In exclusive interview with Rebel Walk, Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard explains it’s all about the people and the culture as the program’s excitement continues to build
OXFORD, Miss. — It’s been seven months since Ole Miss hired Chris Beard to be the 23rd head coach of the men’s basketball program. After the announcement on March 13, he hit the ground running, making quick moves in his quest to rebuild the Rebels. Beard enters this year as the lone newcomer to the SEC in the coaching ranks.
The Rebel Walk had the opportunity to talk with Coach Beard in an exclusive one-on-one interview earlier this offseason and learn what makes him excited about the program as well as what he’s trying to accomplish. Since his arrival to Oxford, Beard has assembled a staff, recruited new players, re-recruited current players, connected with the fanbase and the ticket holders, and, most importantly, set out a plan to build a winning culture.
The word CULTURE is plastered all over the walls inside the Ole Miss training facility and is one of the more important components on Coach Beard’s mind as he builds the program his way. The new head coach definitely has a vision for that.
History speaks for itself as Coach Beard has made improvements to every program he has led in his storied career. His resume is impressive, including a Round of 32 appearance when he was the head coach at Little Rock; NCAA Round of 32, Elite Eight and National Runner-Up appearances at Texas Tech; and a Round of 32 appearance as the head coach of the Texas Longhorns.
In speaking with him, Coach Beard makes it clear what culture means to him as well as the importance he places on uniting everyone under the same “umbrella.”
“We aren’t different than any other organization — strive to be successful. In our world of college basketball, we’re trying to win a national championship…We want to have an identity, and we want to execute our identity on a daily basis. To do that, we have to first build it. We are in the stages of building our culture. Once we build it then we can begin to start defending it. (We are) trying to get all these people back under one umbrella. We want to unite the family. There’s a lot of history, a lot of tradition, and a lot of success in Ole Miss basketball. I think it’s important to get everybody connected to it involved.“
Coach Chris Beard on culture and uniting the Ole Miss family
It didn’t take long for Coach Beard to realize the Ole Miss family is special and a key component in building the program.
“There are a lot of really good people on campus, in Oxford, in the state, and alumni. Ole Miss, this place is special. This school is important to the alumni, the donors the fans, the former players, the season ticketholders. There are a few of these places around the country [that have this] and I’d put Ole Miss at the top of the list.“
Coach Beard on the value of the Ole Miss family
Getting everyone together on the same page has been an important step for Coach Beard, and this includes not only the players on the current roster — but also those from teams past.
Since taking over, Beard has frequently praised the coaches who came before him and the successes they had at Ole Miss. In our talk with him, he explained that the people who have been in the role before him as well as the current people at Ole Miss are a big part of what excited him so much about the job.
We asked Coach Beard what made Ole Miss stand out as a place he wanted to be.
“It wasn’t a very difficult decision and it wasn’t very long,” Beard began. “The first thing I always ask myself is has it been done there before? I never viewed myself as a guy as who has a magic wand. I think a lot of times when evaluating jobs, you have to look at the past. Kermit (Davis) had an NCAA tournament team. AK had this thing popping not only in wins and losses but in the identity of the program… Lots of great players, great teams here. People care about basketball at Ole Miss. Secondly, the SEC is one of the premier leagues. More NBA players in recent history have come from the SEC and that is an exciting thing to be a part of. I really enjoy living in this part of the country. My father lived in Biloxi and I’m no different than anybody else — I love Oxford. Everybody loves Oxford. It’s a special place. Like most things in life, it comes down to people,” Beard said.
One of the interesting items we talked about is the impact of current Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter and Chancellor Glenn Boyce. Both of their backgrounds made the fit even more enticing to Coach Beard.
“Keith Carter is a great person. It’s very unique to have an athletic director that played play college basketball… and to have played it at Ole Miss. It’s just cool. It brings a connection that I haven’t had before.”
Chris Beard on Keith Carter
Beard is also appreciative of Chancellor Boyce. “I had a chance to get to know Chancellor (Glenn) Boyce in the process,” he explained. “I felt really comfortable and confident in him as a person… Fascinating person. He was actually a high school basketball coach. We’re not only comfortable but also confident that this is a place that we can come and work extremely hard to try to build a program.”
Assembling a top-notch staff
However, as much as it matters about the people on the outside, those working there with him have also been a priority. Assembling the right staff is an integral task for any coach to succeed at the highest level, and Beard brought in a healthy mix of assistants with whom he’s familiar who all have a desire to be the best.
