MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2007 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Michel, Davis, Pickering, Tollison, Mettetal, Jackson (15th), Jackson (32nd), Ross, Browning, Burton, Butler, Chaney, Dawkins, Dearing, Frazier, Horhn, Jackson (11th), Little, Posey, Robertson, White
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING FIRST-YEAR OLE MISS BASKETBALL COACH ANDY KENNEDY FOR BEING NAMED SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE (SEC) COACH OF THE YEAR 2007.
WHEREAS, in his debut season at the University of Mississippi, Andy Kennedy returned the Ole Miss Basketball Rebels to the top of the Southeastern Conference Western Division, and on Tuesday, March 6, 2007, was named the SEC Coach of the Year by the Associated Press; and
WHEREAS, Coach Kennedy guided Ole Miss, a preseason last-place pick in the West, to its first division title since 2001 and its most regular season wins -- both overall (19) and SEC (8) -- in five years. The Rebels knocked off 18th-ranked Alabama for its first top-25 victory since 2004 and defeated current No. 22 Tennessee; and
WHEREAS, a 38-year-old native of Louisville, Mississippi, Kennedy came to Ole Miss after a season as interim Head Coach at Cincinnati, where he was labeled the Big East Coach of the Year by CBS Sportsline and the New York Post. Thrust into duty less than three months before the season, he led a shaken Bearcat program to a 21-13 record and the brink of an NCAA Tournament berth, despite the nation's fifth-toughest schedule and a roster short on staff and scholarship players; and
WHEREAS, Kennedy is the fifth Ole Miss mentor to earn SEC Coach of the Year distinction; and
WHEREAS, "I could not be more pleased the way things worked out for me," Kennedy said. "I'm a man who lives his life by faith, and I had faith that things would work out. They worked out beyond my wildest imagination. Honestly, I didn't know what this team was capable of. We had some success in SEC action and the guys started to believe that if we took the right approach, we could be successful, and that's a tribute to them. I've been really pleased with how receptive they've been with the change"; and
WHEREAS, Andy Kennedy has often said he is using "smoke and mirrors" to cover the Rebels' numerous problems on the court this season. Whatever the tricks, they were enough to help him earn an impressive honor; and
WHEREAS, "I think the Coach of the Year Award is a reflection of people acknowledging the job that our kids did. Certainly, I'm appreciative," Kennedy said; and
WHEREAS, it is with great pride that we recognize this inspirational first-year coach who has taken his team from worst to first and brought great honor to his university, his 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 commend and congratulate first-year Ole Miss Basketball Coach Andy Kennedy for being named Southeastern Conference (SEC) Coach of the Year for 2006-2007 and extend our best wishes to him for future successes on and off the basketball court.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Coach Andy Kennedy, forwarded to Chancellor Robert Khayat and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.