Saint Louis Fires Former Oklahoma State Coach Travis Ford
Oklahoma State’s former head coach is on the move again.
According to multiple reports, Saint Louis fired head coach Travis Ford on Wednesday. Ford spent eight seasons at Saint Louis and led it to only one NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Billikens’ decision to move on from Ford came after their 93-83 loss to Duquesne in the second round of the A-10 Tournament. The Billikens finished the season 13-20 while posting the second-worst record in conference play.
Ford took over at Saint Louis in 2016, and the team’s lone appearance in the big dance came in 2019. After winning the A-10 conference championship, the team earned the 13 seed in the East region and lost in the first round to Virginia Tech.
In helping the Billikens to the NCAA Tournament, Ford coached current NBA guard Jordan Goodwin. Playing four years with Ford at Saint Louis, Goodwin averaged 12.8 points and 8.8 rebounds before signing with the Washington Wizards as an undrafted free agent in 2021.
Before spending eight seasons at Saint Louis, Ford spent eight seasons in Stillwater as head coach for OSU. Ford posted a 155-111 record at OSU, including five NCAA Tournament appearances.
Ford’s lone win in the NCAA Tournament was in 2009 when the Cowboys beat Tennessee in the first round before losing to 1-seed Pittsburgh in the second round. Ford’s longest stretch of NCAA Tournament appearances came from 2013-15 when he helped OSU to three straight.
Ford coached multiple future NBA players at OSU, including 2014 lottery pick Marcus Smart. Smart led OSU to two of those tournament appearances alongside Markel Brown.
However, his 12-20 season in 2016 was too much for him to overcome as OSU decided to move on. That 12-20 mark is the same mark Mike Boynton posted this season.
Although there is no indication Boynton is on the move, he is likely on the hot seat moving forward.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.