Win Case was retained from Kermit Davis’ staff, and joining him for his second stint in Oxford is Al Pinkins. Pinkins spent time at Florida and Texas Tech with Beard before returning back to Ole Miss. Wes Flanigan joins from Auburn. Flanigan and Beard spent time together at Little Rock where Flanigan took over as head coach after Beard’s departure.
Brian Burg was the head man at Georgia Southern and previously was at Texas Tech with Beard. Lastly Bob Donewald Jr. joins from Texas where he also was a part of Beard’s staff.
Getting ready for SEC competition
Coach Beard and his staff have been able to shape-shift this current roster, finding the right pieces for both the short and long term for Ole Miss basketball. They also set about getting a group together that is able to play in the SEC, a league that has really seen an uptick of talented teams in the last decade or two. Getting the opportunity to play such high-caliber opponents night-in and night-out was something Coach Beard discussed with us.
“I am excited about the competition. I got into coaching to try and win national titles… I know that’s what the best players want as well. They want to play at the highest level. And when you are playing and competing at the highest level, the guy across the court from you, he is pretty good at what he does. In the SEC, you compete against Hall of Fame coaches, great venues, great fans; it’s certainly a league that has a lot of pride.”
Coach Beard on playing in the SEC
We asked Coach Beard about roster construction in today’s college basketball landscape, discussing the transfer portal and how players have the opportunity to find the best fit for themselves. The portal presents a lot of unique advantages for programs out there, and Beard talked a bit about what they look for in some potential recruits both on and off the hardwood.
“It’s a talent-based business,” Beard noted. “Some guys can play in the SEC. Some guys can’t and the ones that can’t, can still be really good players at different levels. We are looking for guys who can play at this level,” he explained.
“Once you get past the talent… For us we love guys who love the game and love to work. A lot of guys play this game and what the game does for you. Some people play the game because they really love the game. We’ve really had a lot of success with guys who love to work and it’s a lifestyle. Sometimes in recruiting that’s hard to determine… We really try to find those guys who don’t have a backup plan and who are willing to put in those extra hours and do what they love. The love of the game is big for us.”
Coach Beard on what he looks for in a player
Beard also broke down what type of players, offensively and defensively, make it on his radar — but also talked about one intangible that is a must-have.
“[On the court we look for] guys who can really defend and break the game down on that end. Offensive end guys who can dribble, pass, and shoot and play the game at a skill level are some of the things that we look for. Competitiveness is never overlooked over here. I’d much rather have a really competitive guy than a guy who’s more polished but doesn’t really internally have the motivation. The drive to get better.”
Coach Beard on the type of players he recruits
The new-look Rebel Roster
The Ole Miss staff has been just as busy as Beard. They’ve all had to hit recruiting hard, and as a result they have worked to bring in a top-10 transfer class as well as a good trio of high schoolers. The group includes a healthy mix of experience and an infusion of youth to be a part of the present and future of Ole Miss basketball.
Transfers:
The group of incoming transfer players include: Jamarion Sharp, Brandon Murray*, Moussa Cisse*, Jaylen Murray, Austin Nunez, and Allen Flanigan. (Note: Cisse and Murray are still awaiting a decision from the NCAA as to whether their transfer waiver has been approved or not.)
Incoming high school players:
From the high school route, Ole Miss added talented forward Rashaud Marshall, massively-upsided Cameron Barnes and a dependable, tough Jacob Gazzo.
Rebels retained from last season:
The roster also includes the Ole Miss players Beard worked to retain in: Matthew Murrell, Jaemyn Brakefield, TJ Caldwell and Robert Cowherd.
Ole Miss certainly has a fresh look to its roster this year, but Beard is working to make sure the Rebel faithful will get to know every single one of their players as they look to make some noise come November. The excitement around the men’s basketball program is building to be similar to that of Coach Yo’s women’s basketball team, Lane Kiffin’s football team, and Mike Bianco’s baseball team at Ole Miss — all of which Chris Beard has immense respect and admiration for.
The culture of this program is building day by day and fans should be excited and energized about how things will look here as the season starts soon!
Next Up
Ole Miss will host Tusculum for a preseason exhibition on October 30 at 7 p.m. CT. The Rebels will open the 2023-2024 season on November 6 against Alabama State inside the SJB Pavilion. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.
TJ Oxley
TJ Oxley is the Vice President of Operations and the Director of Community Relations for The Rebel Walk. He is also the Director of Basketball Content and Senior Basketball Writer. He has over five years of experience providing in-depth analysis of college basketball through multiple platforms. A former MBA graduate of Ole Miss, TJ started with The Rebel Walk in 2019.
