By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

A LATE arrival in Oxford, Mississippi, Sammy Hunter officially joined the Ole Miss Rebels and is quickly becoming acclimated to the Rebels' basketball programme.

Hunter, the incoming freshman forward, fulfilled his academic requirements over the summer to join fellow Bahamian Franco Miller Jr on the Rebels roster.

Hunter, a consensus three-star prospect, also joins an incoming class which includes four-star prospect Austin Crowley and threestar prospects Khadim Sy, Shon Robinson, Antavion Collum and Bryce Williams.

"Pushing to become eligible really showed me that I'm a good student and it made me work even harder to go after what I want. Through the process I learned so much different requirements for Bahamian students dealing with the NCAA and it's something that all Bahamian students should learn," Hunter said.

"Try to take the right amount of courses because we only have certain courses that count. I would advise everyone to get with their school's guidance counsellor way before they think about applying to schools just so they know what they will need to take to become eligible."

Hunter committed to join the Rebels prior to his senior season over the Oklahoma Sooners and Kansas State Wildcats.

"I committed early and it helped because coaches saw what they had to from me, they already had faith in me, they wanted me to do well and it made it easier for my final season. It took a burden off my shoulders in that final year knowing I had so much people that wished for me to do well, not just in basketball but in life," Hunter said.

"You got to put in time. You have to work hard for everything. The path is definitely not easy, especially on the basketball court just remember to put God first in everything you do and know that he will iron out all the details for you once you put in that work."

The Rebels return an experienced backcourt, but Hunter is hopeful to make an immediate impact among the loaded frontcourt group coming in.

"I expect to do well this year. I know I have to put in even more time and effort, listening to coach Davis, the staff and my teammates," he said.

"Even with me getting to school late, the guys are already treating me like family and I feel like I'm fitting in very well."

Sammy Hunter concluded his prep basketball career, recognised as one of the top players in Canada.

Hunter finished with 13 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals for "Team White" in their 131-120 loss to "Team Red" at the BioSteel All-Canadian Game at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport in Toronto, Canada.

This season, for the British Colombia Christian Prep Panthers, Hunter averaged 27 points, eight rebounds and three assists per game.

The BioSteel All Canadian Games is an NBA-sanctioned event, drawing representation from over 90 per cent of NBA teams.

Hunter became the latest Bahamian to join Ole Miss basketball within the last two years.

Miller signed with Ole Miss in the 2018 class and was eventually redshirted while the women's basketball programme is also headed by Yolett McPhee-McCuin.

McPhee-McCuin then went on to sign Valerie Nesbitt to the 2019 class.

In coach Yo's first season at the helm, the Rebels finished 9-22, 3-13 in Southeastern conference play. They were eliminated in the opening round of the SEC tournament but the season was highlighted by the first ranked road win for the Rebels since 2011 when they defeated the Kentucky Wildcats for the first time since 2007.

The Rebels also improved their win total by two from the 2017-18 campaign.

In his final season for the British Colombia Christian Prep Panthers, Hunter averaged 27 points, eight rebounds and three assists per game. He won MVP at the Signature All-Canadian Showcase and was named to the roster for the BioSteel All-Canadian Game. He also made his senior men's national team debut last July at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia.

At the junior national team level, Hunter was also a member of the 2016 CBC U-16 Championship team when he averaged 12 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and the 2017 Centrobasket U-17 Championship team when he averaged 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.