When Andy Kennedy returned to his home state in March 2006 to take over as head basketball coach at Ole Miss, he was admittedly facing a formidable task.

Despite some notable spurts of success in the Rebels' hoops history (the 1981 SEC Tournament Championship and 2001 NCAA Sweet Sixteen berth come to mind), it was a program with only seven 20-win seasons in its nearly 100 years of existence.

And the previous four seasons had been filled with disappointment: a 17-47 conference record, zero winning seasons and zero postseason appearances.

All of which makes what Kennedy and his staff have accomplished that much more remarkable. Sure, the Rebels are still striving for that first NCAA Tournament berth since 2002, but let's take a look at what they have achieved over the past four years:

- Two SEC Western Division Titles (2007, 2010)

- Two NIT Final Four appearances (2008, 2010)

- Three postseason berths (2007, 2008, 2010)

- Three seasons with 20+ wins (2007 - 21, 2008 - 24, 2010 - 24)

In four years, Kennedy's Rebels have gone 85-50, which is one win shy of the school record by an Ole Miss staff in a four-year span. In league play, the Rebels are 31-33 during that span. Compare those numbers to the previous four seasons (55-63 overall, 17-47 SEC), and it's easy to see what big strides the program has made.

In fact, Kennedy is just the second coach in school history with three 20-win campaigns and the ninth coach in SEC history to record 20+ wins in three of his first four seasons. He is also the second coach in school history to guide the Rebels to at least three postseason berths in his first four seasons.

Along with wins and postseason appearances, the Louisville, Miss., native has brought a renewed passion for Ole Miss Hoops founded on an exciting brand of full-court, fast-paced action and lots of twine being tickled. Since Kennedy arrived, the Rebels have set season records in almost every offensive statistical category and several defensive ones, as well. And Tad Smith Coliseum has seen both season and single-game attendance records shattered.

There's ample reason for the progress. The Rebels' pursuit for championships is largely based on a keen eye for talent and the tireless recruiting efforts of Kennedy and his staff. Each year, they have added to the team's talent level and managed to reel in some of the most highly rated prep players in school history. Top 100 national recruits brought in by the staff include Zach Graham, Malcolm White, Terrance Henry, Murphy Holloway, Terrico White, Reginald Buckner, Demarco Cox and Dundrecous Nelson. Add diamond-in-the-rough Chris Warren to that mix, and it's quite an impressive list.

With the completion of the state-of-the-art Basketball Practice Facility back in January, there has never been more potential for Ole Miss Hoops to explode into the national spotlight. Kennedy has gotten the Rebels into the national rankings several times already, and now he's ready for them to stay.

Kennedy wasted no time putting Ole Miss back on the map when he arrived. In his debut season of 2006-07, he guided an unheralded Rebel squad to 21 wins, a Southeastern Conference Western Division title and a second-round appearance in the National Invitation Tournament en route to 2007 SEC Coach of the Year honors by the Associated Press.

After breaking the string of four losing seasons, the internal expectations for Kennedy's team were rising, despite the fact that most media experts again picked the Rebels to dwell in the division cellar in 2007-08.

Kennedy would be counting on a trio of freshmen and a pair of inexperienced sophomores to take over a backcourt that lost all three senior starters from the year before.

After Ole Miss broke out of the gates with a blazing 13-0 start and No. 15 national ranking, folks around the country started to take notice. In the end, Kennedy took his second Rebel squad to 24 wins, the second-most in school history, and the program's first-ever trip to the NIT Final Four at New York's Madison Square Garden.

The Rebels' 45 victories and back-to-back 20-win campaigns were both program firsts for a head coach in his first two seasons.

In fact, Kennedy was just the fourth coach in SEC history with 45 or more wins in his first two years, a list which includes Tubby Smith (63 wins at Kentucky, 45 at Georgia), Eddie Sutton (50 at UK) and Bruce Pearl (46 at Tennessee).

Injuries derailed the Rebels' hopes for a breakout third season, but Kennedy pulled off perhaps his most masterful coaching feat yet in leading what was statistically the nation's least experienced team to a winning record. He helped rookie sensation Terrico White become the SEC Freshman of the Year and was himself recognized as a finalist for the Clair Bee National Coach of the Year and as the SEC Coach of the Year by CollegeInsider.com.

The fourth year of the Kennedy administration exhibited even more success as the team claimed the 2010 SEC West title and equaled the 2008 squad's feats of 24 wins and an NIT Final Four berth. The season featured a nine-week stay in the national rankings as the Rebels narrowly missed an NCAA Tournament opportunity.

