LITTLE ROCK — Uttered by Little Rock coach Chris Beard, the two words that sealed the deal have nothing to do with basketball.
Somewhere between the second-half rally in the Sun Belt Conference championship game and the late comeback against Purdue, Beard and the other 67 coaches in the NCAA Tournament were asked to identify their favorite musician or group.
“Merle Haggard,” Beard said.
A 43-year-old with a fondness for “Mama Tried” and “Okie from Muskogee,” Beard is a keeper to someone who once stood in line on a parking lot to get $20 in-advance tickets for a Haggard performance at a club on the outskirts of Little Rock.