Chris Beard Optimistic After Alabama Exhibition, Addresses Eligibility and Honoring Andy Kennedy
Ole Miss men’s basketball coach Chris Beard met with reporters Thursday and struck a measured but upbeat tone as the Rebels continue preparing for the 2026-27 season.
Coming off an exhibition against Alabama, Beard said his team showed clear progress from an earlier closed-door scrimmage while identifying areas that still need work.
“We got better that night,” Beard said. “First of all, big picture, I think we got better from our first opportunity, which was a closed-door scrimmage about a week before that Alabama game. I thought we did a lot of things better than we had done previously. The scrimmage exposed a lot of things, obviously. Got to do a better job in the rebounding game. But I thought it was kind of as designed. I think we got a lot out of that opportunity.”
Beard noted that facing a legitimate preseason top-10 or top-15 SEC opponent on national television sharpened the players’ focus in a way a typical closed-door session might not.
“Did it get the guys’ attention? I think so,” he said. “I think it felt a little bit different than maybe some years where you just play a closed door. Game is on national television. We’re playing an SEC opponent. So if given the opportunity to do that again in the future, hopefully in Oxford from time to time, I would definitely be open to that.”
One clear positive stood out: the Rebels committed just 10 turnovers against the Crimson Tide. Beard wants to build on that ball security while fixing the rebounding deficiencies the game exposed.
Looking ahead to Tuesday’s tune-up against UAB, Beard said the staff will tighten the rotation while still providing minutes to players who have earned them through practice.
“We’re going to try to make this more game-like,” he said. “We did not approach the Alabama game like a game. We did not approach our closed doors. So this will be a little bit more game-like, but we still have some clear-cut objectives on playing some guys some minutes that they deserve.”
Honoring the Past
Beard also discussed plans to honor former Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy, the program’s all-time winningest coach, during the UAB game. Kennedy was the first coach to lead the Rebels in The Pavilion.
“When we take a new job over, we try to embrace the past,” Beard said. “There’s a reason why we have the good job that we have today here. It’s those that came before us… I think we should honor the all-time winningest coach that ever coached here. AK’s time at Ole Miss was real… In my opinion we should honor the all-time winningest coach in this school’s history.”
Beard praised Kennedy’s continued role as a positive ambassador for the university even after leaving for UAB, and said Tuesday’s recognition is only the beginning of efforts to better tell the program’s history.
Eligibility Updates
On the ongoing eligibility situations involving transfers Corey and Micah, Beard provided the latest available information. He said Corey is currently eligible until the next hearing date. If that date falls after the UAB game, Corey will be available to play. Micah’s case remains unresolved and is still awaiting a court date.
“We have a game on Tuesday. Who is eligible to play right now? And is there a court case in between now and when we play that might impact that?” Beard said. “With Corey specifically, that’s some information I’m actually looking for today… Micah’s case [is] a little bit different.”
Beard continues to emphasize controlling what the program can control as the Rebels integrate a roster heavy on newcomers and navigate the final stretch of preseason preparation.