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McCready: 10 Weekend Thoughts presented by Harry Alexander

10 Weekend Thoughts is presented by RE/MAX Legacy Realty agent Harry Alexander. If you're in the market for a home or condo in Oxford, get in touch with Harry Alexander. His email is ha@harryalexander.com.
10 Weekend Thoughts is presented by RE/MAX Legacy Realty agent Harry Alexander. If you're in the market for a home or condo in Oxford, get in touch with Harry Alexander. His email is ha@harryalexander.com.
Mike MacIntyre spent six seasons at Colorado before being fired in November.
Mike MacIntyre spent six seasons at Colorado before being fired in November. (AP)

1. As first reported by RebelGrove.com's Chase Parham, Mike MacIntyre is Ole Miss' new defensive coordinator.

If it's not a home run hire (I think it is, by the way), it's at least a stand-up triple.

Ole Miss' defense was egregious the past two seasons, and while a lot of that had to do with talent, coaching was a major issue in that department as well.

MacIntyre, who has extensive experience as an assistant at the college and NFL level, should help remedy some of those issues. His NFL experience, combined with his experience as a head coach at San Jose State and Colorado, should give the coaching staff more security and help on the recruiting trail as well.

The former Colorado coach received an offer sheet from Ole Miss Saturday, hours after Alabama assistant Pete Golding let some involved in the Ole Miss search for Wesley McGriff's replacement know he was going to remain in Tuscaloosa and turn down a three-year, $4.5 million offer.

MacIntyre was in Oxford Friday and early Saturday. The 53-year-old MacIntyre is owed $10.3 million at Colorado after the Buffaloes fired him last month.

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Sunday was a good day for Matt Luke (left) and Ross Bjork.
Sunday was a good day for Matt Luke (left) and Ross Bjork. (Associated Press)

2. Give the administration credit here.

After the 2018 season ended, there was precious little capital available. Ross Bjork, Michael Thompson and Co. knew they had to do something and they had to do it quickly.

McGriff was fired, and Ole Miss gambled it could land its man, knowing that if it didn't, and if the Rebels couldn't get a quality defensive coordinator hired in time to possibly impact the early signing period, the backlash would be brutal.

Ole Miss targeted Golding and offered him a massive deal, a deal big enough that Golding was still thinking about it late Saturday.

Even before Golding contacted anyone at Ole Miss to formally reject the offer (I'm not sure that ever happened, by the way), Ole Miss officials listened to some Mississippi contacts with knowledge of Golding's thinking and moved quickly to MacIntyre.

The hire shows, in case anyone was wondering, this administration is serious about winning. More changes have to come, certainly, and sources strongly indicate more are coming. However, MacIntyre is a tremendous coach with a strong reputation and a deep resume.

Also, credit to Luke. It takes a certain degree of, well, testicular fortitude for a somewhat embattled coach to hire a guy who would be a ready-made interim coach if things ever got unbearable in Oxford. Luke's now done it twice, the first time being his hire of Jack Bicknell in late July/early August 2017.

This is a rebuild; no one is denying that. This offseason, I've said repeatedly, was critical for Luke. He's now off to a strong start. He's got to finish recruiting with momentum and he's got to continue to rebuild his staff, but the hiring of MacIntyre shows he's going to put winning above personal relationships and above his own ego.

If you're an Ole Miss fan looking for reasons for optimism, you got one on Sunday afternoon.

Pete Golding
Pete Golding (UA Athletics)

3. So, what happened with Pete Golding?

Well, as of late Saturday, Golding still hadn't given Ole Miss a firm no on the aforementioned three-year offer. However, Golding did contact some Mississippi connections who had been lobbying for him over the past few days to tell them he was staying in Tuscaloosa.

Inside the coaching industry, many were shocked Ole Miss got as far as it did with Golding and heads turned at the financial parameters Ole Miss put on the post. However, Golding's position at Alabama, combined with his fast-rising stock, made leaving Tuscaloosa difficult, especially with the Crimson Tide preparing for its Dec. 29 national semifinal game against Oklahoma in Miami.

Football Scoop even hinted Sunday that Golding's candidacy at Ole Miss was not completely dead prior to the news that MacIntyre had been hired. It was a wild 72 hours or so, and as I said earlier, I'm not sure there's much more Ole Miss could've done.

4. Hugh Freeze is now the coach at Liberty.

The announcement came on the heels of Freeze's supposed candidacy for the offensive coordinator positions at Tennessee, Auburn and Florida State.

Here's some news: Freeze wasn't getting the gig at Florida State and I'm telling you again, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was simply not going to sign off on Freeze's return to the conference. It wasn't going to happen.

At his introductory press conference, Freeze had this quote about his Christian faith:

Look, we all know what he meant, but this is where Freeze was a disaster waiting to happen for other SEC programs. He meant Jesus Christ is the only person/entity who can handle his personal failings, his weaknesses, etc. I understand that. We all do. We've all screwed up. We all have our skeletons, our failings. But Freeze simply won't listen to others and get away from all of that. He created a ready-made joke, especially given the public knowledge of his affinity for erotic massage, where women are paid extra to literally, well, handle junk.

