Mississippi

Everything a frustrated Chris Beard said after a listless Ole Miss loss to Mississippi State

Published

11 months ago

February 16, 2025

Everything a frustrated Chris Beard said after a listless Ole Miss loss to Mississippi State

ESPN predicted before Saturday’s slate of college basketball games 14 of the SEC’s 16 teams would make the NCAA Tournament. No. 19 Ole Miss was included as a 5-seed.

Actually, the Rebels’ resume was/is so strong a win or loss against rival Mississippi State wasn’t go to move the needle much, if at all, either way. But a listless, 81-71 effort? If nothing else, it shook up something in second-year head coach Chris Beard.

A clearly-frustrated Beard tore into his team in his postgame press conference. Ole Miss fell to 19-7 overall and 8-5 in the SEC. Mississippi State improved to 18-7 (6-6). The teams were meeting for the second time ever with both ranked in the Top 25. Mississippi State has now swept both of those matchups, each coming this season.

Ole Miss is off this week before traveling to Vanderbilt (17-8, 5-7) Saturday, February 22. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

Here’s everything Beard had to say afterwards.

ON TEAM REBOUNDING

Beard: We got pounded on the glass. We had zero offensive rebounds in the first half. At times during the game we were non-competitive on the glass.

ON OLE MISS GETTING BULLIED

Beard: I wish I could tell you I was surprised, but I wasn’t. I think these last two games, the four halves we played on the road, fortunate to win those games. But I would agree with the players if they said they weren’t the most aggressive team tonight.

I give Mississippi State credit. Got a good coach, good players. I thought (Shawn Jones, Jr.) was the difference in the game. You look at his plus-minus (+22), winning basketball. You look at the stat sheet on us, we had one guy that had a positive plus-minus today. We got some good minutes from Mikeal (Brown-Jones) off the bench.

College basketball is a players’ game. You’ve got to have guys show up to play. Ultimately where the coach fits in is it’s his responsibility to get the guys ready to play. Want to apologize to all the fans that drove into Oxford today to watch this rivalry. We did our best to explain to the guys how important this game was. We obviously didn’t get it done.

ON TEAM COMPLACENCY

Beard: If complacency is a part of this then we’ve got some guys that need to do some real soul-searching. Complacent for what? What have we done that allows us to be complacent?

ON STATE’S SUPERIOR SENSE OF URGENCY

Beard: I think it’s a fair statement. It’s hard for me as the coach to say that, but that’s exactly what I told the guys after the gamy. Victory is going to favor the team that’s more aggressive. In this time of year, in the SEC, you’re supposed to see two aggressive teams going at it. The victory will favor the team with the fewest mistakes once guys show up to fight.

For a lot of the game, we weren’t a part of the aggressiveness fight. That’s what rebounding is. That’s finishing around the basket, demanding that the refs call the fouls.

“We had a lot of softness to us today. That’s not easy for me to say as the coach. That’s one thing we pride ourselves on.”

We’re not going to win every game, but we do have an objective that we’re not going to put an effort out there like I thought we put out there today. Not taking anything away from Mississippi State; their backs are against the wall. They’re chasing wins here down the stretch in mid-February. They have great role definition on their team. (Jones, Jr.) is just a winner. I don’t care what the stat line says; just look at the final number. I felt (his plus-minus) when I was out there. It’s a winning player.

Who brought their ‘A’ game for us today? I’m not sitting here throwing the players under the bus. We coached the team — our staff. We’re all in this together. Team obviously wasn’t well-coached today. The players didn’t perform at the level it’s going to take to beat a team that’s very hungry right now.

ON THE BYE WEEK

Beard: You look forward to the break after a win. You dread the break after a loss.

ON GOING DEEP INTO THE BENCH

Beard: Some of the substitutions tonight were to literally get people out there that were playing with a sense of pride for Ole Miss. Understood a lot of people paid real money to come to this game today. We’re not going to make every shot, you’re not going to win every game, but you can absolutely control what you can control, and that’s effort, body language, competitiveness. We were lacking a lot of those things.

Thought John Bol gave us great minutes. (Eduardo) Klafke is always an energy guy. Rob (Caldwell’s) been battling injuries, really, his whole career. This year, no different. It was great to see Rob out there contributing today. He could be a big part of what we’re trying to do down the stretch.

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Mississippi

Mississippi lawmakers to tackle school choice, PERS reform as session begins

Published

10 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) – Mississippi lawmakers will address school choice legislation, PERS reform, and Gulf Coast Restoration Fund distribution when the legislative session begins Tuesday, according to political analyst Frank Corder with the Magnolia Tribune.

School choice

Corder said school choice will likely be the first major issue addressed, with House Speaker Jason White making it one of his main agenda items this session.

