Rick Pitino is going to bat for one potential Indiana Hoosiers head coach candidate.
In an appearance on “Pardon My Take” Friday, Pitino touted Chris Beard as his choice as Mike Woodson’s replacement at Indiana.
The St. John’s coach said Beard is “perfect” for the Indiana job, and that if he were the Hoosiers, he would not even bother interviewing any other candidates.
“If I was the AD of Indiana, I would immediately not even interview anybody else and hire one of the premiere coaches in all of college basketball, and that’s Chris Beard from Ole Miss,” Pitino said. “I wouldn’t even think about another person. He’s perfect for that job.
“I am a gigantic fan of Chris Beard. I think he would kill it at Indiana. He’d have them in the top five to seven every single year.”
It is not clear if Beard is actually in the mix for the Indiana job, though the search does not appear to have started in earnest yet. It does stand to reason that the current Ole Miss coach may be looking for a bigger job in the future, having quickly turned that program into an NCAA Tournament team.
Beard has succeeded everywhere he has been. He was hugely successful at Little Rock and Texas Tech, and appeared to be on a similar path at Texas before he was fired under controversial circumstances. He is now in his second year at Ole Miss, and has them at 19-7 and well on their way to an NCAA Tournament bid.
Indiana and Woodson are mutually parting ways at the end of the season after a disappointing tenure. The Hoosiers are likely to look to some big names, though one that would certainly qualify has already turned them down.
Pitino continues to enjoy a career renaissance at St. John’s. The Red Storm are 23-4 and in first place in the Big East.
