Among the 14 men’s basketball programs in the SEC, only one will be led by a new head coach this season: Ole Miss, who brought in Chris Beard after he was fired from Texas.
Beard, who was named Associated Press’ coach of the year in 2019 while he was with Texas Tech, took over the Texas basketball program in 2021. In December 2022, he was suspended without pay after he was arrested on a domestic violence charge. The charges were dismissed in February when Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza said evidence could not provide proof beyond a reasonable doubt, but the Longhorns had already officially terminated Beard a month earlier.
Ole Miss officially announced Beard as their new head coach in March.
Beard was asked at the conference’s media day on Wednesday how he approached his past year with parents while he recruited.
“I just talk about the truth,” he said. “Not only what’s happened the last couple of months, what’s happened in my whole career. I also think as human beings, as coaches, as players, we all go through adversity. We all go through tough times. And I’ve always thought that’s an opportunity to respond.”
In Beard’s nationally recognized season, the Red Raiders finished 31-7, winning 14 of their 18 conference games. Texas Tech made it all the way to the national championship game, which they eventually lost to Virginia in overtime.
The Rebels finished 12-21 last season with a 3-15 conference record, the second-worst in the conference. They finished 10th in the conference’s preseason media poll.