LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Some coaches quote military heroes. Others borrow from business gurus. Positive thinkers rely on other positive thinkers.
On Tuesday night, as his team cruised to a 54-31 halftime lead against Kentucky, Ole Miss coach Chris Beard credited the Rebels' success to his beloved mentor, another coach.
"That's Bob Knight," Beard said. "Victory favors the most aggressive team and the one that makes the fewest mistakes."
It wasn't the first time Beard quoted the Hall of Fame coach. When his team played at Louisville on Dec. 3, Beard wore an Ole Miss polo shirt with Knight's signature on the upper right side of the clothing. But considering the show the Rebels put on while defeating UK by 14 points in Oxford and the way the Indiana University basketball season is rapidly dissolving into a puddle of phlegm, the next question is obvious:
Was Beard sending a bat signal to the decision-makers at IU?
If you want somebody who wins and coaches with many of the philosophies that Knight preached while winning three NCAA and 11 Big Ten titles over his Hall of Fame career at Indiana, take a long and serious look at my resume.
Only Beard can answer that question. He quotes Knight all the time. He worked for Knight and Knight's son, Patrick, for nearly a decade at Texas Tech.
And only Indiana administrators can answer whether they would consider Beard, concerning the problems that surrounded him 26 months ago that pushed him out of his dream job at Texas to coaching Ole Miss.
But after Indiana fell behind Wisconsin 8-0, 19-2 and 26-4 merely minutes after Ole Miss finished off Kentucky, Beard's words and performance became a talking point in the hyperbolic world of what is the future of Indiana basketball.
The future is not Mike Woodson.
Not after the Hoosiers lost for the sixth time in seven games and inched closer to last place than first place in the Big Ten, despite a player NIL payroll that many believe is close to $5 million.
Indiana will be looking for a coach.
At 1 p.m. Saturday, the program will stage a surreal situation at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers are likely to be a slight home underdog against Michigan.
Woodson has already been booed in Bloomington. He'll hear it again Saturday. The cheers will be directed at Michigan coach Dusty May, a former IU student manager under Knight.
May also has a Final Four on his resume from Florida Atlantic. And he's doing a better job in Ann Arbor than Woodson is doing in Bloomington.
At 8-2, the Wolverines sit in third place in the Big Ten, in line to get a double bye for the Big Ten Tournament that will be played in Indianapolis next month.
At 5-7, the Hoosiers sit alone in 11th place. If they slide lower than 15th place (and Indiana still must play Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA, Purdue, Oregon and Ohio State) the Hoosiers won't even make it to Indianapolis.
Indiana will be looking for a coach.
Will it look at Beard?
That's a topic guaranteed to drive spirited debate for the next six weeks.
Beard's coaching performance should get him into the discussion for any job. When the Rebels make the NCAA Tournament field next month it will be Beard's sixth trip to the party in nine seasons as a head coach.
He upset Purdue (and Matt Painter) as a 12-seed in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
In 2018, his second season at Texas Tech, he advanced to the Elite Eight before losing to the Villanova team that won the national title.
In 2019, his Red Raiders squad lost the NCAA championship game to Virginia in overtime.
In 2021 he won 18 games and exited the NCAA Tournament in the second round against Eric Musselman and Arkansas.
In 2022, his first season at Texas, he won 22 games, losing to Purdue in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
And in 2022-23 Beard put himself on a DO NOT HIRE list for many jobs.
On Dec. 12, 2022, after a 911 call, Beard was arrested and charged with third-degree felony assault of his fiancé, Randy Trew. The police report cited choking, bite marks and bruises. Trew said Beard choked her from behind and that she could not breath for five seconds.
Beard did not coach another game for the Longhorns. He was fired less than a month later. Trew later withdrew her allegations. The local district attorney dismissed the charges, based on the evidence as well as Trew's wishes not to prosecute.
Beard apologized, saying that he was "deeply remorseful," for everybody who was affected by the situation.
Beard's time out of the game lasted less than one full season. Ole Miss hired him on March 13, 2023. In less than two full seasons, Beard has won better than 67% of his games at Ole Miss, typically a pretender in the Southeastern Conference.
Next month Ole Miss will become the fourth program Beard has taken to the NCAA Tournament. No trouble has been reported from Oxford. Ole Miss sweetened and extended his contract last March. Beard's name made the discussion list for multiple jobs last season, primarily Arkansas. Some wanted Louisville to consider him at Kenny Payne's replacement.
Beard is still grinding at Ole Miss, where his team has defeated Louisville, Arkansas, Alabama, Texas and Kentucky.
After the victory over Kentucky, Beard made another interesting comment about a philosophical change he was working. He loved the way his team defended against Kentucky in the first half. He did not love the way they defended in the second half.
"You know, I'm working on this deal that we smell the roses along the way and try to stay positive," Beard said.
Maybe Beard was just honoring the most influential coach in his life on Tuesday night. Or maybe he was sending a message to Bloomington.
Indiana Basketball Coverage:
- BOZICH | How long can Indiana basketball avoid its coaching problem?
- BOZICH | Where do Kelsey, Pope, Calipari, May rank among 15 first-season Power 5 coaches?
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