TSU’s Dana Ford – Part One

Doing the Next Right Thing

(St. Louis, MO) – Dana Ford’s Tennessee State Tigers are playing winning basketball. TSU has won seven straight games and have climbed into a tie for third in the Ohio Valley Conference race.

But to the fourth year coach the priorities are more than just winning games, grabbing headlines and earning higher seedings in the OVC’s postseason tournament. For Dana Ford, developing men, teaching values and doing the ‘next right thing’ are his definitions of success.

Tennessee State (15-11, 10-5) is playing it’s best basketball and has bounced back from losing three of their first four OVC games, to become a legitimate threat at the next month’s conference tournament. The Tigers have not only won seven straight, but since that disastrous start, they have defeated first place Belmont (knocking them into a tie with Murray State), swept defending tournament champion Jacksonville State and put a dent in the revival Austin Peay. TSU and APSU are tied for third place.

Earlier in the season the Tigers struggled during close games. Two of those three early league losses, came in overtime. Even in nonconference play, Ford’s squad dropped an overtime decision to Lipscomb and a one-point decision to the Big 12’s Texas. It’s not a stretch to say the Tigers could easily be 19 and 7 right now, and one game out of first place.

But behind the statistics, wins and losses and high-light reel dunks, what matters to Dana Ford?

Developing Men.

Ford believes helping developing his players into men that know how to win at life, become socially aware and make the ‘next right decision’ is as important as being good at basketball.

 

 

The Tigers’ nonconference schedule included 13th ranked Kansas, the Big 10’s and 6th ranked Purdue, Texas, Conference USA leader Middle Tennessee,  Lipscomb and North Carolina A&T (both second place in their conferences). Ford says part of the reason for creating such a difficult schedule was to test his players and to prepare them for the future.

 

 

The Tigers hang their hat on defense. They lead the OVC in both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense. When Ford speaks of their defensive approach, you hear words like accountability, effort, working hard, being good teammates. Once again the 33-year-old team leader is saying something about training men for the future.

 

 

One player that embodies the very thing Ford preaches, is senior Darreon Reddick. Ford’s first recruit to TSU, from Belleville East High School (outside of St. Louis) was being recruited by then Illinois State assistant coach Dana Ford. When he was hired at Tennessee State, Ford told me his second phone call (after the one to his wife) was to Reddick.

Ford says Reddick isn’t the team’s leading scorer, but he is the team’s Most Valuable Player! Why? Because he just keeps doing ‘The Next Right Thing’.

 

 

In Part Two we’ll discuss some of TSU’s other key players and the stretch run into the OVC Tournament.

Do Good