The shortest college basketball player in the NCAA is now on scholarship.
Ole Miss basketball walk-on Cam Brent, a 5-foot-4 guard who played a vital role in the Rebels’ first-round win over North Carolina in the men’s NCAA Tournament, was awarded a scholarship on Sunday after Ole Miss advanced to the Sweet 16 by beating No. 3 Iowa State in the second round.
Ole Miss coach Chris Beard announced the move in the locker room after the 91-78 win, with a video of the gesture posted to the NCAA’s March Madness account on X.
The team went wild for Brent, of course.
Brent, a senior, was a calming presence for Ole Miss down the stretch in its win over North Carolina, showcasing the leadership qualities that have won over his teammates.
“Cam, he has a loud voice,” Davon Barnes said after the first-round win. “He might be small but he has a very impactful voice. When he talks, we all definitely listen. He keeps us going when the game is going poorly.”
Forward Malik Dia even compared Brent’s presence to having an extra coach on the sideline.
“(Brent) brings us all together, just saying what he’s seeing out there,” Dia said. “He’s like another coach, really. Big emotional support for us. He always keeps us calm.”
March Madness is full of moments where players and even student managers earn deserved spotlight. And Brent is the latest as Ole Miss reaches the second weekend for the second time ever and first since 2001.
Brent’s spirit more than makes up for his relatively diminutive stature.
Listed at 5-foot-4, Brent is the shortest player in college basketball. The Jackson, Mississippi native may not have had much impact in games on the floor — he averaged just 1.3 minutes per game this season — but he is a shining example of the myriad of ways in which players can impact a game.
