Chris Beard
The Hoosiers will want to swing big, and all seven of these candidates are big swings that may or may not be interested in a move to Bloomington. If recent history is any indication, Beard isn’t against moving for jobs, as he’s been head coach at eight different schools in the last 25 years, including four different D1 stops in the last decade. He’s also got a winning pedigree that Indiana certainly wants to emulate.
Beard attended Texas, worked at several junior colleges and smaller schools, and really got his coaching start as Bob Knight’s associate head coach at Texas Tech. He led Little Rock to a wild NCAA Tournament upset before leading Texas Tech to the national title game just three years later. His tenure back home at Texas ended abruptly due to off-court allegations, but Beard has Ole Miss in fantastic shape in his second year leading the Rebels.
Before his arrest, Beard was one of the rising names in the coaching world and he’s done a solid job rehabbing his image in the last two years, though it still may be a red flag for some involved with Indiana’s search. That being said, there might not be a head coach in the entire nation who’s done a better job building programs, developing quick success at all four of his D1 head coaching stops. Could Beard make it five with the Hoosiers?