Friday, September 15, 2017

Franco Miller

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#HIGHLY sought after basketball recruit for the class of 2018, Franco Miller Jr will spend a season playing prep basketball in Canada before he makes the leap to the collegiate ranks.

#Miller has joined the programme at Crestwood Preparatory College in Toronto, Canada as the school makes its transition into the National Preparatory Association for the 2017-18 season.

#The 6’2” guard spent much of the summer playing under coach Ro Russell for the Grass Roots Elite Club where his performance on the AAU circuit garnered offers from several Division I programmes.

#Russell was hired to head the programme at Crestwood in 2016 and Miller followed suit.

#The Grand Bahamian native will be tested right away as Crestwood will compete in the Southeast Division against powerhouse programmes such as St Michael’s College, Toronto Basketball Academy and Central Tech Prep.

#Crestwood headmaster Vince Pagano, told North Pole Hoops that the school is committed to competing at the highest level against the top programmes in Canada.

#“Basketball has been on our agenda since our inception. We will now commit the resources necessary to take the sport to another level.”

#“The NPA’s consideration of individual student needs in a highly competitive athletic atmosphere makes it a perfect partner for the school’s own initiatives, he said.

#“Ro Russell has been a giant in southern Ontario basketball for many years. He understands the game and understands the young people who play it so passionately under his tutelage. We are very proud to have him lead our basketball programme. Under his guidance, we expect effort levels and loyalty to our fundamental school values to improve across the board. We have already had ample evidence of that.”

#Miller’s play on the AAU circuit has attracted official offers from Montana State University, the University of Wyoming, St Bonaventure University and the University of Illinois at Chicago. There are also several other programmes that have expressedinterest.

#His most noteworthy performance came at the Fab 48 Invitational in Las Vegas, Nevada in July where he averaged over 20 points per game with Russell’s Grass Roots Elite Club. In a 77-71 loss to BTI Select he scored 23 points, added five rebounds, two assists and three steals. He also had 22 points, five assists, four rebounds in a 74-70 win over the Simply Fundamental Basketball Club.

#At the local level with the Tabernacle Baptist Falcons, Miller had a season filled with accolades highlighted when he was named as the Most Valuable Player of the 34th annual Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic. His 27 points led the Falcons to a 58-52 win over the CI Gibson Rattlers He also led the Falcons to a Grand Bahama Secondary Schools Sports Association (GBSSSA) senior boys’ title and finished as runners up in the second annual Bahamas National High School Basketball Championships.

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Franco Miller

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#FRANCO Miller continues to bolster his recruiting stock in his lone season of prep basketball with the Crestwood Prep Academy Lions.

#Miller opened up session two of the The National Preparatory Association’s Prep League yesterday with a game-high 30 points in the Lions’ 111-88 win over Beast Basketball.

#The tournament which began yesterday continues through January 6 and is hosted at the Lions’ campus in Toronto, Canada.

#The Vice Principal and Director of Athletics at Crestwood Prep, Lisa Newton, said northpolehoops.com is a vital platform to showcase prep basketball in the country.

#“Crestwood is excited to be hosting the NPA New Year Challenge this January 3-6, 2018. We are thrilled to have so many elite Canadian basketball players coming to Crestwood to show their talents and participate in some great basketball.

#“We hope many people will come join us at Crestwood to watch and celebrate these excellent high school athletes,” said Newton.

#Players on the competing post-grad prep programmes bye for opportunities at receiving scholarship offers from various NCAA, USports and Junior College programmes.

#NCAA Division I programmes at the event include Purdue, Illinois, VCU, Toledo, SMU, Rhode Island, Kansas State, Jacksonville State, Canisius and Central Michigan. Local Canadian teams from U Sports programs include the University of Toronto, Brock, McMaster, Queen’s, Guelph and Western and George Brown from the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association. The National junior college champions Hutchinson complete the list of programmes scouting players.

