Ole Miss Basketball's Chris Beard Studying Tom Brady To Lead Program This Season

Chris Beard and the Ole Miss Rebels continue navigating a critical offseason in Oxford with the program looking ahead to the 2025-26 season.

After a Sweet 16 appearance during Beard's second season at the helm, the program is looking to take that next step in the Magnolia State.

To do that, the Rebels are utilizing tactics from NFL legend Tom Brady.

Despite Beard and Brady not having a clearcut connection, Ole Miss' shot-caller is studying the football legend's mindset and how it can positively impact the program.

“I don’t think I’ve met Tom Brady,” Chris Beard said. “I might have shook his hand at some event, but I’ve never met him in terms of a quality conversation or anything. One thing I’ve always done is each offseason I’ll try to study winning.

"It doesn’t always have to happen in the form of basketball. It doesn’t always have to be athletic-minded, but just try to study successful people and try to learn what makes them tick.”

It's no secret Brady is a football icon with his perseverance paving the way in his legendary career after being selected No. 199 overall in the 2000 NFL Draft.

Beard is studying his aporoach and tendencies in hopes it can make an impact on the Ole Miss program as a whole.

“With Brady, what he did in football kind of speaks for himself. In retirement this past year or so he’s pretty vocal and does an interview from time to time. Always really interested in the guy that will really talk and not all the fluff. That’s one of the cool things about today’s world,” Beard said.

“All these podcasts and stuff, it seems like these winners and elite people will talk more free than they used to back in the day… So, you were just starved for information on these people, but now it’s like people just talk on a daily basis.

"So, I think the access to information, then you kind of weed it out. You can tell that’s kind of fluffy. That’s who he is. If you listen to a guy long enough and you study him or her, you can kind of understand what makes them tick.”

What makes Brady "tick" is what has intrigued Beard this offseason as he studies the NFL great.

“With Brady, it’s like the ultimate chip-on-your-shoulder guy. Wasn’t supposed to play in college, ends up being the best player. Wasn’t supposed to be a draft pick, ends up being the best player. All of his teams won,” Beard said.

“I think his relationship with his teammates, coaches, owners, the whole deal. So, I really enjoyed trying to learn as much as I could about him.”

Now, it's about studying his mentality and demeanor it hopes that it can rub off on the Ole Miss basketball program ahead of the 2025-26 season.

“Ultimately, I get it down to the CliffsNotes version and try to get that information to the players. I don’t expect Gusto to spend all the time that I spend on those projects. But if I can get him the bottom line and five minutes of information that it took me four months to gather,” Beard said.

“I always thought that’s kind of one of my responsibilities as a coach is to continue to help these guys. Educate them. So, yeah, I’ve spent a lot of time this offseason, spring, looking at Tom Brady.”