Ole Miss Basketball

Ole Miss announced Monday it will part ways with head basketball coach Andy Kennedy following the 2017-18 season.

Jeff Goodman of ESPN first reported the news.

The Rebels have lost five straight games and are now 11-14 on the year. The 4-8 record in the SEC is just one game ahead of last-place Vanderbilt.

Kennedy is in his 12th year with Ole Miss after joining the team in 2006.

The 49-year-old currently has a 245-154 record in his career at Oxford, making him the winningest coach in school history. He also spent one season at Cincinnati between Bob Huggins and Mick Cronin, producing a 21-13 record.

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports provided a note about his success:

Here’s something most probably don’t realize: Entering this season, Kentucky and Florida were the only SEC schools to win more games than Ole Miss since the day Andy Kennedy was hired in 2006. https://t.co/brxRYD8wGx

— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) February 12, 2018

Kennedy reached the NCAA tournament twice, including in 2012-13 when the squad won the SEC tournament. The team won 27 games that year, tied for the most in any single season in Rebels history.

Unfortunately, the squad struggled to find much success in 2017-18 and the two sides decided it was time to part ways. As Goodman noted, the coach was under contract through 2019.

Ole Miss currently has three commitments signed for the 2018 class, but the group ranks just 73rd in the country and 10th in the SEC, per 247Sports.

Kennedy will finish the season as the coach, beginning with Tuesday's home game against Arkansas.

For more Ole Miss basketball news and analysis, visit OMSpirit.com.

Ole Miss Rebels guard Rasheed Brooks collapsed on the court during Tuesday's game against the Tennessee Volunteers, per Antonio Morales of the Clarion-Ledger.

The team announced Brooks had suffered a seizure. Morales noted that a stretcher was brought out immediately.

On Thursday, Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy told ESPN.com's Andy Katz that Brooks has been released from the hospital after undergoing numerous tests.

Jim Lohmar of SB Nation's Red Cup Rebellion said the incident occurred during a timeout in the second half. Wes Rucker of 247Sports wrote that Brooks was on the bench and "went down out of nowhere" during "just a normal timeout."

Brooks had three rebounds and an assist before the incident.

Ole Miss guard Stefan Moody was arrested on charges of driving under the influence early Saturday morning in Lafayette (Mississippi) County.

Riley Blevins of the Clarion-Ledger reported the news. Rebels coach Andy Kennedy told Parrish Alford of Inside Ole Miss Sports he is aware of the incident but did not have any further comment while he learned the facts of the case.

If convicted, this would be Moody's first DUI offense. A first offense carries a jail sentence of up to 48 hours, a fine of up to $1,000 and a three-month license suspension.

The 5'10" Moody, a Florida Atlantic transfer, averaged 16.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game last season. He in many ways took over the Marshall Henderson role, creating a ton of his shots off the dribble when the offense stalled out.

The DUI is the second piece of bad news for Moody this summer, as he suffered a leg fracture last month and underwent surgery. Ole Miss said at the time he was expected to miss between two and three months.

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Allow me to introduce Sebastian Saiz, a name you will hear a lot about in the next couple of years at Ole Miss.

Sebastian helped the Rebels beat LSU in overtime Wednesday night with a 20-point, 9-rebound effort.  A game that seemed to lean decidedly in LSU's favor prior to the breakout performance of the Spanish freshman Saiz.

This is the type of play Ole Miss fans all hoped they would see when he committed to head coach Andy Kennedy and the Rebels.

But how did Kennedy get a kid from Spain to Mississippi?

Saiz found his way to Oxford, MS through his recruitment and the relationship built by Ole Miss assistant coach Sergio Rouco, who keeps an eye on the European under-19 tournaments and national teams.

The 6'9", 230-pound forward averaged 9 points and 9 rebounds in the U-19 FIBA World Championship Tournament last summer and quickly jumped on everyone's radar.

By that point, Coach Rouco was already a friend to the young Saiz.

Sebastian transferred to Wichita, Kansas' Sunrise Christian Academy in 2012, and one of his first recruiting visits was from Coach Rouco and Ole Miss.

His high school coach, Kyle Lindsted says (from Scout.com):

"(Saiz) could have gone to any school in the country.  He's that kind of recruit.  The difference is schools don't really know about him because he's from Spain.  This (2012) is his first year playing in the states."

After the 2013 World Championship Tournament, the world took notice.

