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"The wooing of Kent State men??™s basketball coach Geno Ford is underway.
A KSU spokesman confirmed on Saturday the university has granted permission for Ford to interview at another school.
According to several sources, Ford is believed to be on the radar of at least two programs with coaching vacancies ??” Bradley University of the Missouri Valley Conference and Fresno State of the Western Athletic Conference.
Another school that could have an opening in the not-too-distant future ??” the University of Dayton of the Atlantic 10 ??” is also believed to have Ford on its early list of candidates.
The Record-Courier confirmed Ford was out of town for a meeting with a representative of another program on Friday and Saturday.
While KSU would not confirm the name of that school, athletic department spokesman Alan Ashby said the university would never hinder a coach??™s ability to look at another opportunity, and as has been its policy when schools have asked to meet with one of its coaches, KSU has granted permission for Ford to interview.
Fresno State??™s athletic director, Tom Boeh, spent 10 years at Ohio University from 1995 to 2005. Ford played at Ohio from 1993-97 and served as an assistant under Larry Hunter at the school from 1998-2001.
Fresno State could have a tough time covering a buyout in Ford??™s contract. Former coach Steve Cleveland stepped down as head coach two weeks ago after a 14-17 campaign.
The positions at Dayton and Bradley would allow Ford to recruit in the same footprint as KSU if he were to become head coach at either school.
However, the Dayton position is not open yet. According to published reports on Saturday, Georgia Tech has made an offer to Flyers coach Brian Gregory, but as of Saturday night there had been no announcement of a hire. Other reports had Richmond coach Chris Mooney interviewing for the Georgia Tech position this weekend.
Of the three schools, Dayton would offer the best opportunity to win right away. The Flyers were 22-14 last season under Gregory.
Bradley has been looking for a new head coach since March 6 when it fired Jim Les after a nine-year run at his alma mater that included a Sweet 16 appearance in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Les was 154-140 at Bradley, including a 12-20 mark last season. The Braves attendance at Carver Arena also dropped to an average of 8,447 per game last year, its lowest mark since 1992-93.
Bradley appears to be ready to make a serious commitment to a new coach who can rebuild the Braves??™ program. While Les reportedly made almost $420,000 in salary and benefits during his final season, Bradley could be prepared to pay a new coach more than $600,000.
Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton turned down an offer believed to be worth more than $600,000 last week.
While the Braves never finished better than fourth under Les in the Missouri Valley Conference??™s regular-season standings, Bradley regularly draws big crowds to the 11,060 seat Carver Arena, which is located a little more than a mile from its Peoria, Ill. campus. Prior to this year, the Braves averaged more than 9,000 fans per game for a Missouri Valley Conference-record 13 consecutive seasons. Bradley also has a brand new on-campus practice facility.
For years, KSU has talked about building a similar practice facility for the Golden Flashes. But with expected budget cuts in the coming year, there is no reason to expect those hopes of becoming a reality anytime soon.
Ford is 68-36 in three seasons at KSU, including Mid-American Conference regular-season championships in the last two years. After both seasons, he was named the league??™s Coach of the Year. Ford??™s salary at KSU is worth $300,000 annually and expires after the 2014-15 season."
A KSU spokesman confirmed on Saturday the university has granted permission for Ford to interview at another school.
According to several sources, Ford is believed to be on the radar of at least two programs with coaching vacancies ??” Bradley University of the Missouri Valley Conference and Fresno State of the Western Athletic Conference.
Another school that could have an opening in the not-too-distant future ??” the University of Dayton of the Atlantic 10 ??” is also believed to have Ford on its early list of candidates.
The Record-Courier confirmed Ford was out of town for a meeting with a representative of another program on Friday and Saturday.
While KSU would not confirm the name of that school, athletic department spokesman Alan Ashby said the university would never hinder a coach??™s ability to look at another opportunity, and as has been its policy when schools have asked to meet with one of its coaches, KSU has granted permission for Ford to interview.
Fresno State??™s athletic director, Tom Boeh, spent 10 years at Ohio University from 1995 to 2005. Ford played at Ohio from 1993-97 and served as an assistant under Larry Hunter at the school from 1998-2001.
Fresno State could have a tough time covering a buyout in Ford??™s contract. Former coach Steve Cleveland stepped down as head coach two weeks ago after a 14-17 campaign.
The positions at Dayton and Bradley would allow Ford to recruit in the same footprint as KSU if he were to become head coach at either school.
However, the Dayton position is not open yet. According to published reports on Saturday, Georgia Tech has made an offer to Flyers coach Brian Gregory, but as of Saturday night there had been no announcement of a hire. Other reports had Richmond coach Chris Mooney interviewing for the Georgia Tech position this weekend.
Of the three schools, Dayton would offer the best opportunity to win right away. The Flyers were 22-14 last season under Gregory.
Bradley has been looking for a new head coach since March 6 when it fired Jim Les after a nine-year run at his alma mater that included a Sweet 16 appearance in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. Les was 154-140 at Bradley, including a 12-20 mark last season. The Braves attendance at Carver Arena also dropped to an average of 8,447 per game last year, its lowest mark since 1992-93.
Bradley appears to be ready to make a serious commitment to a new coach who can rebuild the Braves??™ program. While Les reportedly made almost $420,000 in salary and benefits during his final season, Bradley could be prepared to pay a new coach more than $600,000.
Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton turned down an offer believed to be worth more than $600,000 last week.
While the Braves never finished better than fourth under Les in the Missouri Valley Conference??™s regular-season standings, Bradley regularly draws big crowds to the 11,060 seat Carver Arena, which is located a little more than a mile from its Peoria, Ill. campus. Prior to this year, the Braves averaged more than 9,000 fans per game for a Missouri Valley Conference-record 13 consecutive seasons. Bradley also has a brand new on-campus practice facility.
For years, KSU has talked about building a similar practice facility for the Golden Flashes. But with expected budget cuts in the coming year, there is no reason to expect those hopes of becoming a reality anytime soon.
Ford is 68-36 in three seasons at KSU, including Mid-American Conference regular-season championships in the last two years. After both seasons, he was named the league??™s Coach of the Year. Ford??™s salary at KSU is worth $300,000 annually and expires after the 2014-15 season."
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