Veteran College Hoops Coach Explains Very Simple Reason He Went Nuclear On Officials Before Ejection
Beard was going to send a message regardless.
Ole Miss has had a rough go this college basketball season. A program that played in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament a year ago traveled to Knoxville on Tuesday night for its ninth SEC game with an overall record of 11-10, and just three conference wins to its name.
With any team barely staying afloat, there comes a point where a message needs to be sent, and head coach Chris Beard picked the second half of his team's eventual loss to Tennessee to send that message.
With just over six minutes left in the contest and with the Vols putting the game on ice, Beard wanted to see a foul called in the paint. The whistle never came, so Beard elected to walk onto the court and absolutely eviscerate the official.
Beard was well aware that his burst of emotion was going to lead to his ejection, but as he explained after the final whistle, he had to fight for his struggling program. The fact that he believed the whistle wasn't being blown enough simply added to the frustrations.
"You have a Hall of Fame coach here, first ballot, one of the best that’s ever done it," Beard said, referencing Tennessee coach Rick Barnes, when asked about being tossed from the game. "And I think if you look back at different spots in his career, he had to fight for his program. And so I kind of think that’s where we are with Ole Miss right now.
"I mean, the free-throw differential in this game and the foul differential in this game, just frustrating from a coaching standpoint and a playing standpoint. It’s never personal."
Ole Miss trailed Tennessee by just four points in the early stages of the second half, but ultimately fell by a count of 84-66.
As for the foul differential, the Vols finished the night with 34 free throw attempts, 13 more than the Rebels did. The key difference in the game, which has become a trend for Ole Miss this season, is that Beard's team was putrid on the glass with Tennessee out-rebounding the Rebels 40-23.