Media outlets began to help put the word out, Ole Miss had a real gem in Saiz.  ESPN's college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla was quoted at SBNation:

"Ole Miss fans, Christmas came early for you.  6'-8" Spaniard Sebastian Saiz is a rebound machine and NBA prospect in time! Impressing in Prague."

The Washington Wizards were also reportedly interested in signing him to a professional contract.

Coach Lindsted said a number of other schools began showing interest in Saiz, but Ole Miss was far and away his favorite school. "They did a good job.  Serg speaks Spanish, so that was a big advantage for them.  His mother was able to go on an official visit with him.  It was a perfect fit,"  says Lindsted.

Saiz has been somewhat absent this season prior to the LSU game and not as assertive as he needs to be.  That seems to be changing in a big way.

Andy Kennedy said in his post-game remarks:

"Saiz was the key.  Marshall was back and had 25 points, but the difference in the game was we finally had a post guy finish some at the basket.  We won a battle of the glass (49-41) against a team that was tops in the league in rebound margin."

The Rebs lost two senior leaders, Murphy Holloway and Reginald Buckner, in the frontcourt last year. Getting production out of the young Saiz along with the high scoring guards, Henderson and Summers, could have Ole Miss back on the bubble for an NCAA tournament chance in 2014.

The Ole Miss Rebels opened SEC play without senior star guard Marshall Henderson and struggled at times offensively, narrowly winning 65-62 last night in Oxford, MS.

Auburn is not an elite team, and Ole Miss should be able to handle teams like this at home. Without the emotion and streaky shot of Henderson, head coach Andy Kennedy got a chance to work on getting more production from his inexperienced post players.

Junior Aaron Jones stepped up to the challenge and contributed offensively (12 points) and also provided a last-minute block to allow the Rebels to seal the game with their first SEC win of the season.

This win puts the Rebels in a good position, as they play a rival game this Saturday against Mississippi State—another game they should win.

The first half of Ole Miss' SEC schedule is the weakest, so it must take advantage if it hopes to get to a postseason tournament. Forcing the post to contribute and develop during Henderson's suspension could prove invaluable to the team later in the year.

Per clarionledger.com's Hugh Kellenberger, Marshall Henderson was injured during practice on Wednesday of this week, in a practice drill, and likely would not have been available to play, regardless of the school's induced suspension.

As the team's only senior, Henderson's 18.8 points per game are sorely needed. However, junior guard Jarvis Summers has improved his scoring this year (17.5 points per game) and was recently mentioned as the team's best overall player by coach Andy Kennedy.

Having a one-two punch that he can depend on should give the the young frontcourt a chance to improve. 

Against the weaker Auburn Tigers, the Rebels' post players combined to score 25 points from six players. Expect to see frequent substitutions for Ole Miss until someone solidifies one of the forward positions. Heralded freshman Sebastian Saiz did not score.

Ole Miss (10-4, 1-0 SEC) next travels to Starkville, MS to face MSU (10-4, 0-1 SEC) on Saturday, January 11, 2014.

Ole Miss has turned Marshall Henderson's indefinite suspension into a definite one, according to Scott Gleeson of USA Today. On Tuesday the school announced the talented yet embattled Rebels senior guard will miss three regular-season games and an exhibition contest as a result of actions from last season and this offseason. 

As Gleeson reminds us, Henderson was indefinitely suspended by Ole Miss on July 10 for violation of team rules. 

Gleeson adds more details. Henderson's suspension includes the Nov. 1 exhibition game against South Carolina-Aiken, the regular-season opener on Nov. 8 against Troy, a Jan. 9 game against Auburn and a Jan. 11 matchup with Mississippi State. The last two are the Rebels' first two conference games.

Henderson appears to understand the severe suspension. Gleeson provided this quote from a statement issued by the 6'2" scorer:

I want to thank (Ole Miss coach) Kennedy, (Ole Miss athletic director) Ross Bjork and the university for giving me an opportunity to rejoin the team. This has been a difficult time for me, and I appreciate this chance. My teammates and I are looking forward to defending our SEC Championship.

Given his recent off-the-court struggles, this was a wise stance to take.

As Gleeson recounts, Henderson's offseason was a turbulent one.

Following a season where he averaged 20.1 points per game, the 23-year-old had three instances involving police. The most serious of which was a traffic stop where he was found to be in possession of marijuana and cocaine. 

Unfortunately, these kinds of run-ins are not a new problem for Henderson. 

