August 5, 2009

Steve Megargee
Rivals.com College Basketball Staff Writer

OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss basketball team has spent the offseason getting overshadowed in its conference, in its state, heck, even on its campus.

That doesn't bother the Rebels, who are a legitimate threat to win the SEC West and earn their first NCAA tournament bid since 2002.

"We're not really concerned about that," Ole Miss guard Chris Warren said of the lack of attention. "We're just going to play our game. It's probably better that we're flying under the radar."

This represents a refreshing change after all the unwanted publicity the Rebels received last season, when injuries and an incident in a taxi earned more attention than anything they accomplished on the court.

Four of Ole Miss' guards suffered knee injuries, and coach Andy Kennedy was arrested in December amid accusations that he punched a Cincinnati cab driver in the face and called him a terrorist, a charge that resulted in a series of lawsuits from each party.

All that upheaval basically wrecked the Rebels' NCAA hopes before they ever really started, though the Rebels muddled through the turmoil well enough to finish 16-15.

Now things are much more settled. Kennedy pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct in April and now perhaps will be recognized more for his impressive coaching skills than for whatever he did or didn't do on that December evening. More important, all those guards are feeling much better.

The injuries created an opportunity for Terrico White, who established himself last season as one of the nation's top freshman guards. White now gets a chance to play with Warren, Eniel Polynice, Trevor Gaskins and Zach Graham to give the Rebels a remarkably deep and versatile guard rotation.

"I think we can have the best backcourt in the country," Polynice said. "I really do."

That might be a stretch, but there's little doubt Ole Miss enters the season with one of the nation's best - and most underrated - backcourts. The Rebels have gone so unnoticed this summer that they seem poised to catch people by surprise.

The vast majority of the offseason attention in the SEC has surrounded around Kentucky's hiring of John Calipari and signing of the nation's top-ranked recruiting class. Ole Miss also has spent this summer playing second fiddle to Mississippi State, which followed up its SEC tournament title by signing controversial five-star prospect Renardo Sidney. And, quite frankly, basketball hardly is a major topic of conversation around Oxford when the Ole Miss football team seems headed for its highest preseason ranking since 1970.

Warren and Polynice had similar rehabilitation schedules after suffering their respective knee injuries, which allowed them to push each other throughout the recovery process. They'd stage contests on who could run the fastest in drills or who could lift the most weights.

"I love to compete," Warren said. "It's fun competing. I'll compete at everything - any sport or any workout.

"I'll compete over who's going to get their grades better, who can tie their shoes faster. Anything."

Now he's finally able to extend those competitions to the basketball court. Warren, Polynice and Gaskins have been cleared to resume full-scale workouts. Graham had surgery after the season and is hoping to join his teammates in September.

Graham played last season with a partially torn patella tendon in his right knee, but the other three guards spent most of the season on the bench. Warren played 11 games before being shut down for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Polynice underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee after the 2007-08 season, but cartilage damage and a torn meniscus sidelined him after only one game last season. Gaskins didn't play at all because of a torn ACL in his left knee.

"We just tried to take it as a blessing," Warren said. "Things happen, and you can't control that. All we could do is prepare for when everybody came back. ? We all believe things happen for a reason, and we want to use that to our advantage. We feel we should have the best guards in the SEC."

They also could have one of the best teams in the SEC, even if it's a bit imbalanced. Ole Miss' lack of firepower in the frontcourt grew even more troubling when Malcolm White - a starting forward last season - decided to transfer to LSU. The Rebels need a big freshman season from 6-foot-8 forward Reginald Buckner, the No. 29 prospect in the 2009 recruiting class.

But it's tough to argue with the Rebels' depth at guard. The biggest question surrounding the backcourt centers on how Kennedy will use each player, though they may complement each other well enough to prevent playing time from becoming a major issue.

Warren set an Ole Miss freshman scoring record and ranked fifth in the SEC while also showing remarkable speed and plenty of 3-point range two years ago. White averaged 18.4 points per game in SEC competition last season and also showed the ability to bury the 3-point shot. Polynice is an exceptional perimeter defender whose 6-5 frame allows him to play multiple positions. Graham provides rebounding and scoring ability, though he needs to reduce his turnovers. Gaskins ranked third among all SEC freshmen in 3-pointers two years ago.

"Everybody's different," Polynice said. "Everybody has their own special signature move. No guard plays the same. Whatever Coach Kennedy sees as the right fit, that's who he's going to play."

Kennedy doesn't mind having a surplus of healthy and talented guards. As he discovered last season, it sure beats the alternative. Plus, the guards are appreciating the game on an entirely new level now that they've spent so much time off the court.

"It's really changed their focus," Kennedy said. "Not only do they have the natural maturation of becoming upperclassmen, but now they're really understanding the sense of urgency you need to approach a season because you never really know what's around the next corner."

Months before the season tips off, that sense of urgency already is apparent. It's evident in the way Warren responded to questions about whether he could return this season as the same type of player who opened so many eyes two years ago.

"I don't want to be the same," Warren said. "I want to be better."

That kind of attitude could give Ole Miss fans reason to cheer long after football season has ended.

Steve Megargee is a national writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at smegargee@rivals.com.