The roster blow up and rebuild has officially begun for Ole Miss men’s basketball as guard Eduardo Klafke will transfer after the Rebels posted a losing season.
The 6’5” sophomore from Brazil played in 70 games over the last two seasons for Chris Beard. His minutes per game increased from 10 to 15 from year one to two and scoring bumped up from 1.4 points per game to 4.6 PPG, but he was an energy guy for this team it seemed like.
It is not shocking for any of this season’s players to transfer given
a 15-20 overall record after a Sweet Sixteen bid in the previous year. However, it did seem like Klafke brought some spark to the court, the student section would get a little more hyped when he was in the game, and his game was slowly developing into a three point shooter with defensive ability.
Klafke visited Creighton and Xavier prior to committing to Ole Miss years ago. Creighton’s head coach Greg McDermott just recently announced his retirement, but it is unknown where the guard will land with two years of eligibility remaining.
This is likely the first of many roster changes Rebel fans can and should expect going into the offseason. If there is one player I’d bet would come back it would be Patton Pinkins since you know his dad is on the staff and all. As for the rest of the roster, there is going to be some significant change I think and not just with seniors leaving.
Ole Miss has two incoming commits from the class of 2026 in three star guard Yohance Connor (6’2” 170 lbs. Charlotte, N.C.) and three star forward Jaron Saulsberry (6’6” 180 lbs. Norcross, Ga.), but the recruiting trail has otherwise been quiet going into the offseason.
As teams complete their seasons with the Sweet Sixteen turning into the Final Four over the weekend, you’d have to assume more decisions are incoming and phones will be ringing across the country with interest. Can Beard find the right pieces to get Ole Miss back to the Big Dance in 2027? It looks to be a long road right now.
