Ford heads to Oklahoma St.
In sudden shift, he leaves UMass
LSU had some interest; Providence had more. But for Travis Ford, the right fit is Oklahoma State.
When Cowboys officials called this week to see if the University of Massachusetts men's basketball coach would be interested in coming to Stillwater, Ford listened. Yesterday, he accepted.
Ford met with his players last night after an afternoon in which he pondered the offer tendered him following a meeting with Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder. When details of the buyout in his UMass contract, which runs through 2015 and was sweetened last week after his flirtation with Providence, were worked out, Ford made his move official. The buyout will cost him $200,000, and he will be introduced at a news conference today.
Ford's stay at UMass lasted three years, during which the Minutemen compiled a 62-35 record, including 25-11 this season. Lacking was an NCAA Tournament appearance, although the Minutemen reached the NIT final before losing to Ohio State April 3.
That success was apparently enough to thrust Ford into the coaching derby mix.
LSU was an early suitor primarily because president John Lombardi was at UMass when Ford was hired three years ago from Eastern Kentucky. But LSU also had to hire an AD, and when the Tigers landed Duke's Joe Alleva, the focus shifted and Alleva hired Trent Johnson from Stanford as coach.
Ford, in a quick face-saving maneuver, announced he was not a candidate at LSU shortly before Johnson was hired. It did not preclude Ford from listening when PC called in search of a replacement for the fired Tim Welsh.
Ford was intrigued enough to tour the PC facilities with his wife, but after being offered the job and a huge boost in salary above the approximately $400,000 he made at UMass, he turned it down.
UMass AD John McCutcheon, who had led an effort by school officials to keep Ford with a boost in pay and other perks, made what he thought was a definitive announcement at the team banquet last week.
"We would like everyone to know that Travis Ford, our head men's basketball coach, will be with us for many years to come," McCutcheon said. "We have made great strides here over the last couple of years and we look forward to making many more."
Ford also expressed loyalty and gratitude at the time.
"Probably the No. 1 thing that kept me here was the showing in New York from our fans. No question it made a difference," he said, referring to the NIT games against Florida and Ohio State at which the UMass fans chanted their support and desire for Ford to stay in Amherst. "I took my time in making the decision and I have no doubt this is the right one. This is the right place for me."
That changed yesterday.
"It was a very difficult decision to leave UMass, one which my family and I struggled with mightily," Ford said in a statement. "I wish nothing but the best for the staff and players at UMass. They have been and will always be family to me."
While Ford was dealing with Providence, Oklahoma State was in a job search it thought would end with the hiring of Kansas coach Bill Self, an OSU graduate who was being called "home" by the Cowboys with the big money they could offer.
Kansas changed those plans when it beat Memphis for the NCAA title and Self received a boost in pay as part of an offer to stay.
Oklahoma State officials flirted with several coaches who had higher profiles than Ford, including Jamie Dixon of Pittsburgh and Billy Gillispie of Kentucky.
The Cowboys, seeking to replace the fired Sean Sutton, then went to Plan B, which included Southern Illinois coach Chris Lowery and Ford. Lowery took himself out of the mix Tuesday night, leaving Ford as the choice.
"We felt very good as to where we were as of last Thursday," said McCutcheon. "This situation emerged very quickly. It's part of the business we're in, and we just have to accept that."
UMass and McCutcheon now must go on their own search, and a list of candidates quickly was put in place, including former Minutemen players Derek Kellogg and Tony Barbee. Barbee has been the coach at UTEP the past two seasons, and Kellogg is on former UMass coach John Calipari's staff at Memphis.
Other coaches who could be on McCutcheon's list are Ohio University's Tim O'Shea, who played at Boston College and was an assistant under Al Skinner at Rhode Island and BC, and Siena's Fran McCaffery, who guided the Saints to the NCAA Tournament this year, posting a first-round upset of Vanderbilt.
"We'll be motivated and in motion as early as tomorrow with a national search to find a replacement," said McCutcheon. "Our preference is to have someone with head coaching experience."
UMass players were shocked by Ford's departure.
"Guys are upset," said center Luke Bonner, "but at the same time, we understand that this is not only business, but big business. I thought we had weathered the storm last week with the whole Providence thing. I really had no idea that this was on the radar."
"He was offered something that was nearly impossible to turn down," said forward Tony Gaffney. "We understand that. We didn't see it coming. We thought this was put to rest. But college basketball is a big business, and there is a lot of money in it."'
Globe correspondent Marty Dobrow contributed to this report; Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com.