I wish him well. He's a good football coach. I think he's in a perfect place, a place that probably wants its football coach to be more than a guy scoring more points than his opponent.

However, if you've been thinking Freeze's return to the SEC was imminent, you now know it isn't and it never was.

Nick Broeker
Nick Broeker

5. We're getting very close to the Dec. 19 early signing period, so I asked RebelGrove.com recruiting analyst/reporter Russell Johnson for a primer on the week ahead. Here's Russell's report:

The last week before the dead period is among us. Players in both Mississippi and Alabama are set to report to Montgomery on Wednesday, so things will peak on Tuesday, before slowing down. Here are three things to follow as the week goes on:

What happens with Nick Broeker?

Nick Broeker arrived in Oxford on Saturday morning after a basketball game Friday night in Illinois. He could have stayed until Monday morning, per the rules of an official visit, but instead left Oxford on Sunday morning.

Now, for the drama.

Broeker drove up to Memphis to get on a plane to Columbus, Ohio, for his official visit to Ohio State. It was long thought that Ole Miss would push him to cancel that visit, but as of the time of this writing (3:30 pm) he is still en route to Columbus, and will, in fact, take the official visit.

Ohio State momentarily looked to be out of the picture last week when Urban Meyer announced his retirement, but sending new head coach Ryan Day to his basketball game on the same day helped them re-gain the momentum.

Broeker said all the right things after his official visit to Ole Miss; that he is 100 percent committed to them, that fans shouldn’t worry, and even mentioned about how it would look nationally if he chose to stick with Ole Miss over Ohio State.

Still though, decision time is approaching after his visit. Ohio State has their chance to woo him tomorrow and Tuesday. Matt Luke will go in-home with him on Thursday. The final choice is expected soon after.

What will Drummond do?

For the longest time, Drummond appeared headed to Kansas, with Ole Miss looking elsewhere at the position.

In recent weeks, that stance changed, and Ole Miss pulled the trigger on an offer after his performance in the NJCAA national championship game.

Drummond, a Laurel native, visited officially this past weekend. Adding him to the class appears to have become a priority for WR coach Jacob Peeler.

He plans to announce a decision in the next handful of days.

Who will the current commitments be working on in Montgomery?

Team Alabama has just one recruit currently committed, and that’s Patrick Lucas Jr. Lucas played out of position for much of his high school career, and I’m sure he is hoping to play his natural position this week in Montgomery.

His primary recruiting targets will be Brandon Mack, LeDarrius Cox, and A’Montae Spivey. The trio will sign in February, and are all likely to visit the weekend of Jan. 25 Lucas will have his chance with them during that weekend, but he also will have his hands full throughout the week. Lucas will sign in December, and save his official visit for that weekend. Alabama was a key for the Ole Miss class in 2018, and despite the strength in numbers of the class in-state, it appears it will be again this time around.

As far as Team Mississippi goes, Ole Miss has 10 (!) commitments on the roster. The most talented in-state class in the Rivals era does not disappoint on paper, with uncommitted names like Nakobe Dean and Raydarious Jones. Will any of them be able to gain any ground with flip targets Jaren Handy, Charles Cross, John Rhys Plumlee or Byron Young?

It will be an eventful week in Montgomery. That much is clear.

6. Kyler Murray won the Heisman Trophy Saturday.

I almost voted for the Oklahoma quarterback after watching his performance in the Big 12 Championship Game, but I ultimately voted for Alabama quarterback Tag Tagovailoa. I had Murray second and Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew third.

I'll admit my third-place vote was a bit of a sentimental nod to a great kid. I covered Minshew's recruiting when he was a star at Brandon (Miss.) High School and I have enjoyed seeing his success this season in Pullman.

Minshew finished fifth in the voting.

7. Ole Miss basketball continued to roll Saturday night in Normal, Ill., as the Rebels defeated Illinois State, 81-74.

As the Associated Press pointed out Saturday night, it wasn't until the end of February when Ole Miss won a road game last season. This season, it took less than a month.

More from the AP:

The Rebels guards took turns dominating the game Saturday night, and Ole Miss defeated Missouri Valley Conference contender Illinois State 81-74.

"That's a good road win for us," first-year Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis said. "For a team trying to learn to win on the road . we played some really quality basketball."

Ole Miss, which was 1-10 in true road games a year ago, is 1-1 after two tries this season. The Rebels, who lost at Butler in mid-November, made 60 percent of their shots through the first 25 minutes against Illinois State and finished with a .526 field-goal percentage.

Junior guard Breein Tyree scored 17 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, after senior running mate Terence Davis scored 16 of his 20 in the first half.

"They're just big, physical guards that we don't play against a lot," Illinois State coach Dan Muller said. "The one thing they do in general is take good shots, and they score at all three levels: mid-range, pullups and at the rim."

