Some Flagship props to Ole Miss for fending off Arkansas to keep Chris Beard
Ole Miss had to battle its ass off over the weekend to retain basketball head coach Chris Beard. After Eric Musselman opted to leave Arkansas for the open spot at Southern Cal, the hogs came calling. But, Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter and the Grove Collective made sure to send them straight to voicemail.
OMSpirit’s Ben Garrett wrote about it on Sunday. And the Rebels fanbase can breathe a sigh of relief after a nervy few days.
“The future of Ole Miss basketball could not be brighter under coach Beard’s leadership,” Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter said in March and in announcing Beard’s contract extension.
“He has galvanized Rebel Nation.”
Ole Miss last season was one of only three teams in college basketball to begin the year 13-0.
The stretch tied the program record for longest-ever.
The program also set a new season attendance record (142,757). The Rebels saw an increase in student attendance by over 135 percent. They shattered the SJB Pavilion attendance record (10,630) in an 86-82 win over in-state rival Mississippi State January 30.
The Rebs also doubled last year’s win total at home (14), the most in 11 seasons.
“We came to Oxford to do a job,” Beard said in March. The Rebels had five wins over NCAA Tournament teams in the regular season. “We’re just getting started, and great times ahead.”
