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Welcome To Billiken Nation, Travis Ford!


aj_arete

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I'm starting to come to this conclusion as well...that Stu just leaked the story early. But why on earth would SLU come out with a statement like that

Because the SLU athletics department likes to control things. They have a problem with others bringing to light what they are doing.

Or they essentially hired Ford, but haven't completed some legal technicality, so they have to clear that before they can say that they hired the guy.

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If it is Ford, SLU pissed off the majority of their fanbase with the hire and alienated their beat writer for the only newspaper in town. Good work SLU.

What was the vote? I must of missed your email because I didn't vote or even see a poll.

Who anointed you as the spokesperson for Billiken Nation? You can speak your own opinion, but don't pretend you know what "the majority of the fanbase" feels.

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I'm still not sure this is a done deal. Still no word from SLU except the statement that we have not hired a head coach. If they had, wouldn't just a no comment yet have been better than we have not hired a coach? If you waited all this time for Drew why would you quit 2 days early unless he just now told you No.

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I want to be optimistic (Ford is a proven recruiter) but I watched first hand at UMass how poorly coached his teams are. SLU benefitted from his incompetence and Soderberg beat him with lesser talent. The issues are obvious to anyone who knows anything about basketball and college basketball in particular. I think a hire like this brings into relief the importance of recruiting in college basketball and how easy it is to fail upward.

The more important thing though is that Ford may recruit well enough to be OK that there was easily identifiable better options available.

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I'm still not sure this is a done deal. Still no word from SLU except the statement that we have not hired a head coach. If they had, wouldn't just a no comment yet have been better than we have not hired a coach? If you waited all this time for Drew why would you quit 2 days early unless he just now told you No.

The timing just makes no sense. At all.

Are we to believe that within the hour of beating BYU Drew had his people reach out to SLU and say he's not leaving? And then SLU turned around almost immediately and hired Ford?

With that said - I'm guessing Ford is the guy. These 18 days will go down as one giant cluster.

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I'm still not sure this is a done deal. Still no word from SLU except the statement that we have not hired a head coach. If they had, wouldn't just a no comment yet have been better than we have not hired a coach? If you waited all this time for Drew why would you quit 2 days early unless he just now told you No.

My guess is he told us no.

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I see two scenarios:

1: Drew told us no a few days ago, but SLU wanted to make it look like they waited until the very end on Drew since that's who the fanbase wanted. It got leaked that we were going with Ford.

2: Ford told us "take it or leave it" and with Valpo's win last night, we decided we couldn't wait any longer on Ford.

I see holes in both scenarios, but just trying to figure out this mess.

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As I posted in the Coaching candidates thread, today will be an excellent day to restock tequila and other drinks to help make this situation more bearable. I presume after the last few days the personal stocks for most posters is running low. To make the situation clearer, there appears to be a hangup somewhere in this coach hiring process. I believe it will be solved one way or the other, it always is.

Let me be real clear about this, SLU has a fair amount of money to spend and a reputable search firm working to find candidates. There are coaching candidates out of a job out there. It stands to reason we will find one. It really does not matter how many out of work or soon to be out of work coaches turn us down, we will get someone. How good or bad this new coach will be is to be determined afterwards. Every single potential coach will have good and bad features, and every single potential coach may either do a superb job at SLU, fall flat on his face, or be mediocre in some ways. This remains to be determined in the future.

The only place where the "Dream, dream, and your dreams come true" concept is true is in Disney movies, not in reality. We can wish upon a star all we want, reality will always be different in some ways than what we dream. All the best and happy drinking, enjoy the process, it is instructive.

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Read this on a different message board but honestly this would make sense as far as why SLU hired him quickly and essentially randomly.

"OSU will owe Ford $2.4 million annually over the next three years, although language in the contract calls for him to seek employment no later than 30 days following termination, with reports due on his efforts to obtain employment due every 30 days thereafter. If Ford lands another job, any salary he makes will be reduced from OSU's obligation over those three years."

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I am so perplexed by all of the reaction. I admittedly know little about Travis Ford. I do remember him as a player back from his days at MU/UK, and I recall that he was the kind of player your opponents hated and your fans' loved. Apparently, he has a reputation of being a good recruiter and making the NCAA tournament. I cannot comment with credibility on his game-day coaching, preparation, and style, but I also suspect the majority of the posters blasting the hire on this board cannot either. If he can bring in strong talent and make the NCAA more years than we don't, he will be a huge upgrade and a good hire in my book.

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I am so perplexed by all of the reaction. I admittedly know little about Travis Ford. I do remember him as a player back from his days at MU/UK, and I recall that he was the kind of player your opponents hated and your fans' loved. Apparently, he has a reputation of being a good recruiter and making the NCAA tournament. I cannot comment with credibility on his game-day coaching, preparation, and style, but I also suspect the majority of the posters blasting the hire on this board cannot either. If he can bring in strong talent and make the NCAA more years than we don't, he will be a huge upgrade and a good hire in my book.

+1

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OK, if the post by wgstl is correct no official announcement is likely to come out until the 30 days after termination of coach Ford from OSU pass. Ford, or anyone else in this position, would be a certifiable moron if he passed the opportunity to get $2.4 M per year for 3 years, in addition to SLU's not inconsiderable salary, just because the announcement wasn't delayed the required amount of time.

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OK, if the post by wgstl is correct no official announcement is likely to come out until the 30 after termination of coach Ford from OSU pass. Ford, or anyone else in this position, would be a certifiable moron if he passed the opportunity to get $2.4 M per year for 3 years, in addition to SLU's not inconsiderable salary, just because the announcement wasn't delayed the required amount of time.

You have it backwards. He has to get hired within 30 days after he was fired. He makes 2.4million next three years, just depends how much OSU is paying and How much SLU is paying. If he doesn't get hired or try to get hired he doesn't get any money from OSU

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So essentially, if I have this correct, SLU is acquiring a coach who is owed 2.4 million by his previous institution. OSU is on the hook for the balance between his new salary and that 2.4 million. That is his maximum earning potential. I could say the dumb thing and imply slu went cheap on this hire, but until we know if he got the job we won't know financials.

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I am so perplexed by all of the reaction. I admittedly know little about Travis Ford. I do remember him as a player back from his days at MU/UK, and I recall that he was the kind of player your opponents hated and your fans' loved. Apparently, he has a reputation of being a good recruiter and making the NCAA tournament. I cannot comment with credibility on his game-day coaching, preparation, and style, but I also suspect the majority of the posters blasting the hire on this board cannot either. If he can bring in strong talent and make the NCAA more years than we don't, he will be a huge upgrade and a good hire in my book.

I admit to being disappointed with the hire, but I am a little amazed by how pissed people are about it. I certainly don't think this is a home run hire, but it's also not a bad hire.

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I admit to being disappointed with the hire, but I am a little amazed by how pissed people are about it. I certainly don't think this is a home run hire, but it's also not a bad hire.

Disappointed is a good term to use...I'm not furious, but thought we should've taken a different route (Ingelsby, Otzelberger) Like others, I am confused as to the timing of this whole ordeal and SLU's statement. I'm also worried about the fact that Ford has absolutely no experience recruiting (his supposed forte) to a school like SLU.

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