#Miller, a highly sought after recruit for the class of 2018, is spending this season at the prep school in Toronto, Canada before he makes the leap and has made an immediate impact since the first preseason tournament.

#Miller averaged over 20 points per game and led Crestwood to a 3-1 finish at the Father Henry Carr Early Bird Classic in November.

#The 6’2″ guard spent much of the summer playing under coach Ro Russell for the Grass Roots Elite Club where his performance on the AAU circuit garnered offers from several Division I programmes.

#Russell was hired to head the programme at Crestwood in 2016 and Miller followed suit.

#Crestwood makes its transition this year into the National Preparatory Association for the 2017-18 season.

#The programme will be tested right away as Crestwood will be competing in the Southeast Division against powerhouse programmes such as St Michael’s College, Toronto Basketball Academy, and Central Tech Prep.

#Miller’s play on the AAU circuit last summer has attracted official offers from Montana State University, the University of Wyoming, St Bonaventure University and the University of Illinois at Chicago. There are also several other programmes that have expressed interest.

#His most noteworthy performance came at the Fab 48 Invitational in Las Vegas, Nevada, in July where he averaged over 20 points per game with Russell’s Grass Roots Elite Club.

Tuesday, August 4, 202

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#THE Florida Gulf Coast Eagles are excited to add Franco Miller Jr to their programme and look forward to the incoming transfer combo guard to have an impact whenever he steps on the floor.

#Eagles head coach Michael Fly discussed several issues, including Miller’s recruitment process amid the COVID-19 pandemic

#“There’s a recruiting ban on guys right now and for the foreseeable future. We weren’t able to truly scout [Franco] in a traditional way. We watched all the high school tape we could. Actually, coach Davis’ staff at Ole Miss sent us practice tape of him so we could evaluate him more. They were extremely complimentary of him on and off the court. We do a lot of our recruiting based on connections we have made and continue to make and we have a great relationship with his prep school and Coach Davis‘ staff,” Fly told Screecher Report in their Summer Flyer/Fresh Faces Series.

#“We are excited to add a student and player of Franco’s calibre to our programme. He is an experienced guard who can play the point guard position or slide over to the wing as a scorer.”

#Miller’s tenure with the Ole Miss Rebels came in March when he announced he would be leaving the programme. He will have three years of eligibility remaining in his NCAA career. “The three years of eligibility was huge for us. We were looking at other transfers who had one year as well but Franco having three was a factor. We think it gives him time to join the programme and get his feet wet and really contribute in big ways over the course of his time with us. His addition should strengthen our backcourt for the foreseeable future in combination with our other newcomers and young players.” Fly said.

#“We think he can play both positions (PG & SG/Wing). In high school he was a scoring combo guard and we think he can get back to that. He’s got a pure shooting form. We’ll see, when we get the guys back [on campus], how he does with the ball in his hands and taking charge of the offence vs how he does without it.”

#According to the Eagles, Miller becomes the 6th newcomer for the Eagles roster heading into the 2020-21 season, joining four early signees and one graduate transfer. Eagles will return 70 per cent of its scoring back in the line-up along with seven players who saw significant action in 25-or-more games during the 2019-20 season.

#“We’re finally at a place, from a roster standpoint, where we could have Jalen [Warren], Caleb [Catto], Cyrus [Largie], Sam [Gagliardi] and Justus [Rainwater] start for us and they would all be starters from last year. But we like what our newcomers bring to the table,” Fly said. “We think Eli [Abaev] can contribute right away for us and we like the new guys we got coming in and we like our returning players. It’s safe to say that there will be a lot of competition in a lot of different areas.”

Thursday, August 27, 2020

FRANCO Miller Jr

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#WHEN the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles take to the court for the 2021 season, Franco Miller Jr could have an immediate impact with the programme.

#Miller has been granted an NCAA waiver for immediate eligibility and will not have to sit out a season after he transferred from Ole Miss to FGCU in June.

