Ford disappointed by Kentucky's decision
Disappointment? Yes. Anger? No.
University of Massachusetts men's basketball coach Travis Ford said that was his reaction when he learned his alma mater, the University of Kentucky, had invoked a $50,000 buyout of its Nov. 24 nonconference game against the Minutemen at TD Banknorth Garden.
Kentucky's withdrawal forced UMass officials to refund 7,000 tickets and scramble to find another marquee opponent.
"For me, there's a lot of emotion involved, but the biggest one was disappointment," Ford said yesterday. "There's no anger. I love the University of Kentucky. It's a place that means a lot to me, but I was disappointed that they would do that to us and that they would do that to me.
"I was disappointed for our fans because this game meant a lot to us, and I was disappointed for the Kentucky fans who were looking forward to coming to Boston to see where I'm at and to see my team."
Ford said he was inundated with e-mails from Kentucky fans apologizing for the school's action. Ford also said he received calls from several of his coaching friends in the aftermath of Kentucky's pullout. "But I haven't had any of them say, 'Hey, we'll play you,' because they don't have a lot of openings -- they're done [scheduling opponents]," he said.
Ford indicated the Minutemen were going to "work our tail off" to try to fill the void, but was uncertain whether a marquee opponent could be found this late in the process. "I just want our fans to know how disappointed I am for them," Ford said.
Asked if he was wounded by Kentucky's action, Ford said, "I'm disappointed. I never thought they'd do that to me. I do know it's unusual when a team that scheduled the date buys its way out. That is usually the case when two teams can't reach a common date.
"I'm not mad. I'm not angry at all. I love the University of Kentucky. I hope they win all their games. It's a school that's meant a lot to me. I'm just disappointed that they didn't do the right thing."
Michael Vega can be reached at vega@globe.com. 