OXFORD - Few people have welcomed a summer slowdown more than Ole Miss basketball coach Andy Kennedy.

The sudden announcement in early May that Murphy Holloway was leaving the program for family reasons left Kennedy scrambling to fill the void left by his top rebounder, third-leading scorer and most energetic player.

Kennedy picked up three new players in the late signing period, giving him a total of five for the 2010 class.

"The month of May was much busier than we anticipated from a recruiting standpoint," Kennedy said. "The Murphy deal ... We didn't see that coming. Fortunately we were able to land on our feet."

Holloway said he needed to be closer to home to help care for his infant daughter. He will enroll at South Carolina, minutes away from his Irmo, S.C., home and will be eligible in the 2011-2012 season.

Three of Kennedy's newcomers have already reported to campus - Yazoo City freshman DeMarco Cox, Isaiah Massey, who attended prep school in Tampa, Fla., last year, and junior college transfer Steadman Short.

Junior college transfer Donald Williams and Jackson guard Dundrecous Nelson are expected to report in July.

"We have limited access to them in the summer, but they're working out with our strength and conditioning coaches, and we've gotten glowing reports about how they've come in and gone to work," Kennedy said.

The Rebels have experienced options in the backcourt to help off-set the loss of sophomore guard Terrico White, who is projected as a late-first or early second-round pick in Thursday's NBA draft.

That's less true in the frontcourt where Holloway was averaging 25.7 minutes and reserve DeAundre Cranston 16.0. Opportunities abound for newcomers like Cox, Massey and Short who can play the power forward or center spots and can hit the ground running.

Cox is a four-star prospect and is ranked in the top 100 regardless of position by Rivals.com. Short played at Chipola (Fla.) Community College last season and was recruited by Marquette and Maryland before signing with Ole Miss.

"We think we have guys who can contribute, and you certainly hope so when you're dealing with small numbers and 13 scholarship players," Kennedy said. "There's always a transition period in going from high school or junior college to the SEC, but we like the guys we have on board and think we're in good shape physically to make the transition."