Missouri State’s Dana Ford

Part One – A ‘Valley Guy’ Comes Home

(St. Louis, MO) – New Bears’ head coach Dana Ford believes Missouri State can become a Missouri Valley Conference basketball power. The ingredients are in place for the largest university in Valley Country to succeed at the highest levels.

After four years as the Tennessee State head coach Ford brings his 57-65 record to Springfield and back home to the MVC. As a former Illinois State player and coach at both ISU and Wichita State, the  33-year-old Ford believes now is the perfect time and perfect fit for his life, career and family.

His .467 winning percentage is misleading. After a five-win first season, the Tigers went 52 and 39 and finishing at .500 or better in all three following seasons. Ford says he’s excited about the new opportunities at Missouri State.

At his introductory press conference Ford said Missouri State brought him to Springfield to win championships.

So, why move now?

 

 

While some basketball programs suffer from a lack of resources, that is not the case for Missouri State. The 26,000 student university has the facilities, finances and fan base to succeed.

Ford says MSU has the right components it place, and it is his job to build a roster and develop team character to be able to climb the Valley ladder.

 

 

In coming back to the Valley, Ford says the league has a deep roster of veteran and winning coaches.  Building a talented roster and a successful culture are the important parts of Ford’s current task.

Comparing the OVC and MVC, Ford says the Valley is a more defensive league and a conference with more veteran coaches and senior laden rosters. The OVC relied more on junior college transfers and quick turnover.

Ford says Missouri Valley programs have to take more of a ‘long view’ approach to building a successful program. Ford says his job is to teach offensively talented players how to defend.

 

 

There is a face-lift going on in the Valley. Three new coaches at member institutions is stirring fresh interest at Evansville, Drake and Missouri State. Of the three new head coaches, Ford is the only one with Division 1 head coaching experience, but he believes each of the hires will prove to be a good fit.

With all the changes, he expects the league style to resemble the same style in past seasons. Darian DeVries is the new coach at Drake and Walter McCarty is beginning his head coaching career at Evansville. Ford says senior-laden teams, with efficient offensive styles and strong defensive efforts will most likely still win the MVC title.

 

 

Ford worked for both Gregg Marshall (at Wichita State) and Dan Muller at Illinois State and Muller is one of his closest friends. He says he hopes MSU and ILS will have a fun and healthy basketball rivalry.

Muller and Ford both major on cultivating great relationships. Loyalty, friendship and building camaraderie are significant priorities to the two former Redbird players. Ford says those coaches that are in the coaching business for their own personal gains don’t last very long.

 

 

In Part Two of this interview Ford discusses his current roster, incoming recruits and what the other Valley teams can learn from Loyola’s Final Four appearance.

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