Familiarity played huge role in Fagan's decision to transfer to Ole Miss

Tye Fagan was very familiar with Kermit Davis and his staff three years ago.

Fagan committed to Middle Tennessee in September 2017. When Davis landed the Ole Miss job in 2018, Fagan re-opened his recruiting and ultimately signed with Georgia.

However, he kept Davis’ contact, along with those of Ronnie Hamilton and Win Case, in his phone. He maintained those relationships over the years when he could.

On Friday, that paid off, for both Fagan and Ole Miss.

Fagan announced on Twitter Friday he is transferring to Ole Miss after three seasons at Georgia. The relationship with Davis, Hamilton and Case played a major role in that decision.

“I already felt it was a group of guys and coaches I had a bond with,” Fagan said. “ When we played each other, I spoke to them, gave them hugs.”

Fagan scored 9.2 points in 22.2 minutes per game for Georgia last season, adding 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Still, as the season wore on, he felt it was time to leave Athens.

“I don’t have an exact moment but I felt like I had done what I could do there,” Fagan said. “I felt it was time to move on.”

Ole Miss, Fagan said, reached out quickly when he hit the transfer portal, but the Rebels were deliberate in their pursuit.

“That was no problem for me,” Fagan said. “I’m where I want to be now. They just expect me to be me. They want to make me a better me. They want me to be a leader and set a great example on and off the court, and that’s who I am and what I do.”

Georgia handed Ole Miss two of the Rebels’ most devastating losses of the season. He scored 13 points in the Bulldogs’ win in Athens and 19 points in Georgia’s win in Oxford earlier in the year.

“I just remember telling myself that I wanted to show them what they were missing and I wanted to make them want me,” Fagan said. “When I played them, I had to make sure I kept their attention. At the same time, I was really just playing to win. That’s my objective for each game — win.”

Fagan will be asked to come in and give the Ole Miss backcourt depth, defense and scoring. He shot 58.7 percent from the floor last season but just 27 percent from behind the 3-point line. The latter statistic is something Fagan said he’s already working on.

“For me, I think my 3-point percentage will be way higher because of the confidence they have in me and the freedom I’ll have,” Fagan said. “I am going to put my work in. You can expect a lot of inside-out from me. I can get to the basket and score there. I’m also going to look for my teammates. I’m not selfish at all.”

Fagan is the second transfer to join the Ole Miss roster, joining former Miami center Nysier Brooks, who signed earlier in the week. The Rebels have one more spot open, and they’re hoping to add a forward in that spot. Duke transfer Jaemyn Brakefield appears to be the primary target.

The Rebels are bringing in four freshmen in the class as well, led by four-star guard Daeshun Ruffin. Fagan said he doesn’t know any of the Rebels’ current or incoming players, but he did admit to being a big fan of one of his future teammates.

“I don’t know any of them personally but I am a fan of (Ole Miss forward Luis) Rodriguez’s game,” Fagan said. “He can guard, he’s athletic, he plays hard and I’m excited to get some work in.”

Fagan, who will report to Oxford in June, said he will also try to help Ruffin make the transition to the college game.

“For me, my freshman year, I had some guys when I hit the freshman wall, they helped me get over the hump mentally,” Fagan said. “Basketball is basketball, whether it’s high school or college. At the end of the day, you don’t want extra stuff on your brain. I just want to help him rock out.”