Kennedy Named SEC Coach Of The Year
OXFORD, Miss. – The postseason honors have begun to roll in for the Ole Miss Rebels, as head coach Andy Kennedy has been named SEC Coach of the Year, Marshall Henderson and Murphy Holloway both received All-SEC honors and Reginald Buckner was named to the league’s All-Defensive squad.
Kennedy, the winningest coach in Ole Miss basketball history, was named the SEC Coach of the Year by NBCSports.com after guiding the Rebels to a second-place finish in the league standings. Ole Miss, who was predicted seventh in the preseason media poll, made the highest jump from preseason predictions by moving up five places in the overall standings.
Henderson was voted first team All-SEC by NBCSports.com and second team all-conference by the league’s coaches after leading the SEC in scoring at 19.7 ppg. The Howell Trophy winner for the best player in Mississippi ranks second in the nation averaging 3.9 3-pointers made per game and set the Ole Miss single-season record with 121 3-pointers this season.
Holloway also earned second team All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches after leading the conference in rebounding at 9.6 rpg. This season Holloway became just the 21st player in SEC history to score at least 1,400 points and pull down 1,000 rebounds in a career. Ole Miss’ all-time leading rebounder, the senior is also the only player in school history to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 boards in their career.
Buckner, the all-time leader in blocked shots in school history, was voted to the SEC All-Defensive squad by the league’s coaches for the third-straight year. He ranks sixth in SEC history with 313 career blocks and ranked second in the conference this season averaging 2.7 bpg.
Kennedy and the Rebels will open the SEC Tournament on Friday in Nashville after receiving a double bye as the league’s No. 3 overall seed. Ole Miss will face either No. 6 seed Missouri, No. 11 Texas A&M or No. 14 Auburn at 9 p.m.