Chris Beard already working to keep current Ole Miss roster as intact as possible
Chris Beard was introduced to the Ole Miss fan base on Tuesday as the newest head coach for the men’s basketball program and in his initial comments Beard was well aware of what he needs to do first.
Recruiting is important, especially with the transfer portal opening on Monday and trying to keep what high school prospects he can, but Beard knows there is a more pressing matter at the moment.
In order to have the immediate success Beard spoke of on Tuesday he needs to try and keep as much of the current Ole Miss roster as he can intact. If those in attendance at his introduction was any indication then Beard is already undertaking that first mission.
Forward Jaemyn Brakefield was sitting in the SJB Pavilion along with guards Matthew Murrell and Daeshun Ruffin. Brakefield announced his intentions over the weekend to enter the transfer portal, so his presence on Tuesday could be taken as a sign Brakefield is rethinking leaving.
In the hours since Beard’s hiring he was in contact with as many current players as possible. Though every call did not end with a ‘I’m staying at Ole Miss, coach’ as it was just the first step.
“The conversations have been good,” Beard said during his press conference. “Everything’s been transparent. We support those guys going through their process. I never thought it was the coach’s job to come in and get a kid to come back in five minutes. It’s a decision, both ways. So, really what you’re talking about is a relationship and figuring out if it works for both people, both sides. Sometimes it happens quicker than not. Sometimes it is a one conversation, sometimes it takes a little longer.”
Beard is hitting the ground running when it comes to starting to build those relationships with the current roster.
Who Beard views as players he wants to retain or not is something that will be worked through as those relationships continue to be bridged.
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Keeping Murrell and Brakefield should be priority number one. James White also announced his plans to enter the transfer portal but was not present at Beard’s introduction.
Neither Ruffin nor Murrell have publicly announced their future plans beyond this season, but both being there on Tuesday gives an indication they would like to at least hear what Beard has to say and his vision for the program.
When looking at Ole Miss and its current state Beard could view the program as in a rebuild stage given the last couple seasons. Though he is taking a different approach due to the transfer portal and NIL having a say in the landscape of college athletics.
“I don’t know if rebuild’s the word, but I think roster management,” Beard said. “Creating a roster, it’s a year-to-year thing now. So, are we in a tough spot? No, I think we’re in a great spot. We have great people, great university, great city, great facilities. We have some real talent on the roster right now that we’re going to work hard towards developing a relationships with. It’s not hard to recruit to Ole Miss because you have all this stuff. We just have to find the right guy that’s about things that we’re about.”