#“Having Franco be immediately eligible is a big boost to our line-up this season and adds another veteran player who has experience in high-level competition,” said Eagles head coach Michael Fly.

#“As a mature player, this announcement helps Franco stay in his basketball timeline without being away from game competition for a year and strengthens our backcourt for the foreseeable future when you look at our roster make-up.”

#Miller’s tenure with the Rebels came in March when he announced he would be leaving the programme. He will have three years of eligibility remaining in his NCAA career.

#“The three years of eligibility was huge for us. We were looking at other transfers who had one year as well but Franco having three was a factor. We think it gives him time to join the programme and get his feet wet and really contribute in big ways over the course of his time with us. His addition should strengthen our backcourt for the foreseeable future in combination with our other newcomers and young players.”

#Fly told Screecher Report in their Summer Flyer/Fresh Faces Series: “We think he can play both positions (PG and SG/Wing). In high school he was a scoring combo guard and we think he can get back to that. He’s got a pure shooting form. We’ll see, when we get the guys back [on campus], how he does with the ball in his hands and taking charge of the offence vs how he does without it.”

#According to the Eagles, Miller becomes the sixth newcomer for the Eagles roster heading into the 2020-21 season, joining four early signees and one graduate transfer. The Eagles will return 70 per cent of its scoring back in the line-up along with seven players who saw significant action in 25-or-more games during the 2019-20 season.

#“There’s a recruiting ban on guys right now and for the foreseeable future. We weren’t able to truly scout [Franco] in a traditional way. We watched all the high school tape we could. Actually, coach Davis’ staff at Ole Miss sent us practice tape of him so we could evaluate him more. They were extremely complimentary of him on and off the court. We do a lot of our recruiting based on connections we have made and continue to make and we have a great relationship with his prep school and coach Davis’ staff. We are excited to add a student and player of Franco’s calibre to our programme. He is an experienced guard who can play the point guard position or slide over to the wing as a scorer.”

#FGCU competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference. They come off a 10-22 season that concluded with a loss in the quarter-finals of the conference tournament. FGCU is best known for their run in the 2013 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament, their first since moving up to Division I. They became the first 15th seed to advance to the Sweet 16.

#Miller had his true freshman season in 2018-19 cut short due to a stress fracture in his kneecap that eventually led to surgery. He was granted a medical redshirt. In 2019-20 campaign, he played sparingly as a redshirt freshman and appeared in just 13 games.

#In those few appearances, he reached double figures in minutes just three times.He scored four points in his season debut against Alabama State, but would go scoreless for the remainder of the season.

#Despite falling out of the rotation, Miller made an impact off the court and was named to the 2020 SEC Men’s Basketball Community Service Team.

Thursday, July 2, 2020

Franco Miller Jr

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#FRANCO Miller Jr ended his time in the transfer portal and committed to join the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles to continue his collegiate basketball career.

#Miller’s tenure with the Ole Miss Rebels came to an end in March when he announced he would be leaving the programme. He will have three years of eligibility remaining in his NCAA career. “We are excited to add a student and player of Franco’s calibre to our programme. He is an experienced guard who can play the point guard position or slide over to the wing as a scorer,” said Eagles head coach Michael Fly.

#“The coaching staff at Ole Miss was extremely complimentary of Franco on and off the court. With three years of eligibility, his addition should strengthen our backcourt for the foreseeable future in combination with our other newcomers and young players.”

#According to the Eagles, Miller becomes the sixth newcomer for the Eagles roster heading into the 2020-21 season, joining four early signees and one graduate transfer. The Eagles will return 70-per cent of its scoring back in the line-up along with seven players who saw significant action in 25-or-more games during the 2019-20 season.

#FGCU competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference. They come off a 10-22 season that concluded with a loss in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. FGCU is best known for their run in the 2013 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament, their first since moving up to Division I. They became the first 15th seed to advance to the Sweet 16.

