Ole Miss hires former Texas HC Chris Beard as next men’s basketball coach

(Photo courtesy: Texas Athletics)

Ole Miss men’s basketball has a new head coach, and it’s former Texas coach Chris Beard. The university officially announced the news Monday morning. Beard replaces Kermit Davis, who was fired on February 24th after five seasons which included a 74-79 overall record.

Beard was arrested on December 12th for allegedly strangling his fiancee Randi Trew, he claims self-defense. Trew released a statement on December 23rd:

“Chris and I are deeply saddened that we have brought negative attention upon our family, friends, and the University of Texas, among others,” Trew’s statement said. “As Chris’ fiancée and biggest supporter, I apologize for the role I played in this unfortunate event. I realize that my frustration, when breaking his glasses, initiated a physical struggle between Chris and myself. Chris did not strangle me, and I told that to law enforcement that evening. Chris has stated that he was acting in self-defense, and I do not refute that. I do not believe Chris was trying to intentionally harm me in any way. It was never my intent to have him arrested or prosecuted. We appreciate everyone’s support and prayers during this difficult time.”

Texas ended up firing Beard on January 5th and on February 15th, the charges against him were dropped.

Beard is a proven winner. He was the head coach of Arkansas Little-Rock in 2015 and his Trojans team beat Purdue 85-83 in the NCAA Tournament as a 12 seed. He spent the next five seasons as the head coach of Texas Tech and led the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight in 2017-18 and the national championship game the next season. His one full season with Texas ended with a second-round exit, falling to Purdue. After a 7-1 start this season, Beard was fired.

Beard’s record in the NCAA Tournament is 10-4 and inherits an Ole Miss team that finished the regular season 12-20, 3-15 in SEC play (13th).