New Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard discusses his enthusiasm, goals in introductory press conference
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss held a public introduction for new men’s basketball head coach Chris Beard on Tuesday. The SJB Pavilion was open to the public, and Coach Beard spoke to the fans in attendance before then meeting separately with members of the media.
It didn’t take long for Coach Beard to make his expectations known.
“We didn’t come to Ole Miss to make the NCAA tourney, we came to Ole Miss to WIN the NCAA tourney.”
Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard
After being greeted with the “Hotty Toddy” chant, Beard told the crowd he expects to see everyone back in 363 days for the next Selection Sunday. He is certainly no stranger to March Madness, having reached the NCAA tournament five of his seven years as a Division I head coach.
Expecting to win is something Coach Beard commented on during his time with the media:
“You’re not gonna accomplish anything elite in life unless you have a vision and you have to have the courage to be well defined in what you want to do. So we don’t apologize for our expectations and we don’t apologize for our goals. It’s certainly not arrogance. We don’t think we’re better than anybody else, but at the same time, we don’t think anybody is better than us. We’re gonna work as hard as anyone and we have a great product. There’s not a, a better university, there’s not a better college town, there’s not gonna be a better coaching staff, there’s not a better style of play, there’s not a better fan base. So to the top players in the country, the recruits, guys that want to go to college and play in the NBA one day, why not Ole Miss?”
Coach Beard
Coach Beard also talked about recruiting and the importance of relationships:
“In terms of recruiting, it starts with us trying to develop a relationship with coaches and players and see if we can’t get them to become our players. And that’s a process. Some players are clear or can make that decision sooner than later, but some players need time and we’re good with that.”
Coach Beard
As Carter introduced the newest Rebel head coach, he said: “Its a great day for Ole Miss Basketball.”
With all the success Beard has had at every destination, it doesn’t take much to understand why Carter feels as such.
Contract
Here are the pertinent points of Beard’s contract.
His base contract is a 4-year, $13.6 million deal, split as followed:
- ‘23: $3,250,000
- ‘24: $3,350,000
- ‘25: $3,450,000
- ‘26: $3,550,000
If he remains employed with Ole Miss, on May, 1, 2026, Coach Beard will receive an additional $400,000.
Annual Incentives include:
SEC:
- SEC COY: $50K
- SEC Reg. Season top 4 record: $100K
- SEC Reg. Season Champs: $150K
- SEC Tourney Finals: $25K
- SEC Tourney Champs: $50K
NCAA:
- NCAA COY: $75K
- NCAA Tourney Appearance: $50K
- NCAA Tourney Win: $25K per win
- NCAA Final 4 Appearance: $125K
- NCAA Champs: $250K
Season Ticket Incentives include:
- 5,000 season tickets sold OR average actual attendance of 7,000: $50K
- 6,000 or more season tickets sold OR average actual attendance of 8,000: $75K
Stay tuned to The Rebel Walk for much more basketball coverage!
Kameron Wicker
Kam is a senior at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he's from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn't stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He's a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.
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