Ole Miss Basketball’s Chris Beard Named Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year
**Beard earns prestigious award as the top head coach in Division I basketball**
SAN ANTONIO – CollegeInsider.com has named Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard the recipient of the 2025 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award, recognizing him as the top head coach in Division I college basketball.
In just his second season at the helm, Beard led the Rebels to historic success, tying the program’s best NCAA Tournament run with a Sweet 16 appearance. Ole Miss finished the season with 24 wins, the third-most in program history, and set multiple statistical records.
Beard’s squad made a statement in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, securing a first-round victory over North Carolina before upsetting No. 3 seed Iowa State in the second round. Their postseason run ended in a narrow three-point loss to No. 2 seed Michigan State in the Sweet 16.
The Jim Phelan Award is named after the legendary Mount St. Mary’s head coach, who won over 800 games in his 49-year career and was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Beard now joins an elite list of past recipients, cementing his status as one of the nation’s top coaching minds.
