Ole Miss women's basketball, Coach Yo already feeling recruiting boost of March Madness run

OXFORD — When Ole Miss women's basketball upset top-seeded Stanford to reach the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, the Rebels occupied the spotlight in a way they really haven't since the onset of the digital age.

Ole Miss led off SportsCenter. Yolett McPhee-McCuin, known to many as simply Coach Yo, went viral on social media just about every time she spoke. Many were exposed to Rebels basketball in a way that they had no reason to be previously.

Among them was a very important observer: North Carolina's Kennedy Todd-Williams. When she entered the transfer portal and McPhee-McCuin contacted her, the All-ACC guard told the coach she'd been watching. Not long after that, she committed to play for Ole Miss.

"I don't think that we would have had a chance with a caliber of kid like herself if we didn't perform the way we did, for sure," McPhee-McCuin said Monday.

Todd-Williams headlines a strong group of three transfer additions that marked McPhee-McCuin's first foray into talent acquisition following Ole Miss' explosion into the national conversation.

She posted 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season, and ESPN ranked Todd-Williams as the No. 5 player in the transfer portal.

The Rebels also added point guard KK Deans, who scored 14.1 points to go along with 3.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game at Florida. She was touted by ESPN as the No. 14 player in the portal.

Auburn forward Kharyssa Richardson rounded out the class. She started 27 games for the Tigers as a freshman and averaged 7.2 points and 4.7 boards.

"Last year was a fun year," McPhee-McCuin said. "So we really wanted to focus on making sure that we added some pieces in the offseason ‒ as we've done before ‒ that fit our team and what we're trying to do, where we're trying to go. I thought we hit every single mark."

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With the portal additions, McPhee-McCuin said the Rebels achieved a handful of things.

They added some needed shot-making ability. Relying on an elite defense last season, Ole Miss ranked 111th nationally with 68.6 points per game and 134th with a 41.6% field-goal conversion rate and will lose its top scorer: Angel Baker. Deans led the Gators in scoring last season, while Todd-Williams was second among North Carolina's players.

"KK is a scoring point guard," McPhee-McCuin said. "She's going to be able to fill that thing up. That's what she's comfortable doing and that's what I want her to do.

"We've focused on bringing some offense in. We've been known to be a defensive team and that's always going to be our staple, but you still gotta be able to score the ball. Having players that naturally do that is exciting for us."

The addition of Todd-Williams, who will likely play primarily as an off-the-ball guard, also opens up some defensive possibilities for the Rebels.

Todd-Williams, listed at 6-foot, is much more of a physical presence than the 5-8 Baker.

"When I knew that Angel was going to leave, I wanted us to be able to have size so we could defend even at a higher level," McPhee-McCuin said. "We like to switch (on screen coverage). Couldn't do that as much with Angel being the two-guard. Now having Kennedy is going to allow us to play pretty big."

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss women's basketball transfers: Coach Yo's scouting report