Rebels add tons of SEC experience after Murrell, Flanigan announce plans
OXFORD — Neither development was unexpected, but Ole Miss was undoubtedly happy nonetheless on Tuesday to officially learn that Matthew Murrell and Allen Flanigan will be on the Rebels’ roster this upcoming season.
Murrell, a three-year starter at Ole Miss, and Flanigan, a four-year veteran at Auburn, withdrew their names from the NBA Draft Tuesday and signaled their intention to be part of Chris Beard’s first Ole Miss team.
Murrell, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard from Memphis, averaged 14.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists for Ole Miss last season. He shot 36.5 percent from the floor, 30.4 percent from the 3-point line and 84.3 percent from the free throw line. Murrell has played 89 games in an Ole Miss uniform despite missing several games last season after suffering a knee injury in a loss at Arkansas.
"After gathering feedback from my workouts and team personnel, I am going to continue to build my game at Ole Miss, so I am in the position I want to be in for the 2024 NBA draft," Murrell said. "I know who I am as a player and how that can translate to the NBA.”
Per ESPN.com's draft expert, Jonathan Givoney, Murrell is “one of the most physically gifted players returning to college basketball, with a chiseled frame, long arms, and flashes of impressive transition scoring and defensive versatility. He posted a 41½-inch vertical at the G League Elite Camp in Chicago earlier this month, the third-best mark in this draft class.
“After struggling to make his mark in scrimmages, he wowed NBA executives at a pro day conducted in Chicago where he showed off his explosive leaping ability and diverse shot-making prowess, something teams will want to see him build on.”
"I have multiple goals, starting with winning a national championship at Ole Miss," Murrell told Givoney. "I am also going to show teams that I am one of best two-way players in the country, improving both my defense and becoming a more consistent shooter.”
Flanigan, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound wing from Little Rock, announced his intent to transfer to Ole Miss via Twitter.
Flanigan averaged 10.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists for an Auburn team that lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Birmingham against Houston. Flanigan’s best season was 2020-21, when he averaged 14.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from behind the 3-point line.
Flanigan, who has 124 games of college experience under his belt, will re-join his father, Wes Flanigan, at Ole Miss. The elder Flanigan left Auburn after working five years as an assistant on Bruce Pearl’s staff. Flanigan worked for Beard at Little Rock and replaced Beard at the Sun Belt Conference school when Beard left to take the head coaching job at Texas Tech.
Ole Miss is working to finalize its roster. The Rebels entertained St. Peter’s guard Jaylen Murray over the weekend and are still hoping former Utah Valley guard Trey Woodbury can win his appeal for a final season of college eligibility. Murray is expected to announce a decision at some point this week. He has also visited Florida recently