I TOLD YOU SO

Ole Miss Athletics Director Pete Boone announced Wednesday a new four-year contract for head basketball coach Rod Barnes, which will run through the 2008-09 season.“We have agreed in principle on a new four-year contract,” Boone said. “Rod has made positive changes in the direction of our basketball program. With our recent success in recruiting and aggressive play we exhibited this year, we are seeing a resurgence of a typically-coached Rod Barnes team.”Barnes is concluding his seventh season at the helm of the Ole Miss basketball program, and this year took the bench for his 200th game as a head coach. The 2001 Naismith and CollegeInsider.com National Coach of the Year, Barnes has a 126_92 record as the Rebel head man. His 126 coaching victories in his first 218 games is the most of any Ole Miss coach over that span and is the second_most wins in school history. Barnes’ .578 winning percentage is the highest of any Rebel coach of seven years or more. “First of all, I want to thank God,” Barnes said. “My family and I are grateful for this new contract, and we appreciate the confidence Chancellor Robert Khayat and Pete Boone have shown us. While we aren’t pleased with our performance over the last few years, as I know our fans have not been, we have made significant strides in areas that needed improvement. We will achieve the success that our coaches, players and fans expect.”In 2000_01, Barnes was the SEC Coach of the Year, and guided Ole Miss to a school-record 27 wins and the program’s first NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 berth. Another winning season and postseason tournament followed in 2001_02 — both were the sixth straight for the Ole Miss program.Barnes was hired as the Rebel head coach on April 9, 1998. A 1988 graduate of Ole Miss, Barnes served as an assistant under Rob Evans from 1993_98. During his time as an assistant coach, the Rebels compiled a record of 76_63 and won back_to_back SEC Western Division titles and received consecutive NCAA Tournament berths in 1997 and 1998. Barnes played at Ole Miss from 1984_88 and earned All_American honorable mention distinction his senior season. He is the only person in SEC history to earn both All_SEC and SEC Coach of the Year honors.Barnes’ current Rebel squad opens SEC Tournament play Thursday against South Carolina. The first-round matchup is set for 1 p.m. ET at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, and will be televised by JP Sports.