#Miller’s tenure with the Ole Miss Rebels came this offseason when he announced his intention to enter the NCAA’s transfer portal.

#Miller played sparingly last season as a redshirt freshman and appeared in just 13 games. In those few appearances, he reached double figures in minutes just three times.

#He scored four points in his season debut against Alabama State, but would go scoreless for the remainder of the season.

#Despite falling out of the rotation, Miller made an impact off the court and was named to the 2020 SEC Men’s Basketball Community Service Team. The only freshman to receive the recognition. His community service résumé participated in Adopt-a-Basket, which gives food items to families in need during the Thanksgiving season. As part of Reading with the Rebels, he has visited several local schools to promote the importance of reading while sharing some of his favourite books. His biggest activity was coordinating a campus-wide Hurricane Dorian relief drive to help those affected by the devastating hurricane that hit his native country of the Bahamas.”

#He also joined a team visit to LeBonheur Children’s Hospital and helped raise more than $10,000 as part of the first #SinkCancer event at Ole Miss.

#Miller had his true freshman season cut short due to a stress fracture in his kneecap that eventually led to surgery. He was granted a medical redshirt.

#While sidelined he was one of eight Rebels that silently protested by kneeling during the American national anthem in response to Confederacy rallies hosted near the stadium in February 2019. Minutes before the Rebels’ tipped off against the Bulldogs he joined teammates KJ Buffen, DC Davis, Brian Halums, Luis Rodriguez, Devontae Shuler, Bruce Stevens and Breein Tyree by taking a knee during the “Star Spangled Banner.”

#Miller chose the Rebels over the Oklahoma Sooners, Oregon Ducks, Minnesota Golden Gophers and Towson Tigers.

#The 6’3”, 200-pound guard previously received offers from Hofstra, Montana State, Wyoming, St Bonaventure and Illinois at Chicago.

#Following his tenure for the Tabernacle Baptist Academy Falcons, Miller played at Crestwood Prep in Ontario, Canada. He led the Lions to the National Preparatory Association playoffs.

#While there, he averaged 25.8 points per game, 6.0 rebounds per game, 5.2 assists per game and 3.3 steals per game. He broke the 40-point threshold twice throughout the year, tallying a game-high 42 points versus Thetford Academy and scoring 40 points against the Toronto Basketball Club.

#While north of the border, Miller earned first-team All-Canada NPA honours, first team All-CISAA accolades and Universal Hoops First Team All-Canada recognition.

#His play also earned him a spot in the prestigious Allen Iverson Roundball Classic as well as the Signature All-Canadian Showcase.

#At the local level with the Tabernacle Baptist Falcons, Miller had a senior season filled with accolades highlighted when he was named as the Most Valuable Player of the 34th Annual Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic.

Sunday, March 15, 2020

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#FRANCO Miller Jr’s tenure with the Ole Miss Rebels men’s basketball programme has come to an end.

#Miller announced his intention to enter the NCAA’s transfer portal and will have three years of eligibility remaining when he signs to a new programme.

#“To the University of Mississippi. I have greatly enjoyed my time here at Ole Miss. I’d like to thank the coaching staff for giving me the opportunity, my teammates and friends that I have made on and off the court. The support here at Ole Miss was tremendous.

#“I’ll cherish the amount of memories and friendships I made in Oxford,” he said in a message posted to social media. “However, after constant conversations with my family, I feel like now is in my best interest to enter my name into the transfer portal.”

#Miller played sparingly last season as a redshirt freshman and appeared in just 13 games. In those few appearances, he reached double figures in minutes just three times.

#He scored four points in his season debut against Alabama State, but would go scoreless for the remainder of the season.

#Prior to the NCAA’s cancellation of winter and spring sports due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Rebels’ season ended with a 81-63 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in the first round of the SEC Tournament.

