Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis fired after five seasons

Ole Miss announced on Friday the firing of head men’s basketball coach Kermit Davis after five seasons at the helm. Davis went 74-79 overall with one NCAA Tournament and one NIT appearance.

“We thank Coach Davis for his dedication to the Ole Miss basketball program and our student-athletes,” AD Keith Carter said in a statement. “No one wanted to bring a title home to Mississippi more than him, and we appreciate the passion for that goal that he shared with our team every day. As he has throughout his career, Coach Davis worked tirelessly to produce a winner, and we wish him, Betty and his family the very best in the future.”

Davis was hired in 2018 after a successful 16-year run at Middle Tennessee, with included five conference titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances. He led the Rebels to 20 wins and an NCAA bid in his first season, but was unable to build upon that success, seeing win totals declining the next four years.

“My family and I are extremely thankful for the opportunity to lead the Ole Miss men’s basketball program the past five years,” Davis said. “We appreciate Chancellor Boyce, Keith Carter, the staff and players for their support and work ethic on behalf of our program, and I wish Ole Miss the best going forward. Oxford is a special place to live and work.”

Ole Miss is currently 10-18 (2-13 SEC) with three games left on the schedule before the SEC Tournament. Assistant Win Case, who has also been with the program since 2018, will serve as acting head coach for the remainder of the season. Case previously worked under Davis for ten seasons at MTSU and also spent 13 years as the head coach at Oklahoma City, winning two NAIA National Championships.

Coaches Database previous posted a list of potential candidates should the job open. Check it out here and be on the lookout for more updates now that the job is actually available.

credit to Ole Miss Athletics for the image