GOSLU68 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 He recruited players of a level we have rarely seen at Chaifetz. Give this history some thought. He beat Kansas a number of times- not bad for a coach that some said was not a good court general: Travis Ford out at Oklahoma State: A timeline of his eight seasons in Stillwater - Staff - STEPHEN PINGRY Travis Ford the new basketball head coach at OSU during press conference , April 17, 2008. STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World 0 BY MARK COOPER World Sports Writer | Posted 2 weeks ago Revisiting Travis Ford's as Oklahoma State head coach: April 17, 2008: Ford introduced as coach In his first news conference as Oklahoma State coach, Travis Ford said his goal was to bring OSU to a national championship. His hire came after three seasons as coach at UMass. Nov. 14, 2008: Fords first game His Oklahoma State players gave him the game ball after a 76-57 win over UTSA in Fords first game as coach. Ford said he was on edge for the game. March 12, 2009: Bedlam bright spot One huge exception to Fords Bedlam troubles: This Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal in Oklahoma City. James Anderson made two free throws in the final seconds to give OSU a 71-70 win over a top-10 OU team that featured Blake Griffin. Overall, OSU went 6-13 against OU under Ford, never winning in Norman. March 20-22, 2009: The honeymoon For a program that had not even been to the NCAA Tournament in three years, Oklahoma States 2008-09 season was an immense success. The cherry on top was a 77-75 victory over Tennessee in the tournaments opening round in Dayton, Ohio, followed by a hard-fought 84-76 loss to top-seeded Pittsburgh. Sept. 11, 2009: The contract Fresh off a successful first season and with the possibility that Ford could be a commodity, Oklahoma State signed Ford to a contract extension through 2019. Said Athletic Director Mike Holder at the time: We consider Travis a rising star in the coaching profession and look forward to his leadership for many years to come. Dec. 2, 2009: Tulsas Hurricane After starting the season 6-0, Oklahoma State took a pounding at the hands of Tulsa, losing 86-65 in the first game OSU played on Tulsas campus since 1922. Feb. 27, 2010: Toppling No. 1 In the first of a series of signature wins over Kansas, Oklahoma State knocked off the 27-1 Jayhawks 85-77 behind 27 points by James Anderson. Said KU coach Bill Self: I dont see a lot of teams beating them if (Keiton) Page, (Obi) Muonelo and Anderson are that good. I really dont. March 19, 2010: The first early exit After the big win over the Jayhawks, the Cowboys lost three of five to end Fords second season, concluding with a 64-59 loss to Georgia Tech in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament. As it would turn out, Oklahoma State would not move past the Round of 64 again under Ford. Oct. 29, 2010: A recruiting coup LeBryan Nash will always be legendary in the DFW. His commitment to Oklahoma State at the start of Fords third season cemented Fords status as a strong recruiter. Nash was ranked the No. 6 player in his class by Rivals.com. March 15, 2011: NITing For the first time in the Ford era, OSU misses the NCAA Tournament. Only 5,342 come to the Cowboys first-round NIT game against Harvard. Overall, OSU made five of eight NCAA Tournaments with Ford as coach. Sept. 12, 2011: Smart + Forte While Nash was as high-profile a commitment as OSU received with Ford, this one was the most impactful. On the same day, Flower Mound (Texas) Marcus teammates Marcus Smart and Phil Forte pledged to play for the Cowboys. Smart would become the player most associated with this era of Oklahoma State hoops. Forte is still around, five years later. Dec. 31, 2011: A trying season For the first time in the Ford era, the Cowboys lose a home nonconference game, falling to Virginia Tech 67-61. It leaves Oklahoma State at 7-6 entering Big 12 play, setting the stage for the Cowboys first losing season since 1987-88. March 8, 2012: No postseason An 88-70 loss to Missouri in the Big 12 Tournament sealed it: There would be no postseason, NIT or otherwise, for Oklahoma State. It was the first time since 1996 the season ended at the conference tournament. Feb. 2, 2013: Phoglights A couple of down seasons seemed well in the past on this night, as Marcus Smart, Markel Brown and Lob Stilly made OSU students basketball-mad again. The Cowboys went into Allen Fieldhouse and ended No. 2 Kansas 33-game home win streak. Smart celebrated the win with a backflip. Feb. 16, 2013: Seven in a row Two weeks after the win at KU, Oklahoma State had things rolling toward March and perhaps a chance at unseating Kansas. The Cowboys knocked off rival Oklahoma in overtime for their seventh win in a row and remained in a three-way tie with Kansas and Kansas State atop the conference at 9-3. Ford grabbed the microphone inside GIA after the game and said: Thank you for bringing the rowdy back. This is what Gallagher-Iba is supposed to look like. March 21, 2013: Oregone The Cowboys finished a respectable third in the Big 12 and earned a No. 5 seed, the best of the Ford era. But a bad draw 12th-seeded Oregon was underseeded and inexperience meant Fords best team was one-and-done. The Ducks won 68-55. April 17, 2013: The return Marcus Smart, Markel Brown, LeBryan Nash and Travis Ford all stood in OSUs Student Union on a day to celebrate a day to believe Oklahoma State would have a Final Four team next season. Thats because they all decided to return for one more run at the NCAA Tournament, led by Smart. The trio entered 2013-14 as the top three returning scorers in the Big 12 Nov. 19, 2013: The peak If only Oklahoma State could have bottled up their performance on this night to save for, say, an NCAA Tournament game. With Kevin Durant sitting courtside, Smart put on an absolute clinic, scoring 39 points as OSU rolled No. 11 Memphis 101-80 in GIA. The Cowboys moved up to No. 5 in the country the following Monday. Feb. 8, 2014: The shove For as much as the Memphis game was a highlight of the Smart era, this was the lowlight. On an Oklahoma State team already melting down (this game against Texas Tech was its fourth consecutive loss), Smart shoved a Tech fan late in the game and was suspended for three games. The losing streak grew to seven, matching the seven games in a row OSU won a year earlier in the same month. March 1, 2014: Kansas saves OSU again For whatever reason, Fords teams always had Kansas number. Oklahoma State did again on this day, beating No. 5 Kansas 72-65 in Gallagher-Iba. The win helped ensure this supremely talented team would not miss the NCAA Tournament. March 21, 2014: A lost season If you told someone back on Feb. 16, 2013, that