Ole Miss hires Chris Beard as men’s basketball coach

Miss Ole has hired Chris Beard as the Rebels’ next boys basketball coach, the school announced Monday.

ESPN reported last week that Beard had emerged as a leading candidate for the jobwith the two parties in contact and Ole Miss officials are conducting due diligence before proceeding to hire the former Texas coach.

“I am honored to join the Ole Miss family and very excited to start at this wonderful university,” Beard said in a statement. “I cannot express my gratitude to Prime Minister Boyce, [vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletics] Keith Carter and the rest of the search committee for trusting me to lead this program. I really look forward to being an active part of the Oxford community. I know we have one of the best locations in the country at SJB Pavilion, and we will work tirelessly to build a program of championship stature. I can’t wait to connect with our players and rookies and begin this journey together. Hot Toddy!”

Beard was fired by the Longhorns in January after his arrest on December 12. His fiancee, Randi Trew, called 911 and told officers he had strangled her from behind, bitten and beat her when the two argued, according to authorities.

Trew later released a statement on December 23 in which she denied telling police that Beard strangled her and said she “started a struggle” with Beard. On February 15, the charges were dropped after Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza reviewed the evidence and took into account Trew’s wishes not to prosecute Beard.

Garza’s office determined that the allegations could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

“I am pleased with the announcement that the charges against me have been dismissed,” Beard said in a statement at the time. “While I have always believed in these facts and results, it has been extremely difficult to wait patiently and not respond publicly. I apologize and deeply regret to my family, friends, all of them. my players and staff, both recent and past, and everyone at my alma mater the University of Texas.”

Beard has been linked with the Miss Ole job since the school fired Kermit Davis on February 24. Davis hit 74-79 for 5 seasons and failed to make it to the NCAA after his first season there.

Carter said: “We are delighted to welcome Coach Beard and his daughters, Avery, Ella and Margo, to the Ole Miss family. “We have thoroughly evaluated a number of excellent candidates and there is no doubt that Coach Beard is one of the top coaches in the nation. After conducting due diligence and speaking with a number of individually on and off the field, he is clearly the right man to guide our team to greatness.”

Beard’s coaching acumen is considered one of the best in college basketball. He led Texas Tech to the national title game in 2019 and has coached three different programs for the NCAA tournament since 2016.

He was in his second season at Texas with a team that made it to the AP top 10 before being fired.