polynice, David Huertas, Zach Graham, Terrico White and Trevor Gaskins fighting for playing time. As the season wears on, I think it's going to be difficult for Gaskins to find time in this rotation. Kennedy says his decision-making has gotten better, which should help. But it's awfully hard having a 6-foot-1ish shooting guard on the floor next to 5-foot-10 Chris Warren. One interesting player is Will Bogan, who is set to be the backup point guard. The 6-foot-1 freshman quick at the point and can really shoot. He will be asked to take the spot of Brian Smith, the senior who averaged about 10 minutes per game last season as Warren's backup.