Basketball

Asked and Answered: Rebels’ Chris Beard Keeps Getting Arkansas Questions

Ole Miss coach keeps having to start off these league-wide media interviews looking in the rear-view mirror instead of ahead

Published

11 months ago

October 16, 2024

andyhsports@gmail.com

OXFORD, Miss. — Considering the question was asked (and answered) last year, exactly why does Chris Beard’s brief time in Little Rock still news?

That was the first thing for the Ole Miss coach at the SEC Tip-Off on Tuesday was about his year in Little Rock. It was also asked and covered last year. Did the reporter think it was going to change any time soon?

“I told you last year, loved my year at Little Rock,” Beard said, obviously anticipating the question from an Arkansas reporter. “Special team. Had a couple players on that team that were good enough to play in the SEC. I loved the food in downtown Little Rock, got great family and friends there. Be really interested in answering a question today about anything Ole Miss or SEC basketball.”

That more or less set the tone. I was hoping the next question is if he’d found some pretty good food in Oxford, but the plowed on through. They basically ignored his last comments.

It was tied loosely to the SEC in general with Oklahoma coach Porter Moser being a graduate at UALR and how their time there may have helped them get to leading an SEC program.

Beard handled it quickly (no negatives on Little Rok) and was ready to move on. He finally got around to talking about this year’s team, but more importantly, what he’s building for the Rebels.

Particularly improving the non-conference schedule, especially for home games.

“That’s one of the responsibilities of the head coach of Ole Miss is to think about from time to time what is good for the game of basketball in the state of Mississippi,” he said.

That’s something several Ole Miss coaches have talked about over the years, but few have actually done it. I’ve heard coaches at other programs say if anybody gets the entire state suddenly making basketball something other than entertainment between football and baseball, it could be huge.

The state of Mississippi has cranked out NBA players by the truckload over the years. Most of them have played for schools in other states. Beard probably sees that.

“We’ve upgraded the schedule,” Beard said. “We’ve got some exciting games. We’ve got some home games. We’ve got some neutral site games. But, yeah, I think this year’s schedule is going to give us an opportunity to do some things in the non-conference. I told the guys yesterday in our meeting, the schedule is going to give you opportunity, and as a player that’s all you can really ask for, and as a coach, same thing.”

The Rebels will start with an exhibition game Sunday, Oct. 27, against Illinois.

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Basketball

Ole Miss takes advantage of turnovers to blow out Delaware State

Rebels score 30 points off 23 turnovers by Hornets and Starr Jacobs has big night in 80-42 win over Hornets

Published

10 months ago

November 14, 2024

All Hotty Toddy News

DOVER, Del. — Ole Miss reached the 80-point mark for the second consecutive game, stomping Delaware State, 80-42, at Memorial Hall Gym on Thursday evening.

The Rebels (2-1, 0-0 SEC) turned defense into offense all night, taking advantage of 23 turnovers by the Hornets (1-3, 0-0 MEAC), and scoring 30 points off them. On the other side, Ole Miss played its cleanest game of the season, giving up only six turnovers. It’s the fewest by the Rebels since last season when they had the same amount in the win against Georgia on Jan. 21, 2024.

Four Rebels reached double-digit scoring, with Starr Jacobs having her best performance as a Rebel. She led the team with 18 points, six rebounds and a pair of assists.

Kennedy Todd-Williams also had an impressive all-around performance against Delaware State. She scored 13 points on a trio of three-pointers, her personal best in a Rebel jersey. The senior hauled in a team-leading nine rebounds, dished out five assists and punished the Hornets defensively with two blocks and a steal.

KK Deans had a season-high seven assists against the Hornets, the most by any Rebel in a single game so far this year. In her closest shot at a homecoming game, Madison Scott shined once again with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists.

With a hot start coming from Sira Thienou, the Rebels and Hornets kept pace with one another in the opening frame. The freshman tied her career-high of six points in just 10 minutes, guiding the Rebels to a 13-9 lead at the end of the first.

An early jumper from Thienou secured her career-high as the Rebels and Hornets continued to trade blows early in the second. Thienou ended the game with 13 points on an efficient 5-for-7 shooting.

After regrouping at the media timeout, Ole Miss came out blazing with a 12-2 run sparked by three jumpers from Scott and 12 turnovers by the hosts. Todd-Williams capped off the half with her second three-pointer of the day, giving the Rebels a 37-21 lead entering the break.

Shooting 50% from the arc after a trio of threes from three different Rebels, Ole Miss continued to extend their lead. The Rebels capitalized at the free throw line, as Christeen Iwuala and Jacobs combined for four in the final two and a half minutes to maintain Ole Miss’ double-digit advantage, 58-32.

With victory in sight, Jacobs showed her veteran status by draining four jumpers right out of the break. The Rebels built up their lead by as many as 40 in the final quarter to go on to defeat the Hornets, 80-42.

The Rebels are back at the SJB Pavilion for the annual Kids Day game against SWAC opponent, Jackson State on Monday. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. CT and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

Information from Ole Miss Sports is included in this story

Basketball

Beard adds two top recruits to Ole Miss’ basketball roster

Rebels add couple of recruits, including son of current assistant coach to roster for next season

Published

10 months ago

November 13, 2024

All Hotty Toddy News

OXFORD, Miss. — Chris Beard and staff continued to build for the future of Ole Miss, adding two top recruits on Wednesday’s National Signing Day in forward Tylis Jordan and guard Patton Pinkins.

Jordan is a consensus top-100 recruit for the class of 2025, owning a national ranking as high as No. 27 in the country by On3 and No. 28 by Rivals. Listed as a power forward, the 6-9 Louisville, Ga., native is an incredibly skilled big man who can easily play with the ball in his hands.

He has the ability to stretch the floor with his shooting and is able to knock down threes. One of the top-ranked players in his class in the always-talented state of Georgia, Jordan averaged a double-double last season at Shiloh as a junior with 21.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, and is currently playing his senior season at Wheeler.

Another top-100 recruit, Pinkins is ranked as high as No. 74 in his class nationally by ESPN and No. 78 by Rivals. A 6-5 shooting guard from Wolfforth, Texas, he currently plays at Frenship High School, where he’s described as an efficient player with a shooting percentage of over 60 percent from the field and over 40 percent from three.

Pinkins, the son of current Ole Miss assistant coach Al Pinkins, posses a high basketball IQ with strong passing ability. His ability as an on-ball defender pairs well with his prowess at scoring the basketball at all three levels.

Their two commitments in the 2025 class gives Beard and the Rebels a top-25 class across all major recruiting services, ranking No. 12 in the nation by Rivals, No. 16 by On3, and No. 25 by 247Sports.

Information Ole Miss Sports is included in this story.