Stand By Me: Familiar faces (like Win Case) have made Chris Beard’s Ole Miss transition easier 

Chris Beard has been on the job four months as first-year Ole Miss men’s basketball head coach. 

He’s already packed in a year’s worth of work. 

He signed one of the top transfer classes in the country and added three high-school signees, including a four-star and Top 100 prospect in Rashaud Marshall. Beard recruited to return to Ole Miss veterans Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield, as well as now-second-year guards TJ Caldwell and Robert Cowherd. 

He officially finalized his coaching staff earlier this month, all the while bringing the Rebels along in their summer strength and conditioning program. The players this month were finally allowed to get on the practice floor in an official capacity with the coaches — albeit for only a few hours a week.

“It’s been good,” Beard recently told the Ole Miss Spirit. “Job transitions are always hard in a lot of ways.”

They’re made much easier with a friendly face or two around. 

Kermit Davis — who Beard replaced as Ole Miss head coach in March after five seasons — has done his part to help. Beard and Davis are long-time friends. Now-Ole Miss assistants Brian Burg and Al Pinkins were both on staff under Davis at previous coaching stops.

Davis gave Burg his first Division I coaching opportunity.

“We just have a lot of connectors,” Beard said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Kermit and what he did here. He’s just helped us a lot in the transition, too. We’ve maintained a friendship, which I think speaks a lot about him. 

“He’s just been great.”

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Win Case has helped, too. 

He previously served as Davis’ lead assistant for 15 seasons dating back to the pair’s time at Middle Tennessee. Case got the call as interim head coach in February following the dismissal of Davis. He coached the Rebels for five games and led them to one of their three SEC wins. 

Well, two, if counting a 67-61 win over South Carolina in the opening round of the SEC Tournament.

Beard kept Case on as Special Assistant to the Head Coach. His primary duties will come on the recruiting side, where the always-personable and approachable Case is arguably at his best.

“Win Case is somebody I’ve known for a long time,” Beard said. 

Beard and Case’s relationship dates back to the latter’s tenure at Oklahoma City University. 

Case was head coach for 13 seasons and posted a 343-127 record. He won the NAIA National Championship twice — in 1994 and again in 1996. Case in 2012 joined the likes of John Wooden and other legendary coaches as one of 15 coaches named to the NAIA 75th Anniversary Team.

“You go back and look at those records, it’s just amazing,” Beard said. “That guy would go seasons without losing, you know?”

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Will Jones was (and still is) a close friend of Beard’s at the time.

Beard said Jones, because of his age, wasn’t eligible to play Division 1. He could played lower-level ball, however.

“He took one visit and one visit only — to Oklahoma City to spend time with Win Case,” Beard said. “I believe the next year they won a championship together.

Yes, job transitions are hard. 

Good people make all the difference, and Beard has surrounded himself with a lot of them at Ole Miss.

“A lot of good people that have a lot of pride for Ole Miss and Oxford,” Beard said. “When you meet somebody for the first time, it’s nice to have some common ground. Everybody here loves Ole Miss, myself included, and everybody wants to win. We’re going into these relationships with kind of an understanding that we’re in it together.

“I’ve coached a lot of great places. I understand what pride looks like. But Ole Miss? It doesn’t get any better than this.”