April 22, 2008

Stillwater, OK (UWIRE) -- Everywhere he has been, Travis Ford has always gotten the most out of what he had to work with.

Back in his playing days, Ford was listed at only 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds. He was able to overcome the height barrier to earn All-SEC honors his junior and senior years at Kentucky.

At 26, Ford took over the head coaching position at Campbellsville University, an NAIA school in Kentucky. In his second season as a head coach, he led the Tigers to a 28-3 record and was named Mid-South Coach of the Year.

Eastern Kentucky University, Ford's next coaching stop, posted a combined 9-44 record in the two years before he arrived.

Ford increased the team's win totals every season before leading them to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 25 years in 2005. EKU was edged out by Ford's alma mater and No. 2 seed Kentucky.

He then landed at UMass, a school that had been hindered for the past 10 years by a host of NCAA violations left over from the John Calipari era.

Ford worked his magic once again and had the Minutemen flying high as Atlantic 10 conference champions in two years.

After making the most out of dismal situations, the question now is, what will he be able to do with nearly unlimited resources at Oklahoma State?

Ford said he has everything he needs to work with here at OSU, and it all starts with the fan base.

"Everyone I talked to would say, 'Man, they've got passionate fans, fans that love their university and love sports and love basketball,' and I feel very privileged to be a part of it," Ford said.

When Eddie Sutton took over, a ticket to a game in Gallagher-Iba Arena was hard to come by, but attendance in the past couple of years has dropped off noticeably.

Guard Terrel Harris said the new energy Ford is bringing to the program gives the fans reason again to pack the house.

"I know our fans are going to be excited about the new coach," Harris said. "A lot of people are going to want to see how we perform and how he's gonna coach us, how he's gonna get us to play and what style of play we are going to do."

Ford said he was impressed not only with the fans, but also with the arena itself. Gallagher-Iba Arena has commonly been named among the best college basketball venues in the country.

"It's very eye-opening when you walk out into that arena," Ford said. "You almost need sunglasses it's so bright in there and I love that, it breathes excitement.

"When you bring recruits in or when you see it on TV, that's what you want. You want to be able to sell excitement, and I think that exemplifies what Oklahoma State basketball is about."

Ford also talked about the tradition OSU has, and what it is like to become a part of a "basketball school."

"It's special to me to be a part of a program that coach [Henry] Iba started and what he has meant to not just Oklahoma State, but what he meant to basketball," Ford said. "He's one of the greatest coaches ever to coach this great game."

Fans, tradition and one of the nation's best arenas are all helpful, but mean nothing if you are missing the most important asset to a successful program: the players.

Guard Byron Eaton said coaching changes are always tough for players to deal with, but he and his teammates were impressed by Ford and are not going anywhere.

"I don't think anyone is gonna leave," Eaton said. "I think there were some guys thinking about it, but after Coach Ford came in and talked to us (when he was hired), I think everyone is going to stay."

Ford has another luxury he never had at his previous coaching stops: three high school All-Americans on his roster in Eaton, Obi Muonelo and James Anderson.

With a talented roster, a great tradition, a loyal fan base and top-of-the-line facilities, Ford said he is excited to see what he can accomplish.

"This is an opportunity to where I can reach my goals and dreams as a basketball coach, where I can raise my family in an incredible community around a great university," Ford said. "It was an opportunity that I couldn't let go by."

(C) 2008 Daily O'Collegian via UWIRE