Historically, Ole Miss Basketball has been near the bottom of the Southeastern Conference in pecking order for dominance. It’s been since 2013 since the Rebels won anything in basketball; that was the season that Marshall Henderson led the Rebels on a magical run in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, defeating Florida in the championship game. Since 2013, Ole Miss has earned two other bids to the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and 2019, where early exits were a part of the experience for the program. On Monday, March 13th, Ole Miss Athletics Director Keith Carter announced that Chris Beard would take over as Head Coach of the Ole Miss Basketball Rebels.

Coach Beard immediately hit the ground running with recruiting and hiring a homerun staff, changing the cultural perception of Ole Miss Basketball. Since Coach Beard and his coaching staff took over the reins in Oxford, changing the culture of Ole Miss Basketball has been at the forefront of importance. Coach Beard and his coaching staff understand the uphill climb but have won the off-the-court hurdles surrounding a program like Ole Miss Basketball.

For Coach Beard and his coaching staff, building Ole Miss Basketball into a championship-contending program is the only way. Everything they do will be for the culture of Ole Miss Basketball. Coach Beard took the Texas Basketball program to heights unimaginable during his time as Head Coach of the Longhorns. A disciple of Bob Knight, Coach Beard believes in toughness and defense that creates opportunities to compete at the highest levels.

In an interview with The Mitch Davis Show Podcast, Ole Miss Assistant Coach Wes Flanigan talked about the product Coach Beard and the coaching staff are trying to build at Ole Miss. Coach Flanigan mentioned the young guys on the roster buying into the vision and molding with the veteran leadership at Ole Miss.

On recruiting the program and continuing to build the brand of Ole Miss Basketball, Coach Flanigan mentioned the importance of recruiting the best guys to put the Rebels in the best position to compete for a national championship in basketball.

For some, winning a national championship at Ole Miss Basketball seems like a tall mountain to overcome. However, Coach Beard and his coaching staff have embraced the challenge, preparing to turn Ole Miss Basketball into a National Championship contending basketball program from the Southeastern Conference for years to come. Coach Beard won the off-season for the Rebels as he positioned the program to leap in year one under his tenure as Head Coach. It won’t be easy, but with the support staff Coach Beard assembled, the culture of Ole Miss Basketball is changing for a positive future for Rebels Basketball.

Ole Miss will open its season on Monday, November 6th, at home against Alabama State.