Chris Beard departed Little Rock bound for Las Vegas on Monday, headed for a new job and a contract that could pay him $1 million per season, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Beard's quick rise -- he was coaching at Division II Angelo State at this time last year -- can be attributed to UALR's 30-5 season and its comeback victory over Purdue in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
But, were the first steps that eventually led him to Las Vegas taken in Denver, UALR's NCAA Tournament site for its victory over Purdue?