Chris Beard is staring down his first losing season in a 16-year career as a college basketball head coach.
Ole Miss (11-17, 3-12 SEC) has lost 10 games in a row. The Rebels next travel to Auburn (15-13, 6-9) for a Saturday tipoff at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
Beard last season led Ole Miss to the Sweet 16 — matching the greatest single-season accomplishment in school history. However, his third Ole Miss season has been an unmitigated disaster.
Even still, Beard’s name is already being floated about in a potentially active upcoming coaching carousel.
College basketball insider Trilly Donovan recently listed Beard as a buy-low candidate for teams this offseason. Donovan said Beard is already drawing interest from Kansas State and Arizona State. Beard, for his part, said on RebTalk he’s “committed to being here at Ole Miss.”
“I do have a lot of respect for our players in terms of their fight this year and continuing commitment to get up the next day and let’s try again,” Beard said. “It’s been a disappointing season in a lot of ways. Very appreciative of the players. [Thursday] was another example. Active weigh room this morning, guys in and out of the gym. How do you handle adversity? Unfortunately, that’s what we’re right in the middle of right now. For the most part, our guys continue to chip away.
“I need to put a full-page ad out in the Oxford newspaper or buy some TV time. This is sincere: thank you. We’ve continued to have tremendous support. You find out who’s with you in times of adversity. I’m super appreciative of our student body. A lot of our season-ticket holders continue to come out.
“My promise is there’s greater days ahead. This too shall pass. We’re committed to being here at Ole Miss and building a program that’s nationally competitive.”
https://www.on3.com/teams/ole-miss-rebels/news/chris-beard-committed-to-being-here-at-ole-miss-as-rebels-ready-for-auburn/
