OXFORD - The road to relevance at the college level has been longer and more winding for Ole Miss freshman Jelan Kendrick than perhaps most players who made the McDonald's All-America team as high school stars.

His 23 minutes in the Rebels' 66-62 win over South Carolina last Saturday showed flashes of his ability, an increased comfort level and areas where he still needs to improve.

However, the biggest thing his minutes showed might be the increased confidence from his coach, Andy Kennedy.

After starting point guard Jarvis Summers picked up two early fouls, Kendrick went on to play 15 first-half minutes, scoring seven of his career-high 11 points then. He played 23 minutes for the game.

"He told me to go out there and said, 'You'll play for the rest of the half. Don't worry about looking over here, don't worry about coming out. Just play to the caliber that you're capable of," Kendrick said.

That caliber was one that created great anticipation among Ole Miss fans when Kendrick's transfer from the University of Memphis was announced in December of 2010.

Kendrick was both a McDonald's and a Parade All-American in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta.

But his transfer from Memphis came amid reports that he wasn't getting along with teammates, and he's already served an in-house suspension at Ole Miss for what Kennedy termed a "coach's decision."

He wasn't eligible to compete this season until the posting of fall-semester grades. While he could have been practicing during that time, he was out as he recovered from sports hernia surgery.

It all adds up to the fact that Kendrick has played in only 10 games this year.

"Over the course of time I think I'm getting the knack of things, starting to learn all the plays, and coach is starting to trust me a lot more. My teammates are starting to have a lot of confidence in me, and that definitely helps," he said. "I feel more comfortable just playing."

Kendrick was able to finish plays at the basket against the Gamecocks. He was 5 for 9 shooting and also had an assist and two steals in 23 minutes.

But his four turnovers were a cause for concern and something Kennedy addressed after when he said, "We've just got to get that other guy to stop dribbling through the whole team."

Kennedy did credit Kendrick for settling the team down when he entered after Summers' second foul.

Kendrick was shooting just 26.8 percent through his first nine games with 14 assists and 16 turnovers.

Getting stronger

"He's rounding into understanding his role and how he can help our team," Kennedy said. "With each day I hope he continues to get stronger and more confident in what he can add to our team."

Though three inches shorter than the 6-foot-7 Kendrick, Summers has an assist-turnover ratio of 17-8 over his last four games. He's played in all 21 games with 17 starts.

Kendrick said the time away from competition had an impact, but he feels like he's turned a corner.

"It's kind of hard sitting out as many games as I did, having the injury in the midst of that, just to get that interaction and feel for your teammates," Kendrick said. "Coach Kennedy is a very firm instructor and coach, and he just gave me a lot of confidence. I was put in a position, and it was either step up or go sit back down."

parrish.alford@journalinc.com