JACKSON, Miss. – Ole Miss guard Breein Tyree has been named a finalist for the 2019 C Spire Howell Trophy, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame announced Monday morning. The Rebels’ leading scorer is one of three finalists up for the award, given to the best men’s college basketball player in the state of Mississippi.

Joining Tyree as finalists are Southern Mississippi’s Cortez Edwards and Mississippi State’s Quinndary Weatherspoon. The award, named after the legendary Bailey Howell, will be presented to one of the three finalists at a luncheon next week (March 11) at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in Jackson. A statewide panel of media who cover college basketball in the state of Mississippi selected the finalists and will vote among the finalists for a winner. Their votes account for 90 percent of the final vote and fan voting, conducted by C Spire, accounts for a weighted 10 percent of the final vote.

Fans may vote for their favorite players by going to www.csopafanvoting.com  from Tuesday, March 5 at 8:30 a.m. CT through Saturday, March 9 at noon. CT. Each fan with a valid email address may vote up to three times daily. The fan vote counts for a weighted 10 percent of the final total and has helped decide the winner several times in recent years.

Tyree has been one of the best basketball players in the SEC all season long. He is the only player in the SEC to crack the conference’s top 10 in scoring, free throw percentage, field goal percentage and three-pointers made. The Somerset, New Jersey, native ranks third in the conference in scoring (18.3 ppg), third in free throw percentage (83.2 percent), third in playing time (33.6 minutes per game), fifth in field goal percentage (48.4 percent) and seventh in three-pointers made (2.2 per game). For the third straight season, Tyree has increased his scoring in SEC play. After recording 17.7 ppg in non-conference play, he bumped in average to 18.9 ppg in conference games to rank second in the SEC.

Leading the Rebels to one of the biggest turnarounds in the nation, Tyree has put together 15 20-point games this season, which includes a pair of 31-point outbursts at Vanderbilt (Jan. 5) and at Georgia (Feb. 9). Both of those road games set new career highs for the Ole Miss guard, and he was named SEC Player of the Week following the win over the Commodores. Not only did Tyree tie his career high against the Bulldogs, but he became the 40th player in school history to score 1,000 points as a Rebel. He currently ranks 33rd on the Ole Miss all-time scoring list with 1,128 points. Earlier this year, Tyree was the first Rebel to score 20 points in five consecutive games since Stefan Moody had 14 straight 20-point games from Nov. 25, 2015 to Jan. 28, 2016.

An Ole Miss Rebel has won the Howell Trophy five of the last six seasons. Sebastian Saiz took home the honor in 2017 after Moody was a two-time Howell Trophy recipient (2015, 2016). In 2014, Jarvis Summers claimed the trophy. Before leading the Rebels to a SEC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth, Marshall Henderson was the winner of the 2013 Howell Trophy.

Tyree and the Rebels return to The Pavilion tomorrow night, squaring off against Kentucky in the final home game of the season (March 5). Prior to the 8 p.m. CT tip on ESPN, the Rebels will honor their three seniors: D.C. Davis, Terence Davis and Bruce Stevens.

 

 

Adam Kuffner