Marcus Smart and Markel Brown would play together for two seasons and never win an NCAA Tournament game, you may have been laughed out of Stillwater. Well it happened. The Lob Stilly era ended with an 85-77 loss to Gonzaga in San Diego, a doleful end to a tumultuous year. Oct. 9, 2014: Picking up the pieces A new Oklahoma State team led by veterans LeBryan Nash, Phil Forte and Michael Cobbins was picked to finish eighth of 10 teams in the Big 12. After two years of national headlines, no one was talking about the Cowboys. Feb. 4-9, 2015: The final peak Fords NCAA Tournament teams all had one common characteristic: They would get hot at some point in February. This OSU team achieved that in a six-day span, winning at Texas and Baylor while letting its fans storm the court following a home win over Kansas. All three opponents were ranked at the time, and soon enough, the Cowboys were, too, at 17-7 and 7-5 in the Big 12. Feb. 14, 2015: The start of the downfall at TCU Oh, how quickly that run ended for Oklahoma State. Five days after the monumental win at Baylor, the Cowboys were listless in a 70-55 loss at TCU in a high school gym with Smart in attendance. The chip on Oklahoma States shoulder that Ford and players talked about much of the season? Gone. March 20, 2015: Oregone, again Despite losing six of its final seven games, Oklahoma State earned a No. 9 seed and reached the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. It ended the same way a first-round exit. Oklahoma State lost 79-73 to Oregon in a game remembered for an ill-advised foul at the end of the first half. OSU thought it had a foul to give. It did not, and the blunder gave Oregon some true free throws. March 31, 2015: Another year Speculation was rampant that Oklahoma State would part ways with Ford after seven seasons, but Athletic Director Mike Holder put an end to it with a statement that Ford would remain coach. We are fully committed to coach Ford and supporting him and our basketball program, Holder said. Nov. 19, 2015: Bad luck In hindsight, the season was cursed from the start. With Tavarius Shine (shoulder) and Leyton Hammonds (pneumonia) already out, Phil Forte left the first half of OSUs game against Towson with an elbow injury. It would be the last game Oklahoma States leader would enter all season, as a torn ligament kept him out all year. Dec. 5, 2015: Bad play Oklahoma State fell at home to Missouri State 64-63 in what was one of the worst losses by the Cowboys in a long time. Oklahoma State lost consecutive nonconference home games for the first time since 1985, and fell to a Bears team that finished below .500 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Jan. 13, 2016: The belief Could Jawun Evans save Oklahoma State? That was a valid question after the freshman gave one of the best performances Gallagher-Iba Arena has ever seen. The point guard scored 42 points, nearly bringing OSU back against No. 2 Oklahoma before the Cowboys lost 74-72. The outing seemed to break him out of his shell for the next three weeks and he led OSU to yet another win over Kansas. March 4, 2016: The sadness In the final home game of the Ford era, a 62-50 loss to Texas, the listed attendance was 4,023, the smallest for a conference home game since 1986. Average attendance in Fords first season was 10,031. In his last year, it was 5,857. March 9, 2016: The end After Evans joined Forte on the season-ending injury list, Oklahoma State went into full freefall, losing 10 of its final 11 games. That includes a one-and-done at the Big 12 Tournament, where the always-fighting Cowboys lost 75-71 to Kansas State in the opening round. At 12-20, Oklahoma State posted its worst record in 29 years. Mark Cooper 918-581-8387 [email protected] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_davola Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 What the hell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOSLU68 Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 saved time for those too busy to find the history themselves. If it is too much energy to survey eight years of his work don't read it. This is a great hire. I wished we had taken him right from U-Mass. Of course I relished the Majerus years but not the Staff and assistants leaving constantly under Rick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastBilliken Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 What the hell? lol +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmith19 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 This is a great hire. I wished we had taken him right from U-Mass. Of course I relished the Majerus years but not the Staff and assistants leaving constantly under Rick. Haha. So now Ford > Majerus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACE Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 I looked at the history of Okie State basketball and where Travis Ford fits. I was surprised at how bad several stretches were. I guess people assume that it is a big state school and they have had a lot of success. Outside of cheating Eddie Sutton and the legendary Henry Iba's run in the stone ages, particularly in the 1940s and early 1950s, Okie State coaches haven't done much. From 1965-66 until 1990, they only made the Big Dance once - that is brutal. And from 1958 - 65, they only made it once. Cheating Eddie Sutton immediately brought success beginning in 1990-91. During his 16 seasons, he only missed the tourney three times. Then his son Sean took the program in the wrong direction, reportedly he was also dealing with personal problems. The failure to win more in the NCAA Tourney raises some red flags with Ford, but he did get there in three of his last four seasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quality Is Job 1 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Is this off of USA Today? The formating makes it excruciating to follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
almaman Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 From 1965-66 until 1990, they only made the Big Dance once - that is brutal. Dance was lot smaller 3/4's of those years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOSLU68 Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 Haha. So now Ford > Majerus? That stretches what I said beyond its meaning. I relished the Majerus years doesn't mean pickles to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmith19 Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 That stretches what I said beyond its meaning. I relished the Majerus years doesn't mean pickles to you. Spicy dill with diced onions, please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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