Ford Interview with Kilcoyne

[slufan13]

 

[slu92]

Fred probably didn’t even realize there was a game last night. Stayed home watched Lawerence Welk on PBS, ate some baked apple chips with a side of cottage cheese and went to bed by 7pm. Crazy night at the Pestello house for sure. 

[billikenfan05]

25 minutes ago, slu92 said:

Fred probably didn’t even realize there was a game last night. Stayed home watched Lawerence Welk on PBS, ate some baked apple chips with a side of cottage cheese and went to bed by 7pm. Crazy night at the Pestello house for sure. 

You should probably direct your energy at Mike Lewis, university provost. Like you said, Pestello doesn't care about Basketball. He's guilty by association but he's just not that involved. 

[brianstl]

1 hour ago, slufan13 said:

 

Funny because going into the the season Tavis said we don't rebuild, we remix.

[TheA_Bomb]

Also every season is a rebuild for every team. That's the new normal.

[thatskablamo]

1 hour ago, slufan13 said:

 

If the SLU Athletic Department was akin to a publicly shared company, the management has absolutely railroaded its shareholders. Yet the majority of the shareholders (MBMs) don’t have a seat at the table or even know the phone number to dial in for the investor relations proxy meetings. The PTSD left behind in the wake of the Ford era will be felt by this program for years. That is not hyperbole. Chris May has to be removed by the end of the academic year. 

[billikenfan05]

21 minutes ago, TheA_Bomb said:

Also every season is a rebuild for every team. That's the new normal.

I don't think this is always true. I think you will have to reload in any given season, but you can still build a really good program without turnover every year.

[Crewsorlose]

23 minutes ago, billikenfan05 said:

You should probably direct your energy at Mike Lewis, university provost. Like you said, Pestello doesn't care about Basketball. He's guilty by association but he's just not that involved. 

I work at SLU and this is misinformed. Lewis as Provost runs the academic side of things. He has no direct role in anything outside of that. Think of him as a VP but with a huge portfolio. Everything else--athletics, DPS, parking, student services, mission & ministry.--that's all Fred P.

Biondi was a micro-manager: you had a title but he always thought he knew better and was on your back telling you how to do your job. Fred P is the opposite; he's a delegator. Which is fine if you have really good judgment in hiring your VPs and staff. SLU athletics has had a lot of success (both soccer teams, women's hoops, Champions Center, and MBB until very recently) since Fred P took over and Chris May was not his hire. His life is much easier if he can simply delegate to May, and that's largely what he's done. Fred P was at Dayton, but only as a Dean. He was Pres. at a super small-time place (LaMoyne) and the main thing he needed to do when he got here was to get up to date on the medical school (which was a dumpster fire on top of a toxic waste dump), and smooth things over with Biondi loyalists. He's largely succeeded. He's good on his feet and he has a very good speaking voice.

I don't get much intel but my sense is that Fred P doesn't value intelligence as much as he does amiability. Of the VPs and upper admins I've dealt with, very few are what I'd call bright. And that trickles down. 

If this were Biondi, he'd have 6-8 confidants in athletics who would have been giving him negative intel for years. He'd probably be cold calling random coaches asking if Ford is really that good. He was trigger happy. Fred P is cautious and he'll gladly be talked into May saying Travis deserves another year. 

[billikenfan05]

11 minutes ago, Crewsorlose said:

I work at SLU and this is misinformed. Lewis as Provost runs the academic side of things. He has no direct role in anything outside of that. Think of him as a VP but with a huge portfolio. Everything else--athletics, DPS, parking, student services, mission & ministry.--that's all Fred P.

Biondi was a micro-manager: you had a title but he always thought he knew better and was on your back telling you how to do your job. Fred P is the opposite; he's a delegator. Which is fine if you have really good judgment in hiring your VPs and staff. SLU athletics has had a lot of success (both soccer teams, women's hoops, Champions Center, and MBB until very recently) since Fred P took over and Chris May was not his hire. His life is much easier if he can simply delegate to May, and that's largely what he's done. Fred P was at Dayton, but only as a Dean. He was Pres. at a super small-time place (LaMoyne) and the main thing he needed to do when he got here was to get up to date on the medical school (which was a dumpster fire on top of a toxic waste dump), and smooth things over with Biondi loyalists. He's largely succeeded. He's good on his feet and he has a very good speaking voice.

I don't get much intel but my sense is that Fred P doesn't value intelligence as much as he does amiability. Of the VPs and upper admins I've dealt with, very few are what I'd call bright. And that trickles down. 

