Texas Tech beat Gonzaga, 85-79, in March 2019, and that win likely put Eric Musselman at Arkansas. The Razorbacks wanted Chris Beard as its head coach, but Beard refused to go through that process until his team finished the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas wanted to get on with it and was afraid of losing both of them, so the day before Texas Tech played Virginia in the national championship on April 8, the Hogs announced Musselman. Had Gonzaga won the week before, Arkansas was going to offer Beard, and sources say he would have taken it.
Last March, I was talking to an Arkansas donor who also has a hand in Little Rock's athletic program and knows Beard well from his time with the Trojans. We have a mutual friend, and I was learning about Beard. The person told me he thought Beard would have some loyalty to Ole Miss for the opportunity, but he would want program buy-in from top to bottom and it may only last until Arkansas opened up. There was a certainty to the latter. The former has been proven.
Fast forward to today, and Beard turned down Arkansas. He had an offer. The Razorbacks sweetened the deal at least once and maybe multiple times and took the eventual public blow when Beard tweeted about the Rebels just after lunch. I don't know how long he'll be here, and it won't be the last team to come calling, but Ole Miss successfully fought off the team that the basketball world thought was a foregone conclusion to snag him.
Keith Carter and Walker Jones have been hunting with the Jordans the past few days, and Keith handled this situation while in Georgia. Beard agreed to a deal last month and finalized it, but with Arkansas throwing some crazy offers out there to try to convince him, the Rebels stepped up and increased the commitment again. Instead of panic or what couldn't happen, it was a quick counterstrike to keep the coach. It send a message, and it sends an expectation. That goes even to Beard, who has to replenish his roster from the transfer portal and find the ingredients to make year two better -- especially as the season progresses. The ball is in his court now, and Ole Miss is confident he will succeed with the resources available. Both sides are demanding excellence from each other. Someone told me last night Beard doesn't want to be middle-of-the-road in anything. It was talking about his resources but also his success and doing his job in this era.
Ole Miss played big-boy athletics today, batting away very motivated competition and convincing Beard to turn down the job that he's somewhat coveted. Wheels turned just in case and there was a plan if needed, but the priority thing was to keep Beard.
Arkansas requested permission to talk to Beard yesterday, and within hours Ole Miss had the framework of a deal to halt any Razorback momentum. Arkansas moved on just before noon today. The Hogs got desperate and wanted and needed a yes. Kept adding and trying. But, in the end, Ole Miss and Beard decided to believe in each other. They chose each other.
Last March, I was talking to an Arkansas donor who also has a hand in Little Rock's athletic program and knows Beard well from his time with the Trojans. We have a mutual friend, and I was learning about Beard. The person told me he thought Beard would have some loyalty to Ole Miss for the opportunity, but he would want program buy-in from top to bottom and it may only last until Arkansas opened up. There was a certainty to the latter. The former has been proven.
Fast forward to today, and Beard turned down Arkansas. He had an offer. The Razorbacks sweetened the deal at least once and maybe multiple times and took the eventual public blow when Beard tweeted about the Rebels just after lunch. I don't know how long he'll be here, and it won't be the last team to come calling, but Ole Miss successfully fought off the team that the basketball world thought was a foregone conclusion to snag him.
Keith Carter and Walker Jones have been hunting with the Jordans the past few days, and Keith handled this situation while in Georgia. Beard agreed to a deal last month and finalized it, but with Arkansas throwing some crazy offers out there to try to convince him, the Rebels stepped up and increased the commitment again. Instead of panic or what couldn't happen, it was a quick counterstrike to keep the coach. It send a message, and it sends an expectation. That goes even to Beard, who has to replenish his roster from the transfer portal and find the ingredients to make year two better -- especially as the season progresses. The ball is in his court now, and Ole Miss is confident he will succeed with the resources available. Both sides are demanding excellence from each other. Someone told me last night Beard doesn't want to be middle-of-the-road in anything. It was talking about his resources but also his success and doing his job in this era.
Ole Miss played big-boy athletics today, batting away very motivated competition and convincing Beard to turn down the job that he's somewhat coveted. Wheels turned just in case and there was a plan if needed, but the priority thing was to keep Beard.
Arkansas requested permission to talk to Beard yesterday, and within hours Ole Miss had the framework of a deal to halt any Razorback momentum. Arkansas moved on just before noon today. The Hogs got desperate and wanted and needed a yes. Kept adding and trying. But, in the end, Ole Miss and Beard decided to believe in each other. They chose each other.