Friday, September 13, 2019

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#THE Bahamian connection at Ole Miss will embark on another community outreach initiative to support Hurricane Dorian victims.

#The Ole Miss Athletics student-athlete advisory committee will be sponsoring a supply drive today at the Oxford, Mississippi campus, led by redshirt freshman and Grand Bahama native Franco Miller Jr.

#Miller is one of four Bahamians currently apart Ole Miss Athletics along with temmate Sammy Hunter, women’s basketball head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin and her junior point guard Valerie Nesbitt.

#“Seeing somewhere you grew up getting washed away, like your entire high school, is devastating and made me want to help anyway I could since I’m so far away,” Miller said. “You never know when tragedy will strike, but you can control how you respond to others in need. Since coming to Oxford and experiencing an injury, Rebel Nation has always been there for me and supported me. A lot of people have already been reaching out to me asking how they can help, and I decided this would be the most impactful way for the Oxford community to help out my hometown.”

#McPhee-McCuin previously used her platform to spearhead her own fundraising effort, with a focus on the mental health of the victims of Hurricane Dorian’s path of destruction.

#Another Grand Bahamian, she established a GoFundMe.com account – “Hurricane Dorian relief with Coach Yo” and pledged $5,000 to kickstart the effort.

#“This is the worst our country has likely ever seen…I’d like to not only help with the provision for supplies and essentials but also counselling/mental care support as the hurricane has taken an unimaginable emotional and psychological toll on adults and children from young to old alike,” she posted in her personal message on the GoFundMe page.

#“My family and I pledge to personally donate 5k to this effort and my plan is to distribute it and additional contributions to various organisations around the Bahamas that are truly supporting the relief, recovery and wellness of Bahamian people. Once the airports open up I will personally make a trip to ensure funds are used to rebuild our beautiful island, not only physically, but mentally.”

#McPhee-McCuin is in the second year of her tenure at the helm of the Rebels’ programme. In the offseason, she signed an extension which will run through the 2023 season.

#After an injury plagued redshirt true freshman season, Miller is expected to see an increased role this season. Both Hunter and Nesbitt will be in their first seasons as Rebels basketball players.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

YOLETT McPhee-McCuin

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#OLE Miss women’s basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin is using her platform to spearhead her own fundraising effort, with a focus on the mental health of the victims of Hurricane Dorian’s path of destruction.

#The native Grand Bahamian established a GoFundMe.com account – “Hurricane Dorian relief with Coach Yo” and pledged $5,000 to kickstart the effort.

#“I want to provide mental care, because there will be a lot of psychological damage and in the Bahamas we don’t talk about mental health care, we don’t believe in it, it’s not something we grew up on. I remember I had postpartum (depression) and my mom didn’t really know how to respond to it because it’s just not something that is talked about back home. It it is real and is probably why alcoholism is at a high in the Bahamas, because that’s how people deal with their pain,” McPhee-McCuin said in her video appeal posted on Instagram, “If you are a licensed psychologist and you deal with catastrophic incidents and you want to go home, I hope to raise enough money where I can fly you home, even if it’s for a week at a time so that you can assist in rebuilding our great nation.”

#To date, the fund has raised approximately $16,000.

#“This has been an incredible emotional time for me. I was born and raised in the Bahamas and I was born and raised in Freeport where Hurricane Dorian decided to hover for hours and bring catastrophic blows to my home. I think the toughest thing was being able to see people go through what they are going through and be helpless. Even if I was there right now I would be helpless because I would be under duress,” she said, “I want to use my platform to provide relief for those in need. I will physically go down there and do it but at the same time there are many relief efforts that I am going to support, that I know are legit and are not stealing from my people because that’s the last thing we need.”

#McPhee-McCuin is in the second year of her tenure at the helm of the Rebels’ programme.

