Busted: UM Launches "Mt. Rushmore of Ole Miss Hoops"

The latest marketing stunt from Ole Miss Athletics is a bust: literally.
As basketball fans filed into the Pavilion to watch the Rebels beat Sam Houston State Wednesday night, the UM sports marketing team handed out promotional gifts that are sure to become collectors’ items: busts of former Ole Miss hoops star Stefan Moody in the style of Mount Rushmore.
The sports marketing department came up with the idea over the summer.
“Back in June, we set up a fan vote that listed over 30 of the top Ole Miss [basketball] players in its history,” said Associate Director of Marketing and Fan Experience Paris Buchanan. “We conducted three rounds of voting online where fans could vote and select their favorite players. We then released the overall results later that summer of the four top voted players from the poll.”
The fans selected Moody, Gerald Glass, John Stroud and Marshall Henderson to make up the “Mt. Rushmore of Ole Miss Hoops” collection.
“Before the voting process began, we knew we wanted to create a fan giveaway of the statues and selected four games at which these would be given away,” Buchanan said. “We will also be integrating highlights and special videos of each player throughout the game during the dates we conduct the Mt. Rushmore giveaways. Our hope is that fans will want to collect all four and have their very own Mt. Rushmore of Ole Miss Hoops!”
Mount Rushmore is a widely recognized landmark in America. Choosing to replicate such an iconic piece of history builds upon the rich tradition of the Ole Miss basketball program.
Be sure to pick up your complete set this season. The remaining statues will be given away at games on Jan. 13 (vs. Florida), Jan. 30 (vs. Auburn) and Feb. 13 (vs. Arkansas).

Adam Brown is the sports editor of HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at adam.brown@hottytoddy.com.
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