Ole Miss Coach Chris Beard Praises Matthew Murrell's 'Different' Leadership Ability

The Ole Miss Rebels received a boost to their roster this offseason when Matthew Murrell elected to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to Oxford.

Feb 28, 2024; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Chris Beard (right) talks with guard Matthew Murrell (11) during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball is looking to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, and if they can get to the postseason, the performance of guard Matthew Murrell will be a big reason why.

Murrell had a choice to make after last season: would he return to Oxford for a fifth year of college ball, or would he take his talents to the NBA? He did go through the pre-draft process, but in the end, he elected to spend another season working to get the Rebels back on track.

Head coach Chris Beard was made available to the media on Monday, and he described how impactful Murrell's decision is in Year 2 of his leadership of the program.

"I think it altered things, first of all from a talent standpoint," Beard said. "You've got to have talent from the SEC, so you add another really good player, one of the best players in the SEC and college basketball, in my opinion.

"Matt's been really good. He went through the process this spring, and it was a real process. I don't think people really understand what the narrative was. Matt had a real decision. It wasn't like Matt went through the NBA process and didn't do well. It was quite the opposite. He did really well."

Feb 21, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels guard Matthew Murrell (11) shoots for three during the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

According to Beard, since Murrell returned to Oxford after testing NBA waters, he seems to have fully bought in as a leader on this new-look roster. Ole Miss has multiple new transfer pieces who will take the floor this season in the SJB Pavilion, but Murrell is playing a pivotal role in steering the program towards success.

"I think that's one of the definitions of a pro is to kind of be able to live where your feet are," Beard said. "He got back to Oxford, took a couple of days to kind of rest the body, but even in those days, he was verbal in practice. It's just all the little things. One time he took the student managers out to dinner. Another time he went and spent time with the freshmen.

"His willingness and desire to be a leader has been impressive. He was in the past, a leader for Kermit, a leader for us last year, but it just feels different."

Murrell is averaging 11.9 points per game in his collegiate career. He currently ranks 16th in program history in scoring (1,444 points) and is fifth in Rebels history in made three-pointers (218). It's unquestioned that his talent can be a difference maker for Ole Miss in this critical 2024-25 season, but Beard seems to be just as impressed (if not more so) with his leadership traits.

For a talented team, an individual who leads strongly can go a long way.

"He's doing some really calculated things every day in terms of leadership," Beard said. "He seems to be in a great mentally right now. Pretty driven guy to help Ole Miss win."