Coach Yo, Rebels Energetic About Upcoming Foreign Tour Experience in Italy

The Rebels head coach was made available to the media on Monday afternoon.

OXFORD, Miss. -- Even with contract negotiations ongoing, Yolett McPhee-McCuin and her Ole Miss Rebels are looking to build on the success they established a season ago.

The Rebels are set for an upcoming foreign tour in Italy this offseason, and even with new faces on a team that went 25-9 last year en route to the Sweet 16, the group is ready to hit the floor again this offseason.

"Really excited about this group," McPhee-McCuin said. "A really fun group of young women that understand that next step. They've only been here as a group for three weeks, but it's been an incredible three weeks. It's almost like we've been together all summer."

Each team is different, but there are some similarities with this group and the bunch that reached the Sweet 16 last season, in the eyes of the head coach.

"Last year, I thought we were always fun-loving," McPhee-McCuin said. "This group, they're still fun-loving, but they're competitive and super focused which makes for intense practices."

One of the key aspects of this trip will be team bonding for the new and veteran faces on the roster, including Kennedy Todd-Williams, a transfer from the North Carolina Tar Heels.

"Going to Italy, I don't know what I'm going to learn," McPhee-McCuin said. "I'm hoping to learn something new every single day. We've been due for this trip for three years, and I've been putting it off, waiting for the right time. Really excited about the educational part and vibe as a group."

"I feel like it’ll be a new opportunity for us to bond with each other," Todd-Williams said. "And I’m a baller, so I’m just ready to compete with them and, you know this will be my first time going out (to Italy)."

There is still plenty of time before the 2023-24 season actually tips off for the Rebels, but growth on the already-laid foundation is already underway in Oxford.

"We definitely don't want to make any steps back," McPhee-McCuin said. "Year one, I used to tell everyone, 'It's a crock pot.' We've been cooking in that crock pot, but now, we've got a new dish. We want to make history. Even when we were 0-16, I was telling everybody that we want to win a national championship. 

"That will always be the ultimate goal for us. Would I be happy if we get to the Sweet 16 and move beyond that? Absolutely. That's probably the natural step that you want to take. We're not that perennial Sweet 16 team yet until we prove it. We have to show that we are a perennial team that can play into March as well."

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You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.

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