When Henderson was a senior in high school, he and an associate used $800 of counterfeit money to purchase 57 grams of marijuana. Federal authorities took offense to this action. Henderson was placed on parole, which he thoroughly violated, and wound up being sentenced to 25 days in a Texas jail. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpDkeDJ5q4o

Obviously, there are ample reasons for concerns over Henderson's troubles persisting or resurfacing. However, his reaction to his current situation is at least promising. 

Those signs aren't limited to his statement, either. 

ESPN's Andy Katz offers up a nice glimpse into Henderson's thoughts in a recent interview.

Henderson shared a recent revelation: "This is the first time I ever just realized, 'Holy crap, they gave me another chance.' I thank them every day. I can't believe that they did."

Henderson's acknowledgement of his fortunate situation is a great sign. People motivated to stay on the right track when driven by gratitude and an understanding of past missteps have a far greater chance of succeeding than those motivated by fear or just the need to get people off of their backs.  

Henderson isn't playing the victim, and he isn't blaming the system for coming down too hard on him.

More than anything, though, the following quote grabbed my attention. Henderson was asked by Katz where he wanted to be in five or ten years.

Henderson offered up this response:

I want to help people, and so one way I'll be able to help people is with drug and alcohol use because I've been through it and still have a chance to succeed. It's weird how all this trouble, this freaking game of basketball, can actually lead me to helping people in a way that I never would have thought I could have done. 

What a great statement. Henderson is not only acknowledging his own problems, but the immense opportunity his talent has created for him to make a positive impact on the lives of others.

By all appearances, Henderson is not hiding from the reality of his problems through a nonsensical web of rationalizations. This is common in all walks of life and would be a particularly easy pratfall for those whose talent created an environment of entitlement their whole lives.

I have no idea if Henderson will be able to overcome his issues. I certainly hope he does, but addiction can topple over even those with the best intentions.  

However, what I do know is that Henderson's attitude indicates a person who has grown from his mistakes, and that is a wonderful sign for his future. 

The Marshall Henderson rehabilitation project seems to be actually working for the time being.

Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy told CBSSports.com's Gary Parrish on Tuesday that Henderson will be with the team on Friday when practices begin.

Since Henderson's June 10 suspension for reportedly failed drug tests, he has stayed out of the news. He hasn't even tweeted since July 11!

Hey, no news and keeping his fingertips away from the keyboard is progress for Henderson, who has been addicted to attention—this hasn't been as alarming as his substance abuse issues, but has caused problems.

Whether Henderson should play or not—I'm sticking with my stance that he's had enough chances—the fact that he's starting practice on Friday is a good sign that Kennedy will deal with the drama for the jumper. 

Is Henderson Worth Gambling On? 

Kennedy has answered how he feels about this by allowing Henderson to stay on the team. Hopefully, Kennedy's intentions are to help Henderson beat addiction. That's the real fight that the coach faces.

The other battle is trying to control Henderson's actions on the court. 

But let's be real. Henderson is getting this chance for the same reason Texas A&M is dealing with Johnny Manziel: Henderson gives the Rebels their best chance to win and get back to the NCAA tournament. 

Henderson's addition last year, from a basketball perspective, turned the Mississippi offense from a mediocre unit to one of the best offenses in the SEC. The Rebels went from 117th in Ken Pomeroy's adjusted offensive efficiency (subscription needed) to 29th. 

What Henderson provided was an offensive identity. It's fair to question his shot selection, because Henderson took some ridiculous shots and set an NCAA record for three-point attempts in a season. He also only shot 35 percent from deep.

But it worked, mainly because the Rebels knew who they were. 

Kennedy built an offense around Henderson's ability to get up shots. The Rebels played fast. They averaged nearly five possessions more per game, and the biggest thing playing fast accomplished was Ole Miss went from a turnover-prone team to ranking ninth in turnover percentage. 

The Rebels also went from an NIT team that lost in the first round to a team that won a game in the NCAA tournament. You'll deal with a lot when one player can make that much difference, and the real scare for Ole Miss losing Henderson would be figuring out how to play without him.

What Will Ole Miss Look Like With Henderson as a Senior?

It's reasonable to believe that Ole Miss would have at least been improved a year ago if Henderson had never shown up on campus. The Rebels' identity had a lot to do with Henderson's shot-taking, but they also had the persona of a team with a mean streak. Few teams could match the physicality and strength of Murphy Holloway and Reginald Buckner, two players whose value was near Henderson's. 

Holloway and Buckner are gone, and their roles as the No. 2 and 3 scorers for the Rebels will likely move onto guards Jarvis Summers and LaDarius White. 