At 42 years old, Kennedy and his family - wife Kimber and daughters Meagan and Kaitlyn - have their sights set on a long and fruitful stay in Oxford as the Rebels continue their rise to the top. 

THE ROAD TO OXFORD 

It was a long and winding road for Kennedy to return to his home state, but he was overjoyed when he was announced as the 20th head men’s basketball coach in the history of the University of Mississippi on March 24, 2006.

“Who says you can't come home?” Kennedy said at his hiring press conference in C.M. “Tad” Smith Coliseum. “This is like a homecoming for me. It's been quite some time since I've stepped foot in this facility, and it conjures up a lot of good memories. I think of successful Ole Miss Basketball from Carlos Clark to Elston Turner to Sean Tuohy to John Stroud to Gerald Glass. I know that there have been a lot of great players and a lot of great moments in here, and it is my charge, my duty to bring that back. I assure you that will happen.”

Kennedy arrived in Oxford after a successful season, albeit amid less than ideal circumstances, as the interim head coach at the University of Cincinnati.

His accomplishments as an assistant with the Bearcats were notable, so when a year-long struggle between Bob Huggins and UC ended on August 24, 2005, and the four-time National Coach of the Year honoree resigned his post, Kennedy was granted the opportunity to step into those large shoes and make a major career move.

Two days later, Kennedy was tapped with the challenge of steadying a program that had two national championships in its past and a streak of 14 consecutive NCAA Tournaments. The Bearcats were also less than three months away from their first season of competition in one of the nation’s strongest conferences, the BIG EAST.

Kennedy’s already daunting task became even more difficult with the departure of one incoming recruit, two returning veterans and two promising freshmen, plus the loss of a key three-year starter to a mid-season injury, not to mention playing the fifth-rated schedule in the nation.

Despite all the adversity, Kennedy’s Bearcats jumped out to a 13-2 start with road wins over Vanderbilt, Marquette, Dayton and eventual Final Four club LSU. While playing only eight scholarships players, Cincinnati cracked the AP Top-25 ranking, and Kennedy was named Mid-Season National Coach of the Year by CBS Sportsline.

The winning continued in conference play. The Bearcats stunned Jim Boeheim’s Syracuse Orangemen in the Carrier Dome 82-65, knocked off Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals 74-68 and upset 14th-ranked West Virginia 78-75.

Perhaps more significant than the victories, Kennedy reignited the fire and belief in Cincinnati basketball. The early-season home crowds of half-capacity were once again selling out Fifth Third Arena and chanting and waving signs of “Hire Andy”.

Cincinnati played itself to the cusp of an NCAA Tournament appearance. Kennedy’s club finished the regular season with an 8-8 league mark and squared off with Syracuse in the opening round of the BIG EAST Tournament.

The Bearcats erased a 14-point deficit and took a two-point lead with 6.2 seconds left. Orangeman All-America Gerry McNamara took the ensuing inbounds and heaved in a controversial running three-pointer as time expired for the 74-73 SU win.

Whether McNamara had traveled or not, Cincinnati’s bubble had been burst, and Kennedy’s Cats eventually found themselves in the National Invitation Tournament instead. Despite disappointingly being left home from the Dance, they competed with the same passion they had the entire season and reached the NIT quarterfinals.

When the dust finally settled on Cincinnati’s 2005-06 campaign, Kennedy had directed the Bearcats to a 21-13 record, defeated 12 foes ranked in the top 100 of the RPI and played a schedule rated fifth-toughest in college hoops.

National media praised what Kennedy had achieved under such difficult circumstances. The New York Post labeled him the BIG EAST Coach of the Year, and at least one media outlet – Minnesota-based GopherHole.com – even named him their National Coach of the Year.

Despite all of Kennedy’s notoriety, Cincinnati administration remained unsure of its future coaching plans and kept the interim tag on his title. As the season drew to a close, Ole Miss’ head job became vacant, and Chancellor Robert Khayat and Athletics Director Pete Boone quickly looked north to the budding coaching star from Mississippi.

With the permission of the UC brass, Kennedy spoke with Boone mere moments before setting foot on the court for the Bearcats’ NIT quarterfinal bout with South Carolina at Fifth Third Arena. Cincinnati had only a handful of scholarship players available and fell to the Gamecocks 65-62 with chants of “Thank you Andy” echoing through the Bearcat crowd as the final seconds ticked off the clock. A thousand fans remained in the coliseum to continue the chant during the postgame radio show.

