Chris Beard sets Year One expectations 'the highest' for Ole Miss

After luring a big name head coach, getting back some key returners and recruiting a terrific transfer haul, Ole Miss basketball is on track to compete in the SEC in 2023-24.

At least, that’s the narrative that new coach, Chris Beard, pushed at SEC Media Day. When asked by the SEC Network crew about what sort of expectations he has in his first season with the Rebels, Beard had no hesitation before answering:

“The highest, period.”

Beard went on to explain that he’s not orchestrating a slow launch with Ole Miss. He’s coming to town after making the NCAA Tournament in each of his last five seasons as a collegiate head coach. His expectation is making a tournament push.

“I mean, it’s easy to sit up here and talk about it, it’s difficult to do. We came to Oxford, Mississippi to win and we’re not apologizing for that. Expectations are everything, so we know it’s going to be a battle, we know it’s going to be a journey. But it all starts with a vision and expectations to be competitive. So I’m not one of these guys with a first year where we’re putting asterisks on there.”

No asterisks and no excuses for the Rebel coach, not even in year one. After those comments, he pivoted to discuss the player sitting alongside him on set, Matthew Murrell. The rising senior led Ole Miss in total points and total assists last season and is the big man on campus. Beard thinks incredibly highly of him.

“Like, this guy on my right, I believe he’s one of the best players in college basketball,” Coach Beard declared of Murrell. I know he’s one of the best people in college basketball.”

Part of Chris Beard’s urgency to win immediately comes from the fact that Murrell is committed to finding success in the first year of a new regime, since it could very well be his last as a college hooper.

“He wasn’t interested in us coming to Oxford to build something,” said Beard. “Matt and I had conversations about: what can we do this year? That’s where our mind’s at right now. We expect to compete.”

Competing in the SEC, even as an average club, will require quite a turnaround from a year ago, when the Rebels limped to a 3-15 league record and 13th out of 14 finish in the SEC.

Luckily, they have a solid roster in place, which starts with their two leading scorers from last season who both returned: Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield. They’re former top-50 recruits and true seniors out of the 2020 high school class. That’s a pretty darn good start since Murrell averaged north of 14 points a game and Brakefield was right at 11.