Summers and White are both talented players. They are physical guards who thrive at getting in the lane. But like Holloway and Buckner, they're better with Henderson around. Henderson is the only above-average outside shooter on the team, and his presence spaces the floor and makes it easier for Summers and White to attack. 

The biggest question mark for Ole Miss—other than whether Henderson can stay out of trouble—is who will replace Holloway and Buckner—and can Ole Miss get any production out of the 4 and 5 spots? 

Kennedy did sign two post players and one in particular, Sebastian Saiz, showed some promise this summer. Saiz played in the U-19 World Championships for Spain and averaged 9.6 points and 9.7 rebounds, which got the attention of ESPN's Fran Fraschilla. 

Saiz could help fill some rebounding void left by Holloway and Buckner and give the Rebels a fourth scoring threat. 

But let's assume, with Henderson, the Rebels can be as good as they were last year. Will that be enough to get back to the tournament in an improved SEC? Last year was a down year in the league and gave Ole Miss the chance to rise up. 

Now Kentucky is back to being Kentucky. Florida should once again be a Top 10 team. Tennessee has improved and will be a borderline preseason Top 25 team. Arkansas, Missouri and LSU all signed freshman classes ranked in the top 20 by both Rivals.com and ESPN.com. 

You could look at the improvements elsewhere around the league as a positive for Ole Miss. The strength of the league could help the Rebels if they manage to pull off another winning record, and the only way that happens is if Henderson is around.

As for Henderson's game, he made it pretty clear what he is in his first year at Ole Miss. He's a chucker who never stops shooting, although Kennedy told Mike DeCourcy of Sporting News earlier this summer that he expects to see some maturity in Henderson's game as a senior:

I expect him to evolve into more than a shoot-first, ask-questions-later guy. I will expect his game to evolve. Does that mean he's not going to shoot a bunch of balls? No, because that's what he does.

Part of Henderson's evolution away from the court since the suspension has been staying quiet. Kennedy has to know that Henderson is going to move his mouth and pop his jersey when the games start. That's what he does.

But if he can do so without embarrassing Ole Miss and if he can stay out of trouble off the court, then the gamble will pay off.

Of course, what we know of Henderson is that he's a player who has consistently done two things in his career: get up shots and find trouble. 

Until he proves for a sustainable period he's able to avoid the latter, most will assume it's a matter of time before this blows up in Kennedy's face.

Meet the Marshall Henderson fan.

Step 1, point blame elsewhere—whether it's the media or the establishment.

Step 2, be sure to let everyone know that Marshall being Marshall is way better than the haters being the haters.

Step 3, love Henderson for being himself on the court. From commenter Tok enFAMXS:

To be honest I like this dude Not the whole failed drug test stuff but his on court play We need more "rebels" in basketball Everybody wanna be liked by everyone nowadays I like the kids who dont really care bout what people say about them and just play like they want to Will he make it in the NBA Maybe Maybe not But he is fun to watch

I can actually appreciate that last comment. Marshall being Marshall on the court got our attention this year. We laughed. And we couldn't look away.

But now he has put his basketball career in jeopardy. He was suspended on Wednesday for what CBS Sports' Gary Parrish reported was a failed drug test.

Rachel Bachman of The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Henderson was pulled over in May and had small amounts of cocaine and marijuana in his car. 

For a guy with a checkered past that includes drug use, it’s sad and dumb that he would risk his career. I already wrote that I believe Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy should let Henderson go. Most agree.

But Henderson still has supporters, and we've seen this show before. Remember Charlie Sheen? 

They say whatever they want. They do whatever they want. They feel no remorse. They're unwilling to let the spotlight fade. And when they're in trouble, it's a joke.

Sheen gets paid to live that joke. To be that character.

Henderson, like Sheen, isn't changing, and that's something the Henderson supporters respect. No matter how inane that seems to many of us—whether it's continuing to do drugs or pop his jersey or talk trash or tweet or party nonstop—there are fans who feed the beast. They want more.

Just be yourself. Keep it real. Screw the establishment.

And Henderson abides.

See his response to the Erin Andrews tweet above. And as @ClayPrice15 kindly pointed out, Henderson's tweet generated a lot of endorsements. At last check, his tweet was favorited by more than 2,000 people and had been retweeted nearly 2,600 times. 

Ole Miss football player Denzel Nkemdiche put a video with Henderson on Instagram on Wednesday night that has since been deleted. The video included Nkemdiche asking the basketball star how he felt about the situation.

