Busy Day For Ole Miss Basketball, One Recruit Asks Out While One Opts In

According to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, 3-star guard Parker Stewart has asked to be released from his letter of intent with Ole Miss. 

Stewart committed to the Rebels back in 2016, and since then, the Rebels have added more depth at the guard position including Memphis transfer Markell Crawford who recently announced his commitment. Devontae Shuler is another guard in the Rebels’ 2017 class, in addition to returning starters, Deandre Burnett, Terence Davis and Breein Tyree. 
Stewart’s decision has not yet been met with a response from Ole Miss, but if he is let out of his LOI, he will join Cullen Neal as the second player to depart from the Ole Miss program this offseason. 
While Stewart may not be joining the Rebels, Ukranian native Illya Tyrtyshnik will be. Tyrtyshnik played at a prep school in the Czech Republic and is one of the top guard prospects in the 2017 class according to Eurohopes Scouting Service.
Tyrtyshnik is a 6’3 combo guard, who averaged 14.6 points, 3.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds during the U-18 European Championships in 2016. Tyrtyshnik will continue to play internationally before joining the Rebels in August, as he will play for the Ukraine National Team in this summer’s U-20 European Championships. 

Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy knows that Tyrtyshnik’s experience abroad will pay dividends when he arrives in Oxford. 
“We are excited to have Illya join our program,” Kennedy said. “He is a big, versatile lead guard, who will help our backcourt in a variety of ways. The experience he has garnered in numerous international competitions should aid him in his transition to SEC Basketball.”
Ole Miss missed the NCAA tournament in 2016-17 but made a deep run into the NIT. A busy offseason may have the Rebels moving in the right direction for 2017-18. 

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Steven Gagliano is the managing editor of HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at steven.gagliano@hottytoddy.com. 
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