'Together!' Point Guard Duo Looking to Provide Big Impact For Ole Miss Basketball

Jaylen Murray and Sean Pedulla have new nicknames alongside some high praise from coach Chris Beard.

Mar 5, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Mississippi Rebels guard Jaylen Murray (5) brings the ball up the court against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Ole Miss Rebels basketball is near, and so is the debut of Jaylen Murray and Sean Pedulla's "Salt and Pepper" duo.

In a recent interview with Pedulla, Murray and coach Chris Beard, Pedulla debuted the nickname for himself and Murray.

"I'm salt, and he's pepper," Pedulla stated. "We go together like that."

The duo have also given Beard the nickname "Tabasco," but condiments aside, these three hope to compliment one another on the hardwood this season for the Rebels.

Pedulla, the Virginia Tech transfer, is looking to make waves in his first season as a Rebel. Over the last two seasons, his points per game average has jumped all the way from five in his freshman year to 15.7 PPG on 42 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from three over the course of the next two seasons.

To go along with that, Pedulla has averaged 4.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds and a little over a steal per game in his sophomore and junior campaigns.

Alongside him is Jaylen Murray, who in his first season as a Rebel averaged just over 13 points, four assists and just over two rebounds a game while shooting 41 percent from the field.

Coach Beard and Murray praised one another in their recent press conference, with Murray talking about Coach Beard and why he wanted to come down to Ole Miss last year.

"A player can have something nice to say abut a coach," Beard said, "and sometimes, it's a little fluffy, but a guy from the Bronx, you know he's telling the truth. So that means a lot coming from Juju [Murray]."

Beard also proceeded to talk about his expectations for the year.

"We're looking for Juju to have one of the best seasons in college basketball along with Sean," Beard said. "These two guys playing together will be a big part of our season."

With the regular season tipping off in under three weeks, "Salt and Pepper" along with the rest of the No. 24-ranked Rebels look to finish preparations on a high note before they begin the season at home on Nov. 4 when they take on Long Island University.