Kennedy: New arena to aid recruiting

Starting Thursday, Ole Miss will no longer be held back by its biggest disadvantage in recruiting.

Andy Kennedy has never been able to show off a state-of-the-art facility to recruits since he arrived in Oxford in 2006. Sure, the Rebels coach and his staff have been able to talk about the future and what it holds, but giving prospects a visual of where they'll make an impact in SEC basketball hasn't taken shape.

That changes when the doors to The Pavilion at Ole Miss open for the first time tomorrow night as the Rebels host Alabama (9-3, 0-0 SEC) in front of several 2017 and 2018 prospects.

"We'll have more recruits in Thursday and Saturday than we have had at a single game since I've been here," Kennedy said. "That is not by accident. That is by design."

A handful of Ole Miss targets are also expected on Saturday when the Rebels (10-3, 0-1 SEC) host Georgia (7-4, 0-1 SEC). The addition of the Pavilion adds to the changing landscape in recruiting for Ole Miss basketball. The Rebels wrapped up their 2016 recruiting class ahead of schedule with five signees during the November signing period, fulfilling needs in their front court with centers Nate Morris and Karlis Silins along with junior college products Tyrek Coger and Justas Furmanavicius. They also hit a home run in landing three-star point guard Breein Tyree.

Kennedy put together this class and others without having the complete package of a lavish stadium and facilities shared by others in the SEC, instead recruiting to the ancient and outdated Tad Smith Coliseum. His status as the winningest coach in Ole Miss history is now aided by the fact that the Rebels can compete in a brand new arena, and with the hope that it will be able to create one of the best atmospheres in the conference.

There's no more talk of "when." The new era begins on Thursday.

"It’s one thing to talk about when they broke ground, they say, OK we’re going to build a new arena. Is that going to help recruiting? No," he said. "We got a big hole in the ground. Is that going to help recruiting? No. Thursday night will help recruiting. When you can walk in and see it and sense us. It gives us an opportunity now to say, OK, what’s the excuse now. We’ve got everything that you need to be successful. It puts us in the game."

And being in the game and on the same playing field with others in the SEC raises expectations in recruiting significantly.

"It changes everything," Kennedy said. "You only got so many hours in the day, you’ve only got so much time, you’ve only got so many resources, you only have so many games. You’ve always got to try a caliber of a kid that you don’t think you can get because if you don’t, you’re not going to get them. But if you don’t spend time on Plan B, then trust me, you’re not going to be in this seat in 10 years.

"I have to make wise choices as it relates to recruiting. Now, I think, and I’m challenging my staff, our vision has to increase because now we have a realistic chance that quite frankly we did not have before".

Ole Miss compiled a 490-210 record inside Tad Smith Coliseum. It's the building where the Rebels began the road to seven postseason appearances, with two in the NCAA Tournament. But it also held its disadvantages as other schools with better facilities drew bigger crowds and game day environments to entice recruits.

Now, that's no longer an issue.

"We had a kid last year. I don’t want to mention his name because we’re going to play him later — that I felt really really confident," Kennedy said. "We had done the most work, we had the best relationship, we had the best situation. We brought him to a game. He was going to be a spring signee. And after the game, it was unfortunate we had a weather situation. What would normally have been a better crowd was not very good. He left our visit, and he went to our competitor. They had not done the work that we did, but they got him. They got him based on, in my mind, he went in there and he was blown away with the atmosphere and the excitement and that cost us. That’s one small example. There’s no question that Tad Smith has certainly not been beneficial as it relates to trying to recruit a high-level kid. Those days are thankfully over."

Contact Courtney Cronin at (601) 961-7091 or ccronin@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @CourtneyRCronin on Twitter.