Arkansas-Little Rock’s Chris Beard accepts UNLV basketball job

By Taylor Bern

Published Sunday, March 27, 2016 | 9:45 p.m.

Updated Monday, March 28, 2016 | 2:07 p.m.

In one season, Arkansas-Little Rock’s Chris Beard took the Sun Belt Conference by storm. The Rebels are betting that, in time, he can do the same thing in the Mountain West, because today, they officially announced Beard as the 12th coach in UNLV basketball history.

Beard, 43, comes to UNLV after one season leading the Arkansas-Little Rock (30-5) to the Sun Belt regular season and tournament championships and defeating Purdue as a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Beard is 171-50 as a head coach over several levels.

"In Chris Beard, we have selected a head coach who understands exactly what it takes to transform a program,” UNLV Athletics Director Tina Kunzer-Murphy said in a statement. “His coaching philosophy has been heavily shaped by legends such as Bobby Knight and Bill Self. He is committed to the academic, athletic and social development of his student-athletes, and he believes in toughness and effort."

Financial terms of the deal were not immediately available, though a source said the contract is expected to be for five years. At Little Rock, Beard made $260,000 annually — $230,000 base salary, $30,000 for media and TV appearances — so even doubling that would be just a fraction of what UNLV was offering Mick Cronin, who on Friday decided to stay at Cincinnati after two days in Las Vegas. Beard’s buyout with the Trojans is $200,000, due in two annual payments.

Beard interviewed for the position Saturday afternoon, hours after New Mexico State’s Marvin Menzies was on campus to do the same thing. After previous flirtations with bigger names like Jamie Dixon and Cronin, the Rebels targeted more affordable options that they believe could work just as well in Las Vegas.

Little Rock Athletics Director Chasse Conque told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that he met with Beard on Wednesday to discuss a new contract, and then Conque said UNLV reached out on Thursday. That's the same day Cronin flew back to Cincinnati, with Kunzer-Murphy telling ESPN Las Vegas on Friday she believed Cronin had accepted the position.

Whatever specific timeline led the Rebels to Beard, they're not looking back now. The contract must be approved by the Board of Regents, expected to meet in the next week, and after that, UNLV will hold a press conference to introduce its new coach to the community.

“Chris is a high-character coach and proven winner with a clear vision for building a successful program on the court and in the classroom at UNLV,” university President Len Jessup said in a statement. “He is one of the rising head coaches in the sport, and we’re confident he’s the right person to lead our program and continue the proud, winning tradition of Runnin’ Rebel basketball.”

Prior to Little Rock, Beard had been a head coach five previous times, all brief stops at a junior college (twice), a pair of Division II schools and semipro team. From 2001-2011, he was an assistant at Texas Tech, first under Bob Knight, and in 2008, he became the associate head coach under Pat Knight, who now lives in Las Vegas and works as a scout for the Indiana Pacers.

Dave Rice, who was forced out on Jan. 10 midway through his fifth season, was making $700,000 guaranteed annually on the extension he signed in 2014. UNLV still owes Rice close to $1 million for the remaining base salary.

Depending on what assistants Stacey Augmon and Ryan Miller decide to do, the program could also be on the hook for at least $365,620 in base salary for those two next season. Miller said he has not been contacted by Beard or UNLV. Interim coach Todd Simon on Tuesday was announced as the new coach at Southern Utah.

While all three assistants had interviewed for UNLV's full-time job, only Augmon went public with his campaign, getting help from other former Rebel greats like Larry Johnson and Greg Anthony. However, lack of head-coaching experience was too much for him to overcome, according to Kunzer-Murphy's statement.

“As we looked at a number of outstanding coaches who expressed interest in this position, it became increasingly clear that one of the key factors for success is previous experience as a college basketball head coach," Kunzer-Murphy said. "In this environment, with the expectations and pressures that come with being head coach of the Runnin' Rebels, previous experience leading a NCAA program is a critical factor."

Beard and Simon will get a chance to square off right away, as the Rebels have a trip to Southern Utah already scheduled in the 2016-17 season. That's one of the easier games, as the slate also includes Kansas at home, Duke at T-Mobile Arena and Oregon in Portland. It's unclear what kind of roster Beard will have to play those games with.

Freshmen Stephen Zimmerman Jr. on Monday morning made official the obvious, that he's putting his name in the NBA Draft. Zimmerman plans to sign with an agent, so there's no chance of him returning to school. Sophomore Pat McCaw and freshman Derrick Jones Jr. could also explore their professional options, though they would be less likely to close the door to returning to school.

Sophomore Dwayne Morgan asked for his release from UNLV last week, and it wouldn't be surprising if others follow suit. Any coaching change comes with personnel changes, so now the Rebels will find out just how severe it will be.

Beard started coaching in 1991 as an assistant at Texas. Over the next decade, he made stops at Incarnate Word, Abilene Christian and North Texas before his first head coaching job in 1999 at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas, where he won 19 games. That led to another one-year stint in junior college, this time a 25-6 season at Seminole State in Florida.

Bob Knight came calling in 2001, and Beard coached at Texas Tech until Pat Knight was fired in 2011. That led Beard to one season with the ABA’s South Carolina Warriors, then another one-year stint at Division II McMurry before moving to Division II Angelo State, where he went 47-15 over two seasons.

Beard got his first Division I head coaching job less than a year ago, and in one season with the Trojans, he cemented his name as one of basketball’s hottest coaching candidates with a 30-5 season that earned him Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors. Little Rock defeated Purdue in double overtime for its second-ever NCAA Tournament victory before getting knocked out by Iowa State.

Taylor Bern can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.