For some fans, Kermit Davis may not be the most exciting hire possible as the new head coach of the Ole Miss men’s basketball team.

It took Davis almost a decade to build a big winner at Middle Tennessee State University, for instance. His team lost at least 12 games a season for the first nine years in a mid-tier conference.

Attendance wasn’t spectacular either, with MTSU drawing some 5,000 fans per game in recent years after they became an NCAA tournament caliber team.

But many basketball purists believe Davis is a top-notch basketball coach and an excellent fit for Ole Miss.

We agree.

Ole Miss basketball isn’t in a position to hire just anybody in the country. Georgia, a similar SEC program, was hiring at the same time, and reportedly offered the job to several candidates who turned it down before settling on former Indiana coach Tom Crean.

In other words, Ole Miss is not exactly Kentucky or Duke when it comes to hiring basketball coaches.

Davis is a well-respected basketball purist whose teams always look well coached. He’s been at big programs, including time at LSU as an associate head coach, and he’s been a successful head coach for a long time.

Davis is a good hire and we look forward watching him lead the Rebel program.