After announcing he’d be leaving Ole Miss after the 2017-18 season earlier this week, head basketball coach Andy Kennedy has changed course and is stepping down, effective immediately.
The school announced the move on Sunday.
Kennedy gave a statement, noting three main reasons he’s making the move right now.
- Lift “the cloud” forming over our program due to continued speculation regarding my future as head coach.
- Stop any divisive distraction that the speculation was causing among our supporters (Rebel Nation) and all Ross to move forward with securing the next head coach for the program.
- Relieve any external pressure being felt by our current players.
The winningest coach in Ole Miss history, Kennedy has led the Rebels to a SEC tournament championship and two NCAA tournament appearances. He is also the only coach in SEC history to post 11 consecutive seasons after taking over a program coming off four straight losing seasons, per the school’s release.
However, the Rebels have been out of the tournament the past two seasons and are having their worst season under Kennedy this year, with a record of 11-16.