Meanwhile, Kennedy graciously accepted the opportunity to be head coach at the University of Mississippi shortly after the game, and in a whirlwind, he was flown to Oxford the following morning for a noon press conference.

RISING UP THE RANKS

Prior to becoming Cincinnati’s interim head coach, Kennedy earned a reputation as one of the top assistants in the country during his first four years with the Bearcats, beginning in 2001. In fact, Athlon named him one of the nation’s top 10 assistant coaches in 2004, the same year Rivals.com tabbed him as one of the top 20 recruiters in all of college basketball.

As an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator under Bob Huggins, Kennedy had the duty to help maintain Cincinnati’s spectacular run of success and keep the UC talent pool stocked. In his first season, the Bearcats recorded the most wins in school history with a 31-4 mark and the program’s first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The squad also experienced success off the court by winning the C-USA Men’s Basketball Team GPA Award.

During Kennedy’s first three years as the Bearcats’ recruiting coordinator, Cincinnati attracted three straight top-10 recruiting classes with the class of 2002 rated fifth in the nation by Bob Gibbons of All Star Sports, the 2003 group finishing seventh by both PrepStars and FutureStars, and the 2004 class rated 10th by All Star Sports.

Overall, Kennedy’s four seasons as an assistant on the Cincinnati bench resulted in four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, two Conference USA regular-season championships and two C-USA Tournament titles. He was promoted to associate head coach in 2004.

“Andy has the total package – from recruiting to game preparation to PR – he’s one of the great young guys in the business,” said Huggins upon Kennedy’s promotion. “Years from now, people will see him on TV and remember he was once here.”

According to Kennedy, that “total package” is a direct result of his experience alongside Huggins. “I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work for Coach Huggins and the University of Cincinnati,” he said. “To be able to sit to the right hand of one of the best coaches in all of college basketball and see first-hand the inner-workings of a top-20 program was very educational.”

Kennedy began his coaching career as an assistant at the University of South Alabama in 1994. After a year, he took a shot in the commercial real estate business, but quickly realized coaching was his calling and returned his alma mater where he had experienced much success as a player.

Kennedy earned his coaching wings in his five seasons as an assistant at UAB under Murry Bartow, son of legendary coach Gene Bartow, who had mentored Kennedy as a player. Kennedy helped the Blazers compile a 90-66 record and make three postseason tournament appearances while on the UAB bench. The highlight of that tenure came in 1998-99 when the Blazers tied for the Conference USA regular-season title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

ALL-STAR PLAYER 

Kennedy’s prowess on the hardwood was evident early in his prep career. As a ninth-grader, he pumped in 28 points in a victorious state championship game.

Three years later, the Louisville High School senior was the state’s top talent, receiving Parade All-America and 1986 Mississippi Player of the Year honors. Ole Miss pursued this native Blue Chipper for its own, but Kennedy’s eyes were focused on a different place, much further away than the 100-mile drive north to Oxford.

“Growing up in Louisville, I spent the majority of my time trying to find a way out of small-town Mississippi, and I’ve spent even more time as an adult trying to get back,” he said. “As a young player, I fell into the ‘grass is always greener’ mentality, and for me that meant the ACC and North Carolina State.”

Jim Valvano’s Wolfpack was a mere three years removed from its thrilling national championship season, and as a freshman, Kennedy helped the team claim the 1987 ACC Tournament title.

After a year of playing for and learning from the legendary Valvano, the 6-foot-7 forward made another unexpected decision, transferring from NC State to UAB.

The move took Kennedy from one highly successful coach in Valvano to another in Gene Bartow, whose teams had twice advanced to the Final Four. The move also took Kennedy’s game to an even higher level.

In just three seasons at UAB, he became the school’s second all-time leading scorer with 1,787 points and an 18.8 career scoring average. The two-time all-conference performer still holds or shares more than 15 Blazer records, including most 3-point field goals (318), highest career 3-point percentage (.437), most 20-point games (43), most 30-point games (7) and the single-game scoring mark of 41 points.

Kennedy, who completed his B.A. in history at UAB in 1991, continued his playing career after college, returning to Carolina to suit up for the NBA Charlotte Hornets. He later began a three-year professional stint abroad, playing in Greece, Holland, Spain and Puerto Rico. With his background under Valvano and Bartow, Kennedy seemed destined to enter the coaching ranks after his playing days were over. That end happened sooner than expected, as he sustained his second ACL tear and subsequent fifth and final knee operation while playing in Puerto Rico.

ANDY KENNEDY FILE