- Sheldon Longley
- 12 hrs ago
- 0
This was set to be the year that former junior national team standout Rhema Collins gets her feet wet with Yolett ‘Coach Yo’ McPhee-McCuin and the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Rebels women’s basketball team, but that will have to take a backseat for now as she recovers from a concussion.
Still in concussion protocol, the talented freshman is looking forward to the day when she will step on the court in action for her new team, getting her collegiate career underway. Without her, the Rebels have raced to a start of five wins and one loss, falling just to the Oklahoma Sooners in the first week of the season. They won three games in three days at the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis (B4A) Women’s Basketball Tournament, to cart off that title in the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island, The Bahamas, on Monda
Collins, a 6’2” freshman forward, could be out of action until the start of conference play in January.
In the meantime, she said she will continue to work out in anticipation of getting stronger in time for her collegiate debut. She said it felt great being back in The Bahamas, cheering on her squad during the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, and was also able to catch up with family and friends.
“I’m glad I came to Ole Miss. This is a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity for me and it’s a good feeling. I feel comfortable. I feel at home,” she said. “I just plan on getting better and stronger. This concussion is a minor setback, but I know it will all work out in the end.”
Collins, 18, completed her high school career with The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, helping the school win back-to-back Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Division II-A state titles. This fall, she starts her journey with the Ole Miss Rebels after being recruited by five division one schools, albeit as a spectator for now. She will become the second Bahamian to play for McPhee-McCuin and the Rebels, following in the footsteps of Valerie Nesbitt who suited up for two seasons for the program.
“I’m very proud of this team (Ole Miss), we went through a lot of adversity. I’m just happy that we were able to pull through and I’m happy to be here,” she said.
The Bahamian spent a lot of time in the post in her junior career, but said McPhee-McCuin and the Rebels have plans to alter her game in college.
“‘Coach Yo’ and the program have a plan – that is for me to be a big guard, so I definitely have to improve my ball handling,” said Collins. “I knew from the beginning what they had planned. I know that she (McPhee-McCuin) will take care of me and put in the best position to succeed and be where I want to go. I’ve been working out, but I’m not able to do anything with contact at the moment. Right now, it’s just about taking small steps to see where I’m at, but I feel like I’ll be ready. I trust ‘Coach Yo’ and I trust what they have in store for me.”
At just 14, Collins represented The Bahamas at the 2019 Centrobasket Under-17 (U17) Women’s Championship, averaging a double-double in five games. She dropped in 11 points and added 10.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.
Now a young lady, she is looking forward to starting her National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) journey, and said she couldn’t have asked for a better transition than joining McPhee-McCuin and the Ole Miss Rebels. The Rebels play out of a tough Southeastern Conference (SEC) in NCAA Division I women’s basketball.
They return home to the Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, to host two games – taking on the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Trojans on Saturday and the University of Louisville Cardinals on November 29 – a team that eliminated them in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen a season ago.
The Rebels advancement to the Sweet Sixteen was their best finish in 16 years, and McPhee-McCuin and her team are looking for continued progression this year.