DENVER — Broken hand and all, Chris Beard is ready for his first appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a Division I head coach.
Beard and his UALR men’s basketball team met with the media and then held a short workout on the floor of the Pepsi Center Wednesday in preparation for the 12th-seeded Trojans' (29-4) first-round game against No. 5 Purdue (26-8) at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
On an interview room stage, Beard flashed a right hand covered in a splint, the result of a fiery locker room speech he made at halftime of Sunday’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament final victory over Louisiana-Monroe in New Orleans.
“A dry erase board took a bad shot,” Beard said. “There was a chair there, and I thought briefly about using a chair there but Coach [Bob] Knight told me to never use a chair in those situations.”
But Beard, who is in his 22nd season as a coach at multiple levels, said it won’t put a damper on the trip he made in his first season as Trojans’ coach.
“If I had one leg and one eye I would make it,” Beard said. “I’ve worked my whole life to coach a game like this. And I’m just so appreciative and thankful for our players and I intend to enjoy every moment and give our guys every chance we possibly can from a coaching standpoint to help them.”
Beard and players Josh Hagins and Roger Woods took plenty of questions from reporters Wednesday. They ranged from the team's size disadvantage against Purdue — the Boilermakers have two players 7-0 or taller — to its turnaround from last year’s 13-18 finish that led to Beard’s eventual hiring to playing against a favored opponent away from home.
“It’s not anything new to us,” Hagins said. “We’re prepared for it. And we’re just going to go out there and play as hard as we can.”
They were both even asked about President Barack Obama picking Purdue to win the game in his bracket projections on ESPN.
“Well, we’re going to have to prove him wrong,” Hagins said.
Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
Shoot-around dunk. pic.twitter.com/68qUL4b17V
— Troy Schulte (@TroySchulteADG) March 16, 2016