Why Chris Beard says returning Ole Miss basketball players are his top priority
OXFORD — The holdovers from what is now a bygone era of Ole Miss basketball watched from the bleachers to the left of the stage inside the SJB Pavilion while the new era received its introduction.
Chris Beard, before addressing a dropped domestic violence felony charge in a press conference not open to the public, laid out his vision for the future of Ole Miss basketball in front of a few hundred fans.
Among the keen observers were arguably the three most notable names on Ole Miss' roster this season. Forward Jaemyn Brakefield, who has already announced his intent to enter the transfer portal, arrived first. Then came leading scorer Matthew Murrell and former McDonald's All-American Daeshun Ruffin, who stepped away from the program midseason to focus on his mental and physical health. Win Case – an assistant under former coach Kermit Davis who took charge when Davis and Ole Miss parted ways – was also present.
Will they be part of this era of Ole Miss basketball, too?
"Simply stated, one of the reasons I took this job is because of the talent on the roster and the coaching staff," Beard said, fighting back tears. "I look forward to working with many of these guys. I really appreciate you guys being here tonight. I'll get emotional talking about it. But I appreciate you guys, and I can't wait to coach some of you."
Three Rebels have already gone public with their intent to enter the transfer portal. Brakefield is the most significant of that bunch. He ranked second on the team with 11.1 points per game and shot 53.7% from the field.
Freshman guard and former four-star prospect Amaree Abram also announced he would test out the transfer portal. Abram started 22 games and averaged 8.0 points. Sophomore guard James White will enter the portal, too. He was largely a bit-part player for the Rebels this season, but turned a corner to score in double figures three times in his final six games.
For his part, Case said after the SEC Tournament that he wasn't sure what the next step was for him. He'd been an assistant for Davis dating back to 2009, when Davis was at Middle Tennessee.
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Beard said the returning players from Ole Miss' 2022-23 team were his top recruiting priority – along with the players who were in the recruiting class Davis signed in November.
Two members of that class – four-star forward Rashaud Marshall and three-star forward Jordan Burks – have reaffirmed their commitments to Ole Miss after speaking with Beard. Josh Hubbard, a four-star guard and Mississippi high school basketball's all-time leading scorer, asked to be released from his National Letter of Intent last month and announced his commitment to Mississippi State on Monday. Forward Jacob Gazzo is the only member of that class who has not publicly addressed his future yet.
"I think there (were) four who were in the class and we made contact with everyone," Beard said. "We're in the process of developing relationships as well as developing ongoing recruiting, because we're obviously going to have to (add) some more players to have the talented players that we need to do what we came here to do."
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Returning Ole Miss basketball players top priority for Chris Beard
