Kennedy turns Rebels over to ‘a fresh face’
The Southeastern Conference is playing out the final two weeks of a regular season in men’s basketball that could be followed by a record number of league representatives in the NCAA tournament.
Such an expected haul will not include Andy Kennedy.
The dean of SEC coaches resigned Sunday deep into his 12th season at Ole Miss after previously announcing that he would step down at season’s end. Kennedy compiled a 245156 record with the Rebels and departed as the winningest coach in program history.
“Andy Kennedy obviously had a great deal of success at Ole Miss,” said Georgia coach Mark Fox, who is in his ninth season with the Bulldogs and now shares “dean” status with Kentucky’s John Calipari. “He had an ability to change defenses throughout games and had an ability to always stay competitive at a place where it’s fairly difficult, and he did most of that at the old arena without all the bells and whistles to recruit to. The job that he did there is really to be respected.
“The end was difficult, and I think he just felt those kids needed a fresh face for the finish.”
Through a statement released Sunday, Kennedy said, “My continued presence as head coach is proving detrimental to these players.” The Rebels entered Tuesday night’s late game at Missouri with an 11-16 overall record and a 4-10 mark in SEC play.
Assistant Tony Madlock is finishing the season as the interim coach.
Ole Miss is the only SEC school with a losing all-time basketball record (1,292-1,298 entering Tuesday night), and the Rebels are the only program with more than 800 career losses in SEC play (511-820 entering Tuesday night). Of the league’s 10 existing programs that were part of the SEC during its founding in 1932-33, Ole Miss is the only one without a regular-season title.
Kennedy did his best to change that, producing winning records in each of his first 11 seasons and compiling a 102-98 mark in conference games.
“Andy proved that Ole Miss can be a consistent winner,” said Florida’s Mike White, who spent five years under Kennedy as a Rebels assistant. “Ole Miss, year in and year out for more than a decade, has been very competitive in the nonconference and very competitive in SEC play, and the numbers speak for themselves. He was able to build a practice facility and a brandnew arena and attract great talent. He is a master motivator and a concise communicator.
“He had a wonderful run, and I learned a lot from him.”
Tennessee’s Rick Barnes referred to Kennedy as “one of the most underrated coaches in all of college basketball,” yet it was something else Barnes stated that may best explain the reason for the recent resignation. Barnes said Kennedy has “had to go with the ups and the downs of the league.”
There have been a lot of downs in recent years within the SEC, including just three bids to the NCAA tournament in three of the past five seasons. Ole Miss won 20 or more games nine times under Kennedy, but the Rebels couldn’t capitalize when the league was down, making just two NCAA trips during his regime.
The SEC is now on a high, having strengthened its coaching lineup in recent years with the additions of Barnes, Alabama’s Avery Johnson, Auburn’s Bruce
Pearl, Missouri’s Cuonzo Martin and Mississippi State’s Ben Howland. The league’s previous dean, Vanderbilt’s Kevin Stallings, bolted Nashville after making just one NCAA tournament trip in his last four seasons, with that venture resulting in a “First Four” loss to Wichita State in 2016.
“It’s sad, because I know who Andy Kennedy is as a human, and he’s a heck of a basketball coach,” South Carolina’s Frank Martin said. “When you take into consideration that the school had three 20-win seasons in its history before him and nine in his 12 years — it’s just sad that we’re losing someone like that in this league. He grew up 30 minutes from there, and I know how much that place means to him.
“It’s sad that it got to the point that it did this season, but he’s a winner and a very respected person in this profession. He’ll stand up tall again.”