If this were Biondi, he'd have 6-8 confidants in athletics who would have been giving him negative intel for years. He'd probably be cold calling random coaches asking if Ford is really that good. He was trigger happy. Fred P is cautious and he'll gladly be talked into May saying Travis deserves another year. 

Interesting. 

[thatskablamo]

13 minutes ago, Crewsorlose said:

I work at SLU and this is misinformed. Lewis as Provost runs the academic side of things. He has no direct role in anything outside of that. Think of him as a VP but with a huge portfolio. Everything else--athletics, DPS, parking, student services, mission & ministry.--that's all Fred P.

Biondi was a micro-manager: you had a title but he always thought he knew better and was on your back telling you how to do your job. Fred P is the opposite; he's a delegator. Which is fine if you have really good judgment in hiring your VPs and staff. SLU athletics has had a lot of success (both soccer teams, women's hoops, Champions Center, and MBB until very recently) since Fred P took over and Chris May was not his hire. His life is much easier if he can simply delegate to May, and that's largely what he's done. Fred P was at Dayton, but only as a Dean. He was Pres. at a super small-time place (LaMoyne) and the main thing he needed to do when he got here was to get up to date on the medical school (which was a dumpster fire on top of a toxic waste dump), and smooth things over with Biondi loyalists. He's largely succeeded. He's good on his feet and he has a very good speaking voice.

I don't get much intel but my sense is that Fred P doesn't value intelligence as much as he does amiability. Of the VPs and upper admins I've dealt with, very few are what I'd call bright. And that trickles down. 

If this were Biondi, he'd have 6-8 confidants in athletics who would have been giving him negative intel for years. He'd probably be cold calling random coaches asking if Ford is really that good. He was trigger happy. Fred P is cautious and he'll gladly be talked into May saying Travis deserves another year. 

I’d rather have the fire-aim-ready approach of Biondi than the guy who gives himself a Stuart Smalley type of speech in the mirror every morning like Pestello. I pine for those days. 

[brianstl]

1 minute ago, thatskablamo said:

I’d rather have the fire-aim-ready approach of Biondi than the guy who gives himself a Stuart Smalley type of speech in the mirror every morning like Pestello. I pine for those days. 

As great as Biondi's first around 20 years for the school were, his last years were really bad.  He left the school in a financially bad position and with faculty in open rebellion.  Plus, he was at the helm of the university when passed over for Big East membership multiple times.

Fred isn't flashy, but he was a good choice post Biondi.  Right guy for the moment.  He hasn't been perfect, but righted the ship on multiple fronts.  With rumors about Fred approaching retirement, it probably is time for a first couple decades Biondi type.

[Pistol]

37 minutes ago, Crewsorlose said:

I work at SLU and this is misinformed. Lewis as Provost runs the academic side of things. He has no direct role in anything outside of that. Think of him as a VP but with a huge portfolio. Everything else--athletics, DPS, parking, student services, mission & ministry.--that's all Fred P.

Biondi was a micro-manager: you had a title but he always thought he knew better and was on your back telling you how to do your job. Fred P is the opposite; he's a delegator. Which is fine if you have really good judgment in hiring your VPs and staff. SLU athletics has had a lot of success (both soccer teams, women's hoops, Champions Center, and MBB until very recently) since Fred P took over and Chris May was not his hire. His life is much easier if he can simply delegate to May, and that's largely what he's done. Fred P was at Dayton, but only as a Dean. He was Pres. at a super small-time place (LaMoyne) and the main thing he needed to do when he got here was to get up to date on the medical school (which was a dumpster fire on top of a toxic waste dump), and smooth things over with Biondi loyalists. He's largely succeeded. He's good on his feet and he has a very good speaking voice.

I don't get much intel but my sense is that Fred P doesn't value intelligence as much as he does amiability. Of the VPs and upper admins I've dealt with, very few are what I'd call bright. And that trickles down. 

If this were Biondi, he'd have 6-8 confidants in athletics who would have been giving him negative intel for years. He'd probably be cold calling random coaches asking if Ford is really that good. He was trigger happy. Fred P is cautious and he'll gladly be talked into May saying Travis deserves another year. 

The athletic department during when I was at SLU - which was during Biondi's tenure - was a dumpster fire. If he had any confidants in the AD, they were really well hidden and very ineffectual. Doug Woolard and Lori Flanagan were pathetic, penny pinching, charisma-free administrators with no leadership ability. Maybe the AD was in better shape in the 90s and maybe it was better in the early A10 years. I can't say for certain. But in the Romar/Soderberg years, it was a disaster.

