Get to Know Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Head Coach Kermit Davis

By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

Video by Talbert Toole

A new era begins when the men’s basketball season tips off for the Rebels this November with Kermit Davis at the helm. Davis is the 22nd head coach in program history.

He replaces former head coach Andy Kennedy who recently stepped down after 12 seasons.

Davis discovered his love for the game of basketball at an early age from his father and coach Kermit Davis Sr.

“My dad was a high school basketball coach,” Davis said. “He was a coach at Tupelo High School, and then was an assistant head coach at Mississippi State. I just grew up in it and I knew when I was about five or six years old that I was going to be a basketball coach.”

Men’s Basketball voluntary workout with head coach Kermit Davis and assistant coaches Win Case and Ronnie Hamilton.
Photos by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics

The Leaksville, Mississippi native went on to play at Mississippi State from 1980-82 and signed to play for legendary coach Jim Hatfield.

Davis’ Mississippi ties extend to the junior college ranks with a head coaching stint at Southwest Mississippi Community College, where he amassed a 39-20 record in 1985 and 1986.

Before arriving at Middle Tennessee in 2002, Davis spent five seasons as the associate head coach at LSU. With Davis assembling multiple top-five recruiting classes, the Tigers captured the SEC title in 2000 and reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in 13 years.

Davis came to Ole Miss after spending 16 seasons as head coach of the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. He took MTSU into the second round of the National Invitational Tournament against the Louisville Cardinals.

Kermit Davis arrives in Oxford as the new Men’s Basketball Coach of the Ole Miss Rebels.
Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics
Instagram and Twitter: @OleMissPix
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After arriving in Oxford and hitting the recruiting trail to sign talent for this upcoming season, Davis joined the Rebel Road Trip to meet fans all over the country.

“I have been so impressed by the Ole Miss spirit, fan base and their care for their school,” Davis said. “The transition has been a whirlwind, but I think we have made some progress with our team for five weeks on the floor with a lot of work ahead of us. I think our whole staff has felt a reenergized effort, and it is fun to be right here.”

Ole Miss takes to the hardwood November 10 against Western Michigan to open the 2018-2019 season.