Chris Beard says start at Ole Miss has been 'fun'

It’s not always easy to make a transition to a new job that’s in a new place and that features all new people. Chris Beard appears to have had no issue, though, getting accommodated to his new home at Ole Miss thus far.

Beard updated Jon Rothstein on his adjustment to the Rebel’s program during an appearance on his podcast ‘College Hoops Today’. He said it’s been fun and exciting to get to work every day and not know what to expect just yet as he lays his foundation. He also shared an appreciation for Oxford and Ole Miss’ athletic department for folding his hire into their present sports excitement in town.

“A lot of things. I think, above all, it’s just a lot of fun,” said Beard. “A lot of excitement. Every day you kind of wake up and you think you have a to-do list. But you get off track pretty quickly.”

“Just a lot of energy around the program right now. And it starts in the city of Oxford. Sports are kind of at an all-time high,” Beard said. “Baseball won the national championship last year, women’s basketball had a great run to the Sweet 16. Coach Kiffin is building the football program. That’s just a few examples but the athletic department is on fire right now. We’re just excited to be here to try to do our part with men’s basketball.”

The Rebels are on quite the run across their sports landscape but, frankly, men’s ‘hoops was not a part of that this past season. They finished at 12-21 and in 13th place in the SEC as part of Kermit Davis’ fifth and, what turned out to be, final year.

That’s what led Ole Miss to Beard and, subsequently, Beard to Oxford. He left Texas in need of a new chance and they provided him with that platform to join the ranks of some other pretty impressive league coaches. Now, with him in the thick of the offseason, Beard is just trying to enjoy the start of this process and get a solid footing so he can help the program join that list of currently successful Rebel teams.

Arizona State guard Austin Nunez commits to Ole Miss

Former Arizona State guard Austin Nunez has chosen his new destination via the NCAA Transfer Portal, committing to Ole Miss.

The highly touted recruit announced his decision on Monday via a post on his own Twitter account. With the post, he declared he was ‘2 Steppin’ To The Sip’.

2 steppin to the sip 🔴🔵#committed #hottytoddy #cometothesip #olemiss pic.twitter.com/isks5jdscv

— Austin Nunez (@theaustinunez) April 24, 2023

Nunez played high school basketball at Wagner High School in San Antonio, TX, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 16 point guard recruit in the 2022 cycle. That’s according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.