I would also be interested to see how responsibilities at the top of the house at SLU might shift as Pestello approaches retirement. In other words, what you're saying about his and Lewis' functions may be true but may evolve in the near term.

[slufan13]

Everything Ford has said the last month and will say over the next month is just to set up his next job. I wouldn't read too much into it. 

May not making a single comment all season on the single revenue sport in his athletic department is a fire-able offense by itself. But I assume it's just that he is so defeated that his hire and vote of confidence in Ford has failed so greatly. 

The contract May gave out to Ford is awful but 1) Pestello and the BOT signed off on this so they need to start hearing about all this too and 2) if anything you could argue that it makes SLU a more appealing destination to coaching candidates - "Have one miracle run and get the biggset contract in conference history" is quite the selling point. 

[slu92]

The guys who need a come to Jesus moment very soon, and realize Chris May is terrible are the people who May sucks up to the most: Phoenix, Conran, Sly, OLaughlin and Fred.

I don’t think any of these men are dumb, I just think they live in a bubble and trust what Chris May has been feeding them over all these years. They honestly think he is great at his job. That doesn’t make them dumb, it makes them uninformed. They’ve been played by the guy and can’t see it.

Regardless, the reality is outside of that SLU bubble Chris May is known locally as a total wanna be big timer, loves to name drop, extremely insecure and loves to peacock around town when things are going well. When things are going bad, you have a better chance of running into Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at the BSC. 
 

Funniest part is if Chris May was working for LHM and cost Bob O millions and millions of $$$, would Bob O not fire him? If the answer is no way, where can I apply??? He would can him in a nanosecond. But not at SLU, makes every excuse in book, staff turns over every year and keeps on going without being held accountable. Fred and those donors don’t want a serious AD, they want a friend. Only way I can understand why he’s still at SLU. 

 

[slu92]

Giving that contract to Travis Ford was beyond bad judgement, it’s total incompetency. Go read the OK State fan boards from 8-10 years ago and it’s damn near word for word saying exact stuff, same crap as we are right now in 2024. Red flags were there 8 years ago. How an AD can burn millions, not just on that contract, but everything else that’s added up over last 8 years, not counting Crews years and not only not be fired by now, but also blacklisted in college athletics for life, I can’t wrap my head around it. Makes no sense. Only at SLU. 

[JettFlight5]

I am to the point where SLU has to eat the Ford buyout no matter who or what else gets hurt. Basketball is the money sport, and this needs be done. Chris May is ok with losing because no one holds him accountable either. 

[NextYearBill]

11 hours ago, slufan13 said:

 

He LITERALLY said we don’t rebuild, we remix

[Fraz]

On 2/20/2024 at 9:56 AM, Pistol said:

I'm going to take Ford at face value for a moment regarding his "We have a plan in place to turn this thing around" line that he repeated a few times.

Recruiting is bone dry. We've offered a few juco guys this season but otherwise have virtually no discernible recruiting activity.

We have one player - Ja'Quavis Williford - committed for next season.

Meadows and Hargrove are out of eligibility after this season. Jimerson may or may not return for a sixth season.

International players are hard to predict but can be difficult to retain. Regarding the others, we'd be crazy not to expect transfers given the current landscape and the nature of the season we're having. In short, retention is going to be a real problem.

So if the recruiting pipeline is a trickle at most, if we have one incoming commitment so far, and if we're going to struggle to retain a bunch of players who are visibly upset at how this season has gone (assuming you want to retain all of them), does the plan involve a completely new set of players? Is Ford assuming he'll have enough of an NIL bag to put together a roster as if he's a new coach, and hope for those guys to come together like Utah State (or VCU or George Mason, arguably)?

I would just love to hear more about what the plan is, because I don't think it's real.

This is the biggest thing for me.  Nothing in the pipeline.  Where is the talent?  He’s brought in loaded classes before.  He needs one now more than ever.

How do you have a coach whose strength is recruiting, not recruit?  We banking on his understanding of NIL and the portal he’s gained over the “last month” to bail out his skeleton crew of a roster for next season?

Hell I might even be willing to give him an extra year if there was talent coming in.  See Coach Gates at Mizzou- easily on the hot seat with 0 SEC wins but nothing else matters w a top 5 class coming in

[3star_recruit]

48 minutes ago, Fraz said:

This is the biggest thing for me.  Nothing in the pipeline.  Where is the talent?  He’s brought in loaded classes before.  He needs one now more than ever.

How do you have a coach whose strength is recruiting, not recruit?  We banking on his understanding of NIL and the portal he’s gained over the “last month” to bail out his skeleton crew of a roster for next season?