"Sadness, ho."

Then, Henderson smiled.

Henderson should have spent Wednesday night away from the camera and the keyboard, figuring out how he was going to get back in the good graces of the Ole Miss program.

Instead, he embraced the attention. He made it a joke.

The one difference between Sheen and Henderson is that the establishment can end Henderson, and a small part of him realizes that.

When he flipped off the crowd after the Rebels' loss to La Salle in the NCAA tournament, he wrote an apology.

ESPN.com's Andy Katz reported that former Fresno State guard Chris Herren, who battled addiction during his playing days and is now a motivational speaker, was contacted about six weeks ago by an Ole Miss assistant. Herren tried to call Henderson and said he did not return his call. Herren then tweeted his support.

Henderson apparently responded by getting in touch with Herren.

Herren came away convinced Henderson wants to change, telling USA Today: 

He sounded very sincere and open. He has talent and he doesn't want to waste it. He's very interested, no, he's very invested in doing the right thing for himself. He's a kid in a very tough spot right now—under a very public spotlight. It's hard enough to navigate through this when you don't have headlines and cameras and news reporters. This is serious stuff. Marshall sounded great as he could possibly sound as far as getting this figured out, as far as turning this around.

I would like to think of this as Henderson taking a step toward doing what's right. But Henderson's past actions suggest he's beginning to go through the motions of what he needs to do to get back on the court.

When Henderson is making a mockery of the suspension with tweets and videos, it's hard to believe he's sincere. It's hard to believe he's not just soaking up the attention and is simply after a good laugh. He might as well start tweeting that he has #tigerblood.

And those who continue to encourage him are only enabling Marshall to keep being Marshall. That's how he believes he'll stay in the spotlight, which is where he wants to be. 

But Marshall being Marshall is only going to win him a segment of the population. Sure, they love him now, but they'll forget about him when he's no longer allowed to shoot jumpers.

As someone who fell in love with basketball during the height of the Allen Iverson era, I adore watching Marshall Henderson play the sport. 

In an era where stars—both collegiate and NBA—are scrubbed mostly clean of any outward displays of personality, Henderson is the polar opposite. He talks enough trash to make Rasheed Wallace blush. He does the Gator Chomp in the face of Florida fans, pops his jersey at Auburn fans after knocking down game-winning free throws and flips the bird when he loses. Sometimes he even takes it too far and decides to pop a teammate in the face.

In the post-Iversonian era, it's strangely comforting to see a player give that much of a damn so outwardly. Make no mistake. Henderson is so outwardly emotional not because he's some cocky, arrogant kid who hasn't met anyone willing to punch him in the face.

That's part of it, of course, but Henderson's personality—at least on the floor—is rooted less in selfishness and more in competitiveness. He plays with that reckless abandon partially because he's a ball hog, yes. But he's a ball hog because he wants to win so badly—the ultimate juxtaposition. 

Some would call that a justification, just as they would call the way Henderson acts on the basketball court unbecoming. They say that he lacks the common sportsmanship. And they villainize him to such a degree that he was undoubtedly the most controversial player in college basketball last season—perhaps second behind only Dwight Howard among all players in the United States.

Fair enough.

Still, we often forget that basketball and other sports are performance art. If you don't like watching Marshall Henderson play for basketball reasons? Well, welcome to the club. If we were choosing among the "stars" of college basketball we'd most like to play with, he'd almost certainly be the last pick. 

But if you're not endlessly entertained as a spectator by Henderson? Have fun watching C-SPAN and drinking Metamucil. The man is good for college basketball, just as Iverson was for the NBA. Believe it or not, fans like arguing about whether players are that certain synonym of Richard far more than they do about the latest State Farm commercial. Henderson creates that conversation.  

I say all of this because, after Wednesday's announcement by Ole Miss that the school has suspended Henderson indefinitely for a violation of team rules, the controversial guard may have played his last collegiate basketball game—or at least he should have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOorfy1e65I

Hugh Kellenberger of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger was the first to report on the story, which then took on a national life of its own. Rebels head coach Andy Kennedy released a statement on the matter, in which he called for Henderson to shoulder a greater leadership burden:

Since the season ended, we have talked a lot about Marshall taking a greater leadership role with our team. With that comes greater responsibility, and he must do a better job of living up to the high standard we expect from him and he desires from himself.

