Ole Miss, Chris Beard hosting elite group of visitors this weekend

Year one of the Chris Beard Era doesn’t start for another couple months. But, the new Ole Miss head coach has already got the fanbase buzzing. The first-year man in Oxford has generated a ton of excitement via the recruiting trail. And this weekend is no exception.

The Rebels are expected to host 2024 Ole Miss commit John Bol, 2024 four-star point guard Travis Perry, 2024 four-star shooting guard Mikey Lewis and 2025 four-star shooting guard Trey McKenney.

Bol is joined by fellow Overtime Elite (Ga.) small forward Jason Jackson and NBA Academy Latin America shooting guard Eduardo Klafke in Beard’s 2024 class. It’s currently ranked 44th in the nation and 11th in the Southeastern Conference. But, this ranking is grossly affected by Klafke’s lack of rating by On3.

Murphy Holloway and Chris Beard

Kentucky’s all-time leading scorer will be in the building this weekend.

Lyon County (Ky.) point guard Travis Perry has been a household name for a while now. The 2024 prospect scored 23 points at the Sweet 16 to move past King Kelly Coleman (4,337 points) to become the Kentucky high school basketball all-time scoring leader. The record stood for nearly 70 years. And after checking this box for his high school career, the 6-foot-2, 170 pound recruit is starting to look towards narrowing the scope in his recruitment.

He’s ranked as a four-star in On3’s Industry Rankings. Perry is the 77th overall prospect, the No. 11 point guard in the cycle and the No. 1 overall player in the Bluegrass State. On3’s Jamie Shaw recently spoke with him about his recruitment and the programs standing out for him heading into the summer.

Perry is excited to get back to Oxford after the correspondence between he and Beard began earlier this year. He was coveted by former coach Kermit Davis, but it seems the new staff is intrigued by his volume scoring ability.

“The campus is beautiful down there. I’m from Western Kentucky, so it’s kind of that southern feel, and that is kind of how Ole Miss is; that small-town vibe,” Perry said. “I like that. Also, talking with Coach (Chris) Beard, he knows what he’s talking about.

“He knows how to win. Talking with him, he thinks I’m a guy who fits well into his system really well and would help them win. He wants to have me down to talk basketball, and that is something I love to do.”

Lyon County’s Travis Perry (11) is introduced before their game against Newport in the Sweet 16 tournament at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. on Mar. 16, 2023. He finished with 23 points to break the state scoring record in the 61-46 win.

Lyon Newport10 Sam

A blue-chip prospect from California will make his first trip to Ole Miss.

Prolific Prep (Calif.) shooting guard Mikey Lewis received an offer from Wes Flanigan and Ole Miss in July. And now the four-star prospect has scheduled an official to Oxford, Miss., for next weekend’s big-time atmosphere for LSU at Ole Miss. The news was first reported by The Athletic’s Tobias Bass.

The 6-foot-3, 170 pound prospect jumped up to No. 56 in the recent 2024 On3 150 update. Lewis averaged 18.1 points with the Oakland Soldiers on the Nike EYBL Circuit this summer. He shot 38.7 percent from three during the last few months.

The 2024 recruit previously played at Accelerated Prep (Colo.) before transferring to the power academy in Napa. As a sophomore at Denver Prep Academy, he averaged 13.8 points, four rebounds and four assists per game. Lewis is the No. 62 overall prospect, per On3’s Industry Ranking. He is the 15th-ranked shooting guard and No. 8 overall recruit in California after transferring for his senior season.

On3 national analyst Jamie Shaw has been impressed seeing him in action in July.

“Lewis is one of the better natural scorers in the 2024 class. He has averaged 22.0 points on 36.4 percent shooting from three throughout Peach Jam. Lewis says he does not have any visits yet; however, he is working on dates with Illinois, Syracuse, San Diego State and St. Mary’s. The four-star guard also notes Arkansas has recently started reaching out.”

He was initially officially visiting LSU this weekend, but Bass reported Wednesday this was no longer the case.

Four-star guard Mikey Lewis (Photo credit: Daniel Fritz)

Could Chris Beard and Ole Miss get things rolling in 2025 this weekend?

2025 four-star St. Mary’s (Mich.) shooting guard Trey McKenney is the No. 10 overall prospect, per On3’s Industry Ranking. The 6-foot-4, 205 pound prospect finished fifth in Nike’s EYBL 17u Circuit regular season scoring this season at 19.9 points. He was playing with The Family against mostly 2024 recruits. He spoke with On3’s Jamie Shaw last month about his recruitment and what will ultimately make the difference.

“I’ll be looking at the relationship the coaches build with, not only me but my family, too,” McKenney said. “I’m going to look at how I fit on the team, both on and off the floor, and I’ll see how big of a priority I am for the coaches and the program.

“I play my best in a freestyle offense where I can make quick decisions on and off the ball.”

Sources tell OMSpirit McKenney is “very interested” in the Ole Miss program with Beard at the helm. McKenney has already unofficially visited Michigan State, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. The Ole Miss visit will be an official, followed by Missouri October 6, Rutgers October 13 and Georgetown December 2.

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s guard Trey McKenney (1) makes a jump shot against Muskegon guard Anthony Sydnor III (4) during the first half of MHSAA boys Division 1 semifinal at Breslin Center in East Lansing on Friday, March 24, 2023.

“I’m tough,” McKenney told On3. “I can score on all three levels, and I bring the same toughness and intensity on the other end of the floor too. I watch a lot of Devin Booker and bigger guards like Joe Johnson.”

“I play my best in a freestyle offense where I can make quick decisions on and off the ball.”

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