Hell I might even be willing to give him an extra year if there was talent coming in.  See Coach Gates at Mizzou- easily on the hot seat with 0 SEC wins but nothing else matters w a top 5 class coming in

A Ford-coached team with Davell Roby as his best player, Mike Crawford as his second-best player and Aaron Hines at point had a better record than this one does.  That team was average on defense.

It doesn't take a huge NIL budget to bring in a couple of standout defenders to at least bring the defense up to average. I have no doubt that a man looking to save his job can accomplish this.  It's just bizarre that a coach who has put some pretty good defensive teams on the floor over the last 20 years, put us in this position.

I've beaten the drum that the Board of Trustees has to be the change we're looking for.  I just don't think they have it in them.  I'd love to be proven wrong.

[willie]

26 minutes ago, 3star_recruit said:

A Ford-coached team with Davell Roby as his best player, Mike Crawford as his second-best player and Aaron Hines at point had a better record than this one does.  That team was average on defense.

It doesn't take a huge NIL budget to bring in a couple of standout defenders to at least bring the defense up to average. I have no doubt that a man looking to save his job can accomplish this.  It's just bizarre that a coach who has put some pretty good defensive teams on the floor over the last 20 years, put us in this position.

I've beaten the drum that the Board of Trustees has to be the change we're looking for.  I just don't think they have it in them.  I'd love to be proven wrong.

90% of the board of trustees probably don’t know we even have a basketball team. Ford’s status will be decided by a very few people. Fortunately or un fortunately the head of the board is fully aware of where we stand. Whatever is decided won’t be done by some academic. 

[billiken_roy]

9 hours ago, Fraz said:

This is the biggest thing for me.  Nothing in the pipeline.  Where is the talent?  He’s brought in loaded classes before.  He needs one now more than ever.

How do you have a coach whose strength is recruiting, not recruit?  We banking on his understanding of NIL and the portal he’s gained over the “last month” to bail out his skeleton crew of a roster for next season?

Hell I might even be willing to give him an extra year if there was talent coming in.  See Coach Gates at Mizzou- easily on the hot seat with 0 SEC wins but nothing else matters w a top 5 class coming in

Recruiting is now a very distant second priority now with the b.s. pay to play NiL.   The first question all new recruits and transfer candidates ask now is, "how much will I get paid.".  Thus Ford's strongest attribute (maybe only attribute) has been diminished and virtually made him a non D1 coach imo.   He has to go.  

[slu72]

Just read the latest NYPost article on Pitino in a previous story knocking his players after a loss to Seton Hall. In this article he apologizes to his players and takes full blame for a disappointing season. So far this year Ford has taken no responsibility for the SLU dumpster fire. He consistently  rips the players for lacking toughness, conditioning, and fundamentals. Pitino did say fundamentals win or lose games and teaching them is the coach’s responsibility. Ford has never taken responsibility for his players lack of the fundamentals. It’s time he bellies up to the bar and takes the blame for his players not being able to compete at this level. Majerus teams were not stocked with 4 and 5 star players, but they sure as hell knew how to play the game. Sadly, Ford has never grasped this concept. 

[OkieBilliken]

24 minutes ago, slu72 said:

Just read the latest NYPost article on Pitino in a previous story knocking his players after a loss to Seton Hall. In this article he apologizes to his players and takes full blame for a disappointing season. So far this year Ford has taken no responsibility for the SLU dumpster fire. He consistently  rips the players for lacking toughness, conditioning, and fundamentals. Pitino did say fundamentals win or lose games and teaching them is the coach’s responsibility. Ford has never taken responsibility for his players lack of the fundamentals. It’s time he bellies up to the bar and takes the blame for his players not being able to compete at this level. Majerus teams were not stocked with 4 and 5 star players, but they sure as hell knew how to play the game. Sadly, Ford has never grasped this concept. 

He either is not able to teach them fundamentals or he recruited the wrong players who are unable to learn.    Either way it's 100% on him.   Now it's time to hit the bricks coach.  

[slu72]

20 minutes ago, OkieBilliken said:

He either is not able to teach them fundamentals or he recruited the wrong players who are unable to learn.    Either way it's 100% on him.   Now it's time to hit the bricks coach.  

Grasping basketball fundamentals is not like grasping the fundamentals of nuclear physics. Supposedly if these kids were able to get into college they are teachable and able to learn some simple basic tricks of the trade. What’s complicated about setting a proper screen, switching on defense, or blocking out on rebounding? Now if they’re not properly coached it’s not their fault. 

[SLUMS81]

Do the players think that their future NIL income only depends on moments of flashy offense?   They are acting like defense doesn’t matter any more.