Chris Beard Wants Everyone to Know He’s Been to the Final 4 Before
You can watch this whole video, it's great, but at about 2:30 minutes in Scott Van Pelt asks Chris Beard how he stays grounded in the magnitude of his first ever Final Four when Coach Izzo, the Michigan State Coach, has been to 8 of them. Beard's answer is classic Coach Beard, "Everyone keeps saying that, but I've been to like 24 Final 4's. I was drinking draft beers in the lobby, but this is just the first time I'm coaching in one."
Beard continued, "We'll just rely on experience, We've got Coach Sutton and Coach Cyp who were a part of a Final 4 with Oklahoma State." Coach also said he sought out advice from some of the other Big 12 coaches who have been to the Final 4.
Coach Beard also talked about taking satisfaction in carrying the torch for all of the coaches in small time schools. The JUCO level, the D2 level, and High School level.
Beard actually got to talk about his time in the small school's when he was on the Dan Patrick Show and he's had so many jobs in the last twenty years he forgot a stop as he tried to list them out.
It's amusing that he missed North Texas on the run through, but you can tell how much he means what he says when he's talking to Scott Van Pelt and he tells him he wants to stick up for the smaller level coach. He could just run through the list of schools, but he mentions a mentor at each stop. Tom Penders. Danny Casper. Shannon Hays. Kevin Gundy. Bob Knight. Vic Trilly. Rusty Beene. Ron Holmes. These names will always be a part of Chris Beard and his legacy.
Beard goes on in the interview to say he's told his guys two things this week. To "Smell the Roses" and to "Be You." To take the moment in but not forget who you are.