#“This is the worst our country has likely ever seen…I’d like to not only help with the provision for supplies and essentials but also counseling/mental care support as the hurricane has taken an unimaginable emotional and psychological toll on adults and children from young to old alike,” she posted in her personal message on the GoFundMe page, “My family and I pledge to personally donate 5k to this effort and my plan is to distribute it and additional contributions to various organizations around the Bahamas that are truly supporting the relief, recovery and wellness of Bahamian people. Once the airports open up I will personally make a trip to ensure funds are used to rebuild our beautiful Island not only physically but mentally.”

#McPhee-McCuin was recently in Grand Bahama when she made an appearance at the Buddy Hield Basketball Camp in July.

#In her first season, the Rebels finished 9-22, 3-13 in Southeastern conference play. They were eliminated in the opening round of the SEC tournament but the season was highlighted by the first ranked road win for the Rebels since 2011 when they defeated the Kentucky Wildcats for the first time since 2007.

#In the offseason, she signed an extension which will run through the 2023 season.

#In addition to increasing their win total by two from the previous year, she also increased the team’s profile off the court throughout Oxford, Mississippi with several community outreach efforts.

#Ole Miss will lose three seniors from last year’s team, but their future includes incoming junior and Bahamian national team standout Valerie Nesbitt.

#The Rebels Bahamian basketball connection also includes men’s team members Franco Miller Jr and Sammy Hunter.

Yolett McPhee-McCuin can be seen during her surprise visit to the Buddy Hield summer camp in Grand Bahama. Photo: 10th Year Seniors

f Tuesday, August 6, 2019

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Ole Miss Rebels women’s basketball coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin made a surprise visit to the Buddy Hield Summer camp in their native Grand Bahama.

#McPhee-McCuin hoped to serve as an inspiration alongside Hield and urged campers to explore careers off the court, beginning with an emphasis on their work in the classroom.

#Following a hectic first season at the helm for the Rebels, she noted that the next Bahamian NCAA head coach may be sitting in the crowd.

#“I didn’t know that God had this in the plans for me, I thought I was just going to be a basketball player, but I didn’t know coaching at this level was in the cards. I worked hard, I played Division I and that opened up the door for me to get a lot of other opportunities. Take care of your schoolwork. That’s one place where Bahamians fall short when it’s time to come to college. It’s all for nothing if you don’t have the grades. You didn’t take the SAT, the ACT, so it sets you back. Make sure you’re taking your academics seriously, especially for an athlete from the 9th-11th grade, these are important years for athletes.

#“There are a lot of hurdles for you to get to where you need to be but I did it, Buddy did it, Jonquel did it, a lot of others did it so I want to encourage you to believe, to dream and show your appreciation to those who are doing it locally to put you in that position to succeed.

#“You have people that come and give back in ways that a lot of people just won’t. It makes my heart warm to see this sort of thing continues,” McPhee-McCuin said.

#“I used to be the only girl on the court, but those dudes used to take care of me, so don’t be afraid of embracing a dream, taking over and following the lead. Buddy’s a first, but I know he doesn’t want to be the last, that’s why he’s doing what he does. I’m the first, but I don’t want to be the last, someone in here will be an NCAA coach. At Ole Miss I have a Bahamian on my team, we have two Bahamians on the men’s team, so support us as best you can.”

#The daughter of local basketball icon Gladstone “Moon” McPhee, she noted Hield’s commitment to giving back to the community that helped to form him into the person and player he is today.

#“It’s an exciting moment for me, just humbling and proud. I remember going to camps and working out hoping I can be in a position to inspire others,” she said. “I’m so appreciative for what Buddy has done. A lot of people talk about it but don’t be about it and what he’s done and continues to do is impressive.”

#In her first season at the helm, the Rebels finished 9-22, 3-13 in Southeastern conference play. They were eliminated in the opening round of the SEC tournament but the season was highlighted by the first ranked road win for the Rebels since 2011 when they defeated the Kentucky Wildcats for the first time since 2007.

#The team also improved their win total by two from the 2017-18 campaign.

