MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2019 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Tollison, Michel, Watson, Blackwell, Dearing, DeBar, Hopson, Jackson (32nd)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING OLE MISS MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH KERMIT DAVIS AS SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE (SEC) "COACH OF THE YEAR" AND TEAM MEMBERS BREEIN TYREE AND TERENCE DAVIS FOR ALL-SEC HONORS.
WHEREAS, we join The University of Mississippi "Ole Miss" Men's Basketball Team, coaches, family and fans in recognizing postseason honors: Terence Davis and Breein Tyree earned All-SEC Accolades and Kermit Davis was named SEC "Coach of the Year." A trio of Rebels earned recognition as the league office released postseason awards and All-SEC Teams on March 12, 2019. In his first season as Ole Miss Head Coach, Kermit Davis was tabbed SEC "Coach of the Year" by his peers as well as the "Associated Press"; and
WHEREAS, Kermit Davis became the sixth Ole Miss Men's Basketball Coach to earn SEC "Coach of the Year" honors. He joined the winningest coach in program history, Andy Kennedy, as the only two coaches to be named SEC Coach of the Year in his first season guiding the Rebels. Not even a full year into his tenure in Oxford, Davis has Ole Miss knocking on the door of its first NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons and just the third in the past 17 years; and
WHEREAS, the Leakesville, Mississippi, native has led one of the biggest turnarounds in the country as the Rebels improved from 12-20 (5-13 SEC) a season ago to 20-11 (10-8 SEC) heading into the Conference Tournament. The eight-win improvement is ranked 11th in the nation as well as the best among Power 5 schools; and
WHEREAS, forty-eight years ago, Kermit Davis, Sr., was SEC Coach of the Year at Mississippi State. That is right, the elder Davis, often called "Big Kerm" now, took over a team that had finished 6-18 and was last in the SEC the year before and improved the Bulldogs to 15-10 and 9-9 in the SEC. This season, Kermit Davis, Jr., took a team picked to finish 14th of 14 in the SEC and surprised everyone by going 20-11 (10-8 in the SEC); and
WHEREAS, with 20 wins, Kermit Davis became the third active SEC Head Coach to win at least 20 games in his first season in the conference (John Calipari, Kentucky, and Mike White, Florida). While Ole Miss was projected to finish last in the SEC, Davis got the Rebels off to a hot start. Ole Miss began conference play 3-0, helping Davis become the first Rebel Head Coach to win his first three SEC games. He was the second coach to win 13 of his first 15 games as well as the third coach in program history to win 20 games in his first season; and
WHEREAS, "First of all, I would like to thank Ross Bjork for giving me this wonderful opportunity at Ole Miss," the Rebel Head Coach said. "It's an honor to be recognized among such an elite group of coaches that we have in the SEC. A huge thanks to the hard work of our coaching staff, support staff and players that make these awards possible"; and
WHEREAS, Breein Tyree and Terence Davis earned All-SEC honors after combining as the highest scoring duo in SEC play. The pair of Rebels averaged 34.6 ppg in conference games with Tyree tallying 19.1 ppg and Davis adding 15.5 ppg. They have been the leaders on the floor all season, accounting for 44.8% of Ole Miss' scoring. The pair has recorded 26 20-point games so far this season, including five games in which they both reached the 20-point plateau. With both Rebels claiming All-Conference accolades for the first time in their respective careers, Ole Miss has now produced 14 All-SEC guards over the past 13 seasons. It is the first time Ole Miss has had two all-league players on the same team since Marshall Henderson and Jarvis Summers were on the second team during the 2013-2014 campaign; and
WHEREAS, Tyree has been one of the SEC's best all season long, making him an easy choice for First Team All-SEC. As the Rebels' leading scorer (18.5 ppg), Tyree ranks second among all conference players. He ranks fourth in the conference in free-throw percentage (83.1%) as well as sixth in field goal percentage (47.6%) and seventh in three-pointers made (2.2 per game), the only conference player to crack the SEC Top 10 in scoring and those three shooting categories. For the third-straight season, Tyree increased his scoring in SEC play. He bumped up his production to 19.1 ppg in conference action, ranking second in the SEC; and
WHEREAS, the Somerset, New Jersey, native has scored at least 20 points in a team-high 17 games. Over the past 13 games, Tyree has broken the 20-point plateau in eight of the games to average 20.6 ppg. He was the first Rebel to score 20 points in five consecutive games since two-time All-SEC Guard Stefan Moody had 14 straight 20-point games from November 25, 2015, to January 28, 2016. Opening conference play, he exploded for a career-high 31 points against Vanderbilt (January 5) to earn SEC "Player of the Week" honors for the first time in his career. He matched his career high in the win at Georgia (February 9) to eclipse 1,000 points for his career. Tyree currently ranks 29th on the Ole Miss scoring list with 1,170 points; and
WHEREAS, in his final year on campus, Terence Davis averaged 15.5 ppg to rank seventh in the conference and shot a 45.5% clip (ninth in the SEC). The Southaven, Mississippi, native also paces the team in assists (3.4 per game) and rebounding (5.8 per game). Davis ranked second on the team in steals (52) and blocked (20), two steals away from cracking the top 10 by a Rebel in a single season. His 1.8 steals per game in SEC play ranked fourth, while he pulled down 5.2 defensive rebounds per conference game (fifth in the SEC). He has nine 20-point games this season, including four of the team's five double-doubles. With 27 points and 12 rebounds, Davis led the Rebels to a win over No. 10 Auburn (January 9) en route to SEC "Player of the Week" honors; and
WHEREAS, wrapping up his career as a Rebel, Terence Davis has etched his name in several categories throughout the Ole Miss record book. With 1,492 points, he sits 13th on the Ole Miss all-time scoring list. Davis also ranks sixth all-time in three-pointers attempted (504), seventh in three-pointers made (171), and 10th in steals (138). Named to the SEC Community Service Team, Davis is a leader off the court as well; and
WHEREAS, Ole Miss heads to Nashville for the SEC Tournament; and it is with great pride that we commend the Ole Miss Basketball Team and its standout players and staff for bringing honor to their team, their University, their community and to the State of Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize Ole Miss Men's Basketball Coach Kermit Davis as Southeastern Conference (SEC) "Coach of the Year" and team members Breein Tyree and Terence Davis for All-SEC Honors, and extend our best wishes to the team, coaches and fans for postseason success.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Coach Kermit Davis, Breein Tyree and Terence Davis for the Rebels Basketball Team, forwarded to Athletic Director Ross Bjork and the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.