If that all seems vague, well, that's how these things usually go. An initial press release is put out via the school, which cannot technically disclose anything of substance about its student athletes, and then "sources" wind up leaking the reasoning for said suspensions.

And that's exactly what happened here. Not too long after Kellenberger broke the news on Henderson's suspension, CBS Sports' Gary Parrish reported the suspension was due to a failed drug test:

Offseason suspensions—especially ones with non-definite timeframes—rarely mean anything. The word "indefinite" can mean forever, or it could mean juuuust long enough to last right until camp opens for the basketball team. Parrish also reported that this is not one of those typical suspensions.

Anyone who knows Henderson's story knows why Ole Miss is seriously considering booting Henderson for good, just as the school should.

Here are the facts: Henderson has had a drug problem dating back to high school. As a senior, he and a friend purchased 57 grams of marijuana with $800 worth of counterfeit money. Fifty-seven grams of marijuana isn't a small amount, folks. It's enough to make Snoop Dogg cock back his head.

Federal agents later found out about the counterfeiting scheme and charged Henderson with forgery, to which Henderson pleaded down to avoid a federal case and get probation. The counterfeit money thing is a relatively minor, kids-make-mistakes sort of thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpDkeDJ5q4o

It's the violation of that parole that's more salient from Ole Miss' perspective. Henderson was later sentenced to 25 days in a Texas jail after testing positive for cocaine, marijuana and alcohol, violations that coincided with the star guard also failing to comply with other provisions of the case like community service. 

During this period, Henderson bounced around to three schools—Utah, Texas Tech and South Plains College, a junior college in Texas—before even landing at Ole Miss, partially due to his problems away from the court. 

Henderson is off probation, so there are no legal problems that can come of this. And there is a general repulsiveness to those who stand atop their mountain of piety and condemn a college kid for making a few mistakes. This is not that condemnation on drugs or people's social liberties. The rush from columnists to berate college athletes for doing the same things their contemporaries are out doing is always laughable, usually written with the get-off-my lawn attitude of someone nearing retirement. 

There's a difference between making a mistake and having a drug problem. Henderson will be 23 years old in September. We're reaching a half-decade of him making drug-related mistakes, and his positive cocaine test signals that growing pattern. 

And there's also a difference between staying true to yourself and thinking you're above any punishment whatsoever. 

Henderson's reaction was typically defiant. He told Fox Sports broadcaster Erin Andrews that he would "mock" her, ostensibly after he returns to Gainesville as part of the Rebels. He also appeared in an Instagram video with Ole Miss football player Denzel Nkemdiche who asked him his thoughts on the matter, and Henderson smiled and said "sadness, ho," per Parrish. The video has since been taken down by Nkemdiche, who went straight to the social media excuses well, saying he was hacked. 

I don't believe for a second that Nkemdiche was hacked, but that's not salient to the point. And no one needs Henderson to suddenly turn into a choir boy and become fake-contrite the moment this report hit, either. People see through a lack of sincerity better than anyone realizes, which is what made Henderson's strange apology in April rather cringe-inducing. 

Frankly, to put it in the most simplistic terms possible, Henderson has just screwed up too often and in too many ways for Ole Miss to risk having him around any longer. 

No one ever told Allen Iverson "no," either. His prodigious talents enabled him to have free reign over the Philadelphia 76ers organization. He practiced when he wanted, took bad shots when he wanted and had numerous off-the-court issues. The punishments doled out by the Sixers organization were rarely harsh—mere slaps on the wrist that allowed Iverson to continue pushing an underwhelming supporting cast to the playoffs. 

Over time, Iverson picked up just about every vice available to the world's most wealthy. He gambled and drank heavily. He was involved in an assault case with his bodyguard, one that saw him pay out $260,000 in damages to the victim. 

And once Iverson's playing career ended, the vices didn't stop. He's now divorced, still with that gambling debt and alcohol problem, and so broke that he can't afford a cheeseburger despite making $150 million during his playing career. 

None of this is to say Marshall Henderson is guaranteed to share the same fate. Sources told Parrish that Henderson might seek help for his drug issues in a rehabilitation facility. That's great for Marshall Henderson the person. I hope everything works out for him, he stays clean and winds up having a wonderful post-collegiate career in Europe. 

It's just time someone tells Marshall Henderson "no" and actually mean it. Henderson has been given chance, after chance, after chance, after chance to put a happy ending on his story. It's likely that he'll get another, and I hope he's back on the court popping his jersey, chomping his arms and flipping all the birds he wants.

Just not at Ole Miss. 

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