Chris Beard Kicks Off Year Three at Ole Miss, Inspired by a Championship Mindset
OXFORD, Miss. — The calendar has flipped to year three for Chris Beard at the helm of the Ole Miss basketball program, and with summer workouts in full swing, the Rebels are laying the groundwork for another postseason run.
This latest chapter began last week with the start of summer team practices—a stretch that runs through early July before a brief pause and then a final push ahead of August. But long before the Rebels hit the floor this month, Beard was hard at work behind the scenes, preparing in a way that might surprise some.
While many coaches dig into film or X’s and O’s, Beard’s offseason focus zeroed in on a different kind of legend—NFL icon Tom Brady.
Offseason Lessons from the G.O.A.T.
The Ole Miss head coach spent a significant portion of the offseason studying Brady, diving into what made the seven-time Super Bowl champion one of the most decorated athletes in history. For Beard, this wasn’t just about football—it was about winning, leadership, and the mentality of greatness.
“One thing that I’ve always done each offseason is I’ll try to study winning. It doesn’t always have to happen in the form of basketball. Doesn’t always even have to to be athletic minded, but just trying to study successful people and try to learn what makes them tick.“
Chris Beard on studying Tom Brady
“I think in retirement he’s been pretty vocal,” Beard continued, regarding Brady. “I’m always interested in a guy that will really talk and not all the fluff. That’s one of the cool things about today’s world with some of these podcasts. It seems like some of these winners, elite people will talk a little bit more freely than you used to back in the day…If you listen to a guy long enough and you study about him or her, you can kind of understand what makes him tick,” the coach explained.
“With Brady it’s like the ultimate chip on his shoulder. Wasn’t supposed to be a draft pick, ends up being the best player. All of his teams won. I think his relationship with his teammates, relationship with his organization. I really enjoyed trying to learn as much as I could about him. Ultimately I get it down to the Cliff Notes version and try to give that information to the players. I don’t expect the players to spend all the time that I spend on those projects, but if I can give them the bottom line — if I can give the players five minutes worth of information that took me four months to gather — well, I always thought I need to help these guys and educate them. I spent a lot of time this offseason looking at Tom Brady.”
Chris Beard on studying Brady
New Faces, Shared Leadership
With a roster that looks vastly different from last season’s Sweet 16 squad, Beard’s teachings are more relevant than ever. Only four players return from last year’s team, and just two of those (Malik Dia and Eduardo Klafke) saw meaningful minutes.
The Rebels now boast a roster filled with fresh talent, including nine upperclassmen—six of whom are seniors. But experience alone won’t define leadership of this team.
Beard has made it clear: leadership isn’t optional. It’s expected from everyone, regardless of class or position.
“What most people might perceive as our leader, that guy’s not the leader unless he has people in the organization that want to follow. I’m trying to encourage all these guys to pick and choose their moments and lead in certain ways. What’s non-negotiable is everybody on this team is going to have to find their ways to lead in certain ways and everyone’s going to have to be a follower as well.”
Chris Beard on leadership
Drawing inspiration from the very player he studied, Beard emphasized that true leadership involves followership—something he’s working hard to instill in this new Rebel group.
“I think a lot of times when you think of a leader, you think of Tom Brady or Kobe Bryant. There’s no denying that leadership is special. But every guy on the team has to be a leader in his own way. First thing we try to explain to the players there’s no leader if there’s no followers. Tom Brady, I studied him a lot this offseason, and he said it in several interviews over the years — ‘I get the identity of being the quarterback, it comes with the job, but I can’t lead if other guys don’t want to follow.“
Chris Beard on Tom Brady and leadership
With a fresh mix of players, a clean slate, and a coach committed to building character alongside competition, Ole Miss is aiming to carry its culture of winning into a new era—one built as much on inspiration as it is on execution.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception. Email Evie at: Evie@TheRebelWalk.com
