Why Ole Miss basketball coach Chris Beard studied Tom Brady in offseason
OXFORD — Ole Miss basketball coach Chris Beard completed some self-assigned homework over the offseason.
Beard said in a press conference on June 17 that he picks one person to study after his team's season ends. It's an open-ended task. The only requirement is his subject must be a winner.
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"It doesn't always have to happen in the form of basketball," Beard said. "It doesn't always have to be athletic minded. I just try to study successful people and try to learn what makes them tick."
Tom Brady certainly fits the bill. Beard chose to study Brady's career and mentality in the offseason. Brady won seven Super Bowls in his 23-year NFL career and retired in 2023 as the all-time leader in Super Bowl victories.
Much of Beard's study came from podcasts. He searched for longform interviews where Brady spoke in an unfiltered manner.
"What he did in football kind of speaks for himself," Beard said. "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 who will really talk and not all the fluff. One of the cool things about today's word, all these podcasts and stuff, these winners and elite people will talk more free than they used to back in the day."
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Beard said he may have shaken Brady's hand briefly at one event or another, but he's not had a meaningful conversation with the New England Patriots legend who was the No. 199 pick in the 2000 NFL Draft out of Michigan. Beard admires the relentlessness Brady played with.
"He's kind of the ultimate chip-on-your-shoulder guy," Beard said. "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."
Beard doesn't just internalize the information. The true value comes from boiling down what makes Brady tick and passing it along to his players such as junior forward Augusto Cassia.
"Ultimately I get it down to the CliffsNotes version and try to get that information to the players," Beard said. "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, that's kind of one of my responsibilities as a coach."
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Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss basketball coach Chris Beard studies Tom Brady
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