REPORT: Ole Miss Forward Cam Barnes to Enter Transfer Portal

Ole Miss Rebels freshman forward Cameron Barnes is reportedly planning to enter the transfer portal.

Mar 5, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Chris Beard / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

As Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball coach Chris Beard looks to reload his roster for the upcoming season, it appears that one of his younger pieces of talent is planning to enter the transfer portal.

According to reports on Thursday, freshman forward Cameron Barnes is expected to test the portal waters. Barnes did not see any action as a freshman for Ole Miss in the 2023-24 season, but he is a former three-star recruit (per On3) and was the No. 18-rated player in the state of Texas in the class of 2023.

In his high school days, Barnes was a two-time national and three-time state champion at Duncanville High School. He also averaged six points and five rebounds per game and shot 40 percent from three as a senior.

The Rebels fell short of the NCAA Tournament in Beard's first year in Oxford, and they did not accept an invite to the NIT, citing "timing" as a reason behind the decision.

"Firstly, I have a lot of experience and respect for the NIT," Beard said. "When I was with Coach [Bob] Knight, I learned the history of the NIT and everything it's done for college basketball and the history of the game all the way up until the current model. Simply, I think timing is everything and the timing's just not right for us to continue the season in any of these tournaments."