Kennedy eyes greater consistency on offense for Ole Miss

[rebeljim]

Grind-it-out style helped Rebs reach SEC tourney semis, but only NIT berth

Kentucky coach John Calipari caused a collective raising of eyebrows when he said Monday he expects half the SEC teams to make the NCAA Tournament field each season going forward.

Seven schools from the SEC? The conference put four into the field of 68 last March, and it was only five the year before that. Missouri, a No. 2 seed that was upset in the first round, is expected to make it back, but that's only five - two of the current SEC middle class will have to improve their standing to prove Calipari prophetic.

That's where Ole Miss comes in - the Rebels won five in a row to advance to the SEC Tournament semifinals and won 20 games yet again last season, but a lack of consistency during the season put the team in the NIT.

The late-season success came when coach Andy Kennedy abandoned an up-tempo offense in favor of a grind-it-out style - the Rebs averaged 70.8 points a game during the winning streak, but gave up only 60.

So will the 2012-13 season bring more of the same? Maybe, but maybe not. Kennedy isn't ready to commit to a style of play just yet.

Much will depend on the success of the six newcomers to the program (the Rebels also return seven of their top nine, losing only Terrance Henry and Jelan Kendrick).

"We definitely needed an infusion of offense at certain positions," Kennedy said. "Our inability to score efficiently was certainly our undoing more times than not. Based on those needs, we went out and identified some of the needs."

Three of the six - guard Martavious Newby and forwards Jason Carter and Terry Brutus - were on campus for the first summer session. They've done enough in six hours of practice time for Kennedy to remark, "they certainly have not disappointed."

Shooter Marshall Henderson (41 percent from 3-point range at JUCO South Plains (Texas)) and point guard Derrick Millinghaus are expected to arrive this week for the second summer session. Forward Anthony Perez-Cortesia is practicing with the Venezuelan national team and will likely continue to do so through the summer.

But with returning forwards Murphy Holloway and Reginald Buckner, Kennedy has the backbone of that defensive-first style. It's an intriguing mix, and something to watch heading into the winter.

"(The SEC) is going to provide a lot of opportunities," Kennedy said. "We just have to take advantage of those opportunities."

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