Ole Miss men’s basketball coach Rod Barnes will be the guestspeaker Wednesday night for the Fellowship of Christian AthletesKickoff Rally, at the Multi-Use Facility. Barnes will highlight theCopiah-Lincoln FCA Adult Chapter-sponsored rally which is invitingarea athletes, coaches and youth. It starts at 6:15 with a hotdogsupper. The program begins at 7.

Providing entertainment will be Last Breath, a teenage Christianpraise band. Robert Holloway, District Seven FCA director, willserve as master of ceremonies.

Barnes, 35, is in his fourth year as head coach at Ole Miss. HisRebels are fresh from their best-ever showing. They finished 27-8overall and 11-5 in the SEC. Barnes was named the Naismith NationalCoach of the Year for the 2000-01 season. The Rebels made theNCAA’s Sweet 16 and were regional runners-up to Arizona.

He has a 66-35 record as head coach at Ole Miss. He served as anassistant coach in this summer’s World University Games. For fiveyears he was an assistant coach to Rob Evans at Ole Miss.

Barnes, a native of Satartia, played high school basketball atBentonia, graduating in 1984. He was a 4-year letter winner at OleMiss and earned All-SEC honors. He was the first Ole Miss player torecord 500 points, 100 assists and 100 rebounds in a singleseason.

Barnes is married to the former Bridget Davis and they havethree sons; Brandon, Bray and a stepson, Corey.