School choice policies would let families use public funds to enroll their children in schools outside their assigned local option, including private schools.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if the first week or two, we don’t see a bill dropped and by the end of January, there’s some kind of action on that bill,” said Corder.

The Senate will likely take a more measured approach to school choice legislation, Corder said. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann has said he supports opening up public-to-public transfers but not necessarily allowing money to follow students from public to private schools.

ALSO READ: Lt. Gov. targets chronic absenteeism, supports limited school choice options

Corder expects Mississippi will pass some form of public-to-public transfer system that allows parents to choose schools outside their assigned district, though he is uncertain whether universal school choice will advance this session.

Gulf Coast Restoration Fund

This session, lawmakers will look at how Gulf Coast Restoration Funds are distributed, Corder said. The fund operates as an advisory body that makes recommendations to the Mississippi Development Authority, which then sends proposals to lawmakers for funding decisions.

Corder said Coast lawmakers have typically been unified in their requests, but when they are not, funding has lagged.

“I do expect them to maybe revamp how things are done this time. If it doesn’t happen, I’ll be surprised,” he said.

ALSO READ: 16 projects recommended for Gulf Coast Restoration Funds

Corder believes focus will shift toward larger, coastwide projects spanning from Jackson County to Hancock County, including infrastructure improvements and coastal restoration projects.

PERS reform

The Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) will also likely receive attention this session.

Corder said lawmakers could consider changes to Tier 5 that would reduce the 35-year work requirement for law enforcement officers and firefighters before retirement.

In March 2025, the state legislature passed House Bill 1, which changed PERS to require 35 years of service for full retirement benefits, regardless of age, starting March 1, 2026.

ALSO READ: Mississippi first responders unite to propose separate state retirement tier

Corder believes lawmakers will also consider injecting resources into PERS to improve its financial stability.

Vote 2026

Corder also weighed in on the midterm elections happening this year. Last week, candidates filed paperwork to qualify.

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith will face a Republican primary challenge from Sarah Adlakha of the Gulf Coast. Corder said Hyde-Smith has advantages as the incumbent with an established “campaign war chest,” while Adlakha appears to be self-financing her campaign.

ALSO READ: MS candidates file for federal election qualification

In the 4th Congressional District, Rep. Mike Ezell faces challenges from Republican Sawyer Walters. On the Democratic side, State Rep. Jeffery Hulum and two others are running along with one Independent.

“That could be an interesting race to watch,” said Corder.

Rep. Bennie Thompson also has a Democratic challenger, Evan Turnage, who previously served as chief counsel for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Congressional primaries are scheduled for Tuesday, March 10.

See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.

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Mississippi

Dallas fugitive arrested in Mississippi

Published

22 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

PORT GIBSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Port Gibson police announced a fugitive wanted out of Dallas, Texas, was arrested in Mississippi. Police said they received credible information that Latavien Manning was in Port Gibson on January 3, 2026. He was wanted for aggravated assault with a firearm and had been on the run for six months. […]

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Mississippi

Two more Mississippi State players announce decision to enter portal

Published

1 day ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Two more Mississippi State players announce decision to enter portal

The exodus of Mississippi State players continued Sunday afternoon with two more players announcing decisions to enter the transfer portal.

Running back Seth Davis and offensive lineman Luke Work have decided to enter the transfer portal. Both made their announcements in social media posts.

“I’m beyond thankful for my time at Mississippi State. These past two years gave me memories, friendships and lessons that I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life,” Work stated. “God gets all the glory. None of this would be possible without Him guiding my path. Thank you to every coach, teammate, staff member and all the amazing people I’ve met along the way. This place truly became family to me. No matter where the road takes me next, I’ll always be proud to say I wore maroon and white.”

Thank you, Mississippi State pic.twitter.com/u55t9dHTYR
— Luke Work (@LukeWork1) January 4, 2026

Work played in 23 games in his two seasons in Starkville. He was thrust into the starting lineup last season as a true freshman, starting seven games including five at left tackle. This past season Work worked mostly at tackle and guard and played in every game except the first against Southern Miss because of an injury.

Davis began his collegiate career with a solid 2023 season, playing in all 12 games and running 59 times for 356 yards and one touchdown. However, his career was put on hold in that season’s Egg Bowl when he suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss all of the 2024 season.

The Katy, Texas native was able to return to action this season and played in two games. Against Alcorn State, Davis had five carries for 47 yards and one touchdown. He enters the portal with three years of eligibility remaining.

I have decided to enter the transfer portal with 3 years of eligibility.#Godsplan🙏🏾
Thank you Mississippi State❤️ pic.twitter.com/zr7Wuzkyxm
— Seth Davis (@_SethDavis21) January 4, 2026