Ole Miss Coach Chris Beard's Top Priority? Keeping The Rebels Together

Chris Beard wants to keep as many Rebels in Oxford for his first season as head coach.

As Chris Beard took the stage inside the SJB Pavilion, several Ole Miss players watched from the bleachers. For now, they're still Rebels. 

Will that change under Beard?

Beard was introduced as the Rebels' new men's basketball coach Tuesday evening in front of a few hundred fans in Oxford. The former Texas and Texas Tech coach will take over for Kermit Davis, hopefully providing some stability in hoisting a few NCAA Tournament banners to the SJB Pavilion's rafters. 

Beard mapped out a vision for what he plans to bring to Ole Miss in the coming years. The first thing? Veteranship. A combination of rising stars and proven vets in the SEC could do wonders for a program's persona. 

Regarding veterans, Beard will likely target a name or two in the transfer portal. He also hopes to keep as many Rebels as possible in Oxford for at least another season. 

"Simply stated, one of the reasons I took this job is because of the talent on the roster and the coaching staff," Beard said. "I look forward to working with many of these guys. I really appreciate you guys being here tonight. I'll get emotional talking about it. But I appreciate you guys, and I can't wait to coach some of you."

Who are the said "some" that Beard hopes to coach? That will be a conversation the new Rebels coach will have to make in meetings with players. Some, however, could be ready to start a new chapter of their life after finishing 12-21 this past season. 

Forward Jaemyn Brakefield already announced his intent to enter the transfer portal. Guard and former top prospect Amaree Abram said he would test the open market, as would sophomore guard James White. All three could return, but that final say would come down to Beard. 

It'd be hard to imagine Beard not wanting Brakefield back in his frontcourt. Last season, he finished second in points (11.1 points per game) and shot 53.7 percent from the field. Brakefield also averaged 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, both ranking among the Rebels' top four. 

Abram started 22 games and averaged 8.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists. White averaged 13.7 minutes per game as a rotational specialist. Toward the season's end, White became a focal point of the offense, scoring at least nine points in four of the final five games. 

Before looking at next year's recruiting cycle, Beard said retaining as many players from Ole Miss' 2022-23 team was his top priority. The same go for the players who were in Davis' recruiting class signed in November.

After that comes adding key pieces. Beard did not specify if he would target players from the Longhorns and Red Raiders who could elect to transfer following the NCAA Tournament. He did mention that there have already been conversations with several recruits, including Rashaud Marshall and Jourdan Burks.

"We're in the process of developing relationships as well as developing ongoing recruiting, because we're obviously going to have to (add) some more players to have the talented players that we need to do what we came here to do," Beard said. 

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