#She also increased the team’s profile off the court throughout Oxford, Mississippi through several community outreach efforts.

#The Rebels responded by agreeing to an extension that will keep McPhee-McCuin as the programme’s head coach through the 2023 season.

#“It has been a whirlwind. I really haven’t had a chance to take a break yet. This is my first real break for the last year so 365 days I’ve been on the grind. When you start from the bottom you can’t skip steps, you won’t magically be in the top half of the conference in a year or two, it takes time. Obviously, they gave me an extension so they like the direction we’re headed in.”

#Ole Miss lost three seniors from last year’s team, but that future includes Bahamian national team standout Valerie Nesbitt.

#“Val is going to bring electricity right away,” McPhee-McCuin said. “She loves basketball. That is what separates her from a lot of people. Val loves the game more than anything. What makes her special is she loves competition. I’m excited about her, it’s a huge learning curve coming from junior college but we need her to play right away.”

#Nesbitt recently completed her sophomore at Chipola College. She averaged 17.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game last season. As a freshman, she was named a Panhandle Conference first team selection.

#“We’re going to compete,” McPhee-McCuin said. “Every time we step on the floor I want the hardest working team to win and I want that to be us.”

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

YOLETT McPhee-McCuin, right, and Valerie Nesbitt.

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#YOLETT McPhee-McCuin has led her Ole Miss Rebels women’s basketball programme above .500 powered by another outstanding game from Valerie Nesbitt.

#Nesbitt finished with a team high 16 points and six assists – both team highs – in the Rebels’ 69-66 overtime win over the Georgia Southern Eagles yesterday at the Pavilion in Oxford, Mississippi.

#The Rebels improved to 6-5 on the season and ended a three-game losing streak.

#Nesbitt shot 50 per cent from the field (7-14) and also added five rebounds and two steals before she fouled out after 32 minutes.

#“Val really wants to win. Val is a competitor,” McPhee-McCuin said. “We’re teaching her how to be competitive about the right things. Through the course of it, you’re just seeing her evolve into the type of player that she could potentially be.

#“The last game, she had eight turnovers because she was really trying to win it for everybody.

#“I told her that her intent was good, but what she did didn’t work for us. So now, she has six assists, one turnover, because she realises that she doesn’t have to do it herself and that she needs the team.”

#Nesbitt split a pair at the line to give the Rebels a 60-58 lead with just under a minute left to play in regulation. The Eagles would force overtime with their layup with 25 seconds left to play. Nesbitt scored on the opening possession of overtime and the Rebels went on a 6-0 run to put the game away.

#Ole Miss shot just 37 per cent in the first half but still managed a 30-26 lead at the half. They shot 50 per cent in the second half, but went on a scoring drought for nearly seven minutes in the third quarter.

#“I’m glad we found out a way to get a victory. This is a tough time to coach, with it being the holiday season and with the young group that we have. I thought that we handled adversity well. Right now for me, with this group, it’s about finding wins, and we had a couple today,” McPhee-McCuin said.

#“I thought that we responded in the right way. There was never a moment for me where I felt like we wouldn’t win this game. It was just a peace that I felt as we competed for 45 minutes.”

#Nesbitt scored 11 of her 16 points in the second half and overtime. In her last five games, she has averaged 14.8 points overall and 9.6 points in the second half alone,

#It was the 17th Kids Day in the Ole Miss programme. It is a day when elementary and middle school students throughout Mississippi have an opportunity to watch an early afternoon game live. Tipoff was at 12pm central standard time.

#A crowd of just over 6,500 was on hand – comprised mostly of students.

#“(Kids Day) is just the best day ever,” McPhee-McCuin said. “I told our players that they have a responsibility to be a positive example and play the game the right way for these kids. And not only just the girls, boys too. I just think sports has a way of teaching respect, no matter your race or gender, so it was pretty cool to see them come out and cheer.”