Davis hopes those guards will turn into Southeastern Conference success for the Rebels.

"You look at the SEC, and I don't know if there's a more experienced backcourt," Davis said. "Those two guys can score. We've got a chance every time out with those two guys."

Illinois State (6-5) splashed a trio of 3-pointers and got to the rim easily in the first 10 minutes, but Ole Miss (6-2) outscored the Redbirds 18-6 over a six-minute stretch to lead 34-25 with 5:25 left in the first half and never trailed again. The Rebels stretched their lead to 14 points early in the second half before Illinois State whittled the margin to six in the final minute.

Milik Yarbrough scored 19 points to lead five Illinois State players in double digits. The Redbirds' Phil Fayne led all rebounders with 11.

8. Ole Miss plays Southeastern Louisiana Wednesday night in Jackson.

Tickets are available for just $5. With that in mind, Chase Parham and I will be hosting a live Oxford Exxon Podcast Tuesday evening at The Westin Jackson. Live show Tuesday night/Ole Miss basketball Wednesday night in Jackson. We will start the show at 6 p.m. Kermit Davis will join us for the first 20 minutes and we'll talk about other Ole Miss-related topics the rest of the way.

We'd love to see you. We'll have MPW Digital coozies and some DeadSoxy socks to give away, and one lucky winner can run his or her hands through Chase's hair. It'll be fun.

Jonathan Howard authors the drink of the week for 10 Weekend Thoughts.j
Jonathan Howard authors the drink of the week for 10 Weekend Thoughts.j
Negroni Sbagliato
Negroni Sbagliato

9. Come on, you know you need a drink. Here's Jonathan Howard (note: Jonathan submitted this DOW before news of MacIntyre's hiring broke):

We have no idea what to expect next in terms of offseason hires, and frankly I’m not surprised. I’ve come to expect things to turn out odd, so I’m surprised when they work out. Which is very much like the Negroni Sbagliato, which is your drink of the Week.

It’s rare that we can trace a drink’s lineage so clearly. The Americano was a very popular aperitif cocktail created in Italy, made with sweet vermouth, bitter Campari and soda water.

In 1919 or 1920, Florentine playboy Count Cammillo Negroni came into his favorite watering hole and asked the bartender for something stronger than his usual drink. The bartender replaced the soda water with gin in the Americano and named it after his patron. The Negroni was born.

Later, a bartender was preparing a Negroni for a cusomer and somehow mistakenly added sparkling wine to the drink instead of gin. This new drink was called the Negroni Sbagliato, meaning ‘mistaken’ or ‘wrong’ or ‘bungled.' It, too, is delicious, slightly bitter and refreshingly bubbly -- a happy mistake, if you will. So try this one before your next meal. It's fizzy, with a slight bit of bitter and sweet.

Cheers!!

Negroni Sbagliato

1 oz. Campari

1 oz. Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth

1 oz. Sparkling Wine

Directions: In a rocks glass, add Campari and Sweet Vermouth, add a couple pieces of ice Nd give a brief stir. Top with more ice and pour in champagne. Another extremely brief stir then garnish with an orange.

Bryce Harper
Bryce Harper (USA Today Sports)

10. We'll have coverage of Ole Miss basketball, recruiting, football coaching searches and more this week. Until then, here are some links of interest to me _ and hopefully, to you _ for your reading pleasure:

Bryce Harper: MLB winter meetings in Vegas showcasing star free agent - usatoday.com

Aldridge’s Morning Coffee: Assessing Bryce Harper’s worth, to his team and to his city – The Athletic

MLB hot stove: Teams scarred after failed big-money free agent deals - nypost.com

Retracing one of the most high-profile and complicated trades to never happen — Jake Peavy to the Cubs – The Athletic

Stark: What would happen if baseball killed the shift? Support for the idea is building inside the game – The Athletic

Schefter: Harbaugh staying at Michigan

With Blake Bortles Benched, Jaguars Are Stuck in a Self-Inflicted Quarterback Quandary

Is Russell Westbrook a Good Teammate? The Side We Don't See

Carmelo Anthony is the last great American ballhog

A warning shot and the threat of revolt: Inside the Bulls’ waning faith in Fred Hoiberg, belief in Jim Boylen – The Athletic

A son’s wish: Mike Hopkins is at Washington to feel, be closer to his ailing father – The Athletic

A genetic disorder ended Cody Hodgson’s NHL career, but pointed him toward a new purpose – The Athletic

How climate change will have a major impact on hockey’s future – The Athletic

Christie’s to Auction Off Whiskey Stash Hidden Since Prohibition | Food & Wine - foodandwine.com

What Is Cardamaro and Why Should You Drink It Right Now?

The Day They Came for Rod Blagojevich - chicagomag.com

Opinion | The Patrician President and the Reporterette: A Screwball Story - The New York Times - nytimes.com

George W. Bush’s grief for his dad, George H.W. Bush, is both intimate and historic

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