Ole Miss has fired men's basketball coach Kermit Davis with three games remaining in the regular season. The university announced the coaching change Friday morning saying that Davis and Ole Miss "mutually agreed to part ways effective immediately."
Davis, once considered a major hire for the Rebels in 2018 after seven straight winning seasons and three NCAA Tournament appearances as coach at Middle Tennessee, has lost nine of his last 10 games on the season and has already secured a third losing season for Ole Miss since taking over the program.
"We thank Coach Davis for his dedication to the Ole Miss basketball program and our student-athletes," Ole Miss Vice Chancellor Keith Carter said in the statement. "No one wanted to bring a title home to Mississippi more than him, and we appreciate the passion for that goal that he shared with our team every day. As he has throughout his career, Coach Davis worked tirelessly to produce a winner, and we wish him, Betty and his family the very best in the future."
Davis had two winning seasons in his first three years with a 20-13 campaign in 2018-19 and a 16-12 campaign two seasons later, but in five seasons he made just one NCAA Tournament, a longer drought that former coach Andy Kennedy had to end his tenure with the Rebels.
"My family and I are extremely thankful for the opportunity to lead the Ole Miss men's basketball program the past five years," Davis said in the statement. "We appreciate Chancellor Boyce, Keith Carter, the staff and players for their support and work ethic on behalf of our program, and I wish Ole Miss the best going forward. Oxford is a special place to live and work."
With only three regular-season games left and presumably a brief stay in the SEC Tournament, Ole Miss will turn to assistant coach Win Case as its interim coach for the remainder of the season. Davis is in his fifth season with Ole Miss and has been on Davis' staff dating back to his Middle Tennessee tenure for more than a decade.
