Ole Miss guard Ilias Kamardine will be back in Oxford for another season.
The France native is set to be part of head coach Chris Beard’s 2026-27 squad after concluding a disappointing debut year with the Rebels, first reported by On3. Kamardine, listed as a senior, had previously been granted a waiver to spend one more season at the collegiate level. Though he said he was weighing his options after losing to Arkansas in the SEC Tournament semifinals, Kamardine ultimately elected to stay put.
Kamardine initially committed to play for Ole Miss in April 2025, but did not arrive on campus until August due to visa-related delays. He previously competed at the professional level in France, averaging 8 points per game for JDA Dijon, and also helped lead his home country to a first-place finish in the 2023 FIBA U20 Eurobasket, where he was crowned MVP.
Beard anticipated Kamardine’s arrival in a pursuit to repeat or improve upon last year’s Sweet 16 season’s successes. His professional experience and ability to distribute the ball were especially coveted for a team that was only returning one starter.
Kamardine showed promise with a hot start to the 2025-26 campaign, especially with a 26-point performance in an 83-77 win versus Memphis back in November. From there, he ebbed and flowed, with either a 10-plus point scoring outing or a statsheet that deemed him much of a non-factor.
Something seemingly clicked for Kamardine toward the tail-end of the season. He notched his first double-double of the year versus LSU on Feb. 27, scoring 26 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He later played an integral role in the team’s unlikely conference tournament run, putting double figures on the scoreboard in three of the four games. The Rebels followed up last year’s historic season with a 15-20 record that fell well below expectations.
Kamardine is the first Ole Miss player to commit to another run with the red and blue, though a couple of other pieces are expected to follow, including standout freshman Patton Pinkins — whose father is on Beard’s staff. Notably, the Rebels will have to replace Malik Dia, AJ Storr, and Kezza Giffa in the transfer portal.
The upcoming season will tip off in November.