Chris Beard knows where the gym doors are in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
He learned the area while coaching at Texas. Now he’s using that knowledge for Ole Miss.
The first proof came Monday night. Rockwall Heath shooting guard Paxton Ivy said he’s headed to Oxford.
COMMITTED 🦈🩵❤️!! @OleMissMBB https://t.co/AM0hkY9YKf
— Paxton Ivy (@PaxShooter25) October 5, 2026
He’s the first pledge in the Rebels’ 2027 class.
Rockwall sits on the east side of the Metroplex, bordered by Lake Ray Hubbard. Good players there tend to grow up down the street from other good players.
Ivy is a fine example. One of his best friends is Ryan Hampton, a five-star forward who’s picked Kentucky. They’ll be high school teammates again this season.
So yes, there’s talent in that part of Texas. Beard didn’t need anybody to explain it to him.
Had a great time hanging out with Coach Beard at his camp! @TexasMBB @guard_play @TexasTop100 @GradyMajors @TexasHoopsGASO @RHHSBBall @RISDAthletics https://t.co/V67RDRpA9A
— Paxton Ivy (@PaxShooter25) August 31, 2022
How Beard won over a Dallas-area shooter
Beard and Ivy go back a while. Ivy went to a camp in 2022 when Beard was the Longhorns’ coach.
Four years later, Beard came back around. He sat in on a workout and met with Ivy at home.
Ivy told Rebels247 the Rebs moved to the front after the head coach started recruiting him personally.
He also told OMSpirit he appreciated a busy coach giving up part of his day this close to the season.
Coaches love to say recruiting is about relationships. It turns out showing up in person still beats a text message.
Ivy picked Ole Miss over Stanford, Pepperdine, UTEP and Holy Cross.
Assistant Brian Burg kept his review short.
“Piece of the puzzle. Elite shooter. Culture builder,” Burg said.
What the Rebels are getting in Paxton Ivy
The 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard took the long way back home.
He spent his first two high school years at Rockwall Heath. Lawrence Academy in Massachusetts got him as a junior.
He moved to Phillips Academy in May. He made 17 shots from 3-point range at a showcase there in June.
Then he decided his senior year belonged in Texas. He wants one last season with the hometown crowd and a shot at a state title with his friends.
His sophomore year produced 11.5 points a game. He hit 33% from 3-point range.
Across both years at Rockwall Heath, he knocked down 87 shots from deep.
OMSpirit reported he averaged 12.3 points, five rebounds and four assists at Lawrence Academy. He shot 39.4% from long range that year.
Ivy wants to be more than a shooter
Ivy doesn’t want the jumper to be the whole story, though.
“I don’t want to be known as just a shooter,” he said.
He talked about guarding people, moving the ball and helping the guys around him.
He also wants to add strength before he gets to campus.
Ivy said Beard’s record of winning is what drew him to the Rebels.
He’s visited Oxford before and hopes to get back soon. He can sign in November or wait until April 2027.
Why Metroplex matters for Ole Miss
One commitment doesn’t make a pipeline.
Let’s not get carried away.
But it does show how Beard plans to work. He has history in Texas and he’s willing to make the trip.
Before long, Ivy and Hampton could be on opposite benches in an SEC game. Ivy expects plenty of chirping between the two when that day comes.
Beard went to DFW, watched a practice and ended up with a shooter.
There are plenty more gyms in that area. Don’t expect him to stop visiting them.
