Senior Ole Miss guard Breein Tyree was named as a finalist for the C Spire Howell Trophy on Monday by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
Joining Tyree as finalists are Mississippi State’s Reggie Perry and Ledarius Woods of Tougaloo. The award, named after the legendary Bailey Howell, will be presented to one of the three finalists at a luncheon next week (March 9) at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in Jackson. A statewide panel of media who cover college basketball in the state of Mississippi selected the finalists and will vote among the finalists for a winner. Their votes account for 90 percent of the final vote and fan voting, conducted by C Spire, accounts for a weighted 10 percent of the final vote.
In his final year as a Rebel on the hardwood, Tyree is having the best season of his career. The Somerset, New Jersey, native averages 20.1 ppg to rank 27th in the country. For the fourth straight season, Tyree has increased his scoring average in SEC play by leading the conference with 23.2 ppg. He has showcased his scoring ability at all levels as the only player in the SEC to rank in the conference’s top 10 in field goal percentage (10th-42.7), free throw percentage (10th-81.4) and three-pointers made per game (7th-2.1). In SEC play alone, his numbers have gone up: field goal percentage (45.0), free throw percentage (84.8), three-point field goal percentage (40.7), threes made per game (2.3).
Tyree has 15, 20-point games on the season, producing three such contests in November and three in December to go along with nine in SEC play. His biggest game as a Rebel was a career-high 40 points to lead Ole Miss to a blowout win over rival Mississippi State (Feb. 11), the most points by a Rebel since Deandre Burnett scored 41 points against Oral Roberts (Nov. 18, 2016). It was the most scored by an Ole Miss player in an SEC game since Stefan Moody dropped 43 to lead the Rebels over MSU on his senior night (March 3, 2016). Tyree also had 34 against Middle Tennessee (Dec. 14), 36 versus LSU (Jan. 18) and 38 against South Carolina to give him four 30-point games this season. Along with his scoring, Tyree ranks second on the team in assists (2.5 per game) and third in steals (1.3 per game).
Over 127 career games, Tyree is one of only three Rebels to make 200 three-pointers and score at 1,700 points, joining Joe Harvell and Chris Warren. Tyree currently ranks sixth in Ole Miss history with 201 made threes, while ranking seventh on the program’s all-time scoring list (1,749 points).
Fans can vote for their favorite player here.
The Rebels will take the Pavilion court one last time for the 2020 regular season and play the Missouri Tigers. Prior to the game getting underway, Ole Miss will honor Tyree as the lone senior. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. on SEC Network +.
HottyToddy.com Staff Report
