Ole Miss Basketball's Chris Beard Named Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year

Beard earns the prestigious award, selected as the top head coach in Division 1 basketball.

Mar 28, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Chris Beard in the first half of a South Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament against the Michigan State Spartans at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

SAN ANTONIO – CollegeInsider.com announced their recipient of the 2025 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award on Monday, selecting Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard as the top head coach in Division I college basketball.

In just his second season guiding the Rebels, Beard pushed Ole Miss to historic heights, matching the program's furthest run in the NCAA Tournament with a Sweet 16 appearance.

Ole Miss accumulated 24 wins this past season, tied for the third-most in program history, and set numerous statistical records.

The team recently picked up a victory over North Carolina in the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, before a convincing win over No. 3 seed Iowa State in the second round.

They narrowly fell to No. 2-seeded Michigan State by three points in the Sweet 16.

The Jim Phelan Award is named in honor of the head coach who is best known for his 49-year career at Mount Saint Mary's, where he accumulated over 800 wins and was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

Introduced in 2003, previous winners of the award include Tubby Smith, Tony Bennett, John Calipari, Bob Huggins, and Mark Adams

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