Rick Pitino believes Chris Beard is 'perfect' for Indiana job

Given his nearly five decades as a head basketball coach, including 36 years at the collegiate ranks, Rick Pitino has quite the expansive and impressive coaching tree. But when it comes to the soon-to-be-open Indiana head coaching position, the 72-year-old St. Johns head coach can only see one man leading the iconic Hoosiers, and he’s never worked for Pitino.

That would be Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard.

“Can I give you my pick? Ok. So, I’m going to have some people upset with me. If I was the AD at Indiana — Am I friendly with this person? Yes I am. Do I have a lot of respect for this person? Yes I do. — I would immediately, not even interview anybody else, and hire one of the premier coaches in all of college basketball, and that’s Chris Beard from Ole Miss,” Pitino said on Friday’s Pardon My Take podcast. “I wouldn’t even think about another person. He’s perfect for that job. He’s a tough, hard-nosed … the years I was sitting out I got friendly with him because he asked me — he didn’t know me, I didn’t know him — to come out to speak to his team. He was at Texas Tech. And I went out and spoke, but I watched two days of practice and I always judge a coach by his practices, and I have to tell you those were some of the best practices and meetings with his team that I’ve ever witnessed. So I am a gigantic fan of Chris Beard and I think he would kill it at Indiana.

“He’d have them in the Top 5-7 every single year. Remember he brought Texas Tech to the championship game and could’ve won it if that young man from Virginia didn’t hit that corner shot, the great shot that he did hit. So he’s a superstar, Top 3 coach in my estimation.”

Beard is in his second season at Ole Miss, where he has the Rebels (19-7, 8-5 SEC) ranked at No. 24 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll after losing last Saturday’s home game against rival Mississippi State, 81-71. Through two seasons under Beard, Ole Miss is 39-19 overall and 15-16 in SEC play.

Still, Beard doesn’t come without some potential baggage after his unceremonious firing at Texas early in the 2023-24 season. That came after Beard was arrested for domestic assault with strangulation, though the Travis County DA ultimately dropped all charges.

Current Indiana head coach Mike Woodson will step down at the end of the 2024-25 season after five years leading the Hoosiers.

Jeff Goodman: Indiana should call Rick Pitino to replace Mike Woodson

After news broke of Mike Woodson’s plans to step down and retire as Indiana head coach, the conversation quickly shifted to who could replace him. According to The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman – who broke the story – name should jump out if the top targets aren’t available.

Goodman said IU should call Rick Pitino, who’s putting together an impressive second season as the head coach at St. John’s. But even with that, he wondered if Pitino could come in and have an impact similar to Curt Cignetti on the football side, revitalizing the program in just one year.

Of course, the big names are sure to be Brad Stevens, Scott Drew and Billy Donovan. But if they don’t gain traction, Goodman said Pitino should be the big swing.

“My big name, if I’m Indiana and Scott Dolson and I strike out on Brad Stevens, Scott Drew? Rick Pitino,” Goodman said. “That’s who I’m calling. I’m calling Rick Pitino. I’m calling Rick Pitino and saying, ‘Hey, I know you’re doing well at St. John’s. I know you like New York. You built this thing in two years, rebuilt it into something where you’re back. But man, last I checked, St. John’s ain’t Indiana.’ Indiana’s got that campus feel, their support is much different. The feel is much different than St. John’s. There’s no campus at St. John’s. They’ll show up for games, but it’s a different type of feel among the basketball program.

“For me, Rick Pitino – I know he’s older, but who gives a shit? If you’re Indiana, these days, you’re not playing for like five, 10 years down the road to hire a coach that’s gonna be there forever. No. Like, three years. And for Indiana? Give me a year. They just had a year of football with Curt Cignetti. You don’t think they’d take that right now in basketball? Give me a Final Four this year, and they don’t give a shit after that. Give me another couple average years.”

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.