Chris Beard shares goals for success at Ole Miss

Chris Beard has his hands full with taking over a new program at Ole Miss. There’s a lot to do in order to get the Rebels to start winning games on a consistent basis. Still, what comes first? And what takes priority for Beard heading into this first offseason of his in Oxford?

Well, for starters, he expresses his desire to win with Jon Rothstein on ‘College Hoops Today’. Beard says that the Rebels have no intention of finishing anywhere besides the top with this new regime now in place.

“We’re here to win,” Beard stated. “We didn’t come down here to finish second.”

Then, secondly, Beard focused on his new program’s culture and identity. He wants Ole Miss to do all the right things on their way to winning. That means no ‘shortcuts’ in order to find success on the court during the season as well as off of it when the players take the next steps in their respective futures.

“The first year is always about building an identity, not taking any shortcuts,” said Beard. “This program will be built on work and high-level recruiting, a commitment to our guys to get high-level degrees, to help our guys get their dream job when they leave the program. So those are the things we don’t take shortcuts on. We build our culture. That’s important.”

Finally, Beard went in-depth on finding ways to build up the hype around men’s basketball within their fanbase. Whether it’s through their students, their alumni, or anyone else that supports the program, he wants them to know his team is representing them and that they should have pride in what they’re doing on the court.

“Our thing is just to try and unite this fanbase,” Beard said. “To let the people know that we’re here to win, we’re here to do it the right way, we’re here to represent the school, the community, and the state of Mississippi. We’ve got to build a relationship with our fans.”

“To me, it always starts with the student body. We’re looking forward to spending a lot of time on campus, especially this summer. With recruiting now and the portal, you’re not able to be on campus as much as you’d like to be when you get the job. But our relationship efforts with the students will start this summer,” continued Beard. “(We’re) trying to create one of the best student sections in college basketball. We’re off to a great start because Coach Davis and those guys left us a really, really strong foundation. And everything else going on with the other sports here at Ole Miss? We’re gonna ride that momentum.”

“And, certainly, with season ticket holders and loyal Ole Miss alumni? Developing that relationship with them where they take a lot of pride in Ole Miss basketball and know we’re doing things the right way,” Beard said. “So those are some goals in year one. Definitely get your culture going and start developing these relationships with the fanbase.”

There you have it. Beard says it’s going to take a recipe of winning, culture, identity, and a rabid fanbase to get Ole Miss where he wants them. That’s a long checklist, though, which means it’s time for him to get down to business this summer in Oxford.