Saint Louis has fired coach Travis Ford after eight seasons, according to reports.
The Billikens went 13-19 this season and lost to Duquesne in the Atlantic 10 tournament Wednesday. Ford went 146-109 at the school and reached one NCAA Tournament when the Billikens won four games in four days to win the A-10 tournament in 2019.
Ford, the former Kentucky star who also coached at Oklahoma State, UMass and Eastern Kentucky, had little trouble attracting talent to Saint Louis. And though injuries played a part, the team never quite played up to its potential, often entering the season as one of the A-10 favorites.
This is one of the better jobs outside the power leagues. The school sits in the middle of a large city that’s home to many talented recruits and plays its home games in 10,000-seat Chaifetz Arena. Ford was reportedly making more than $2 million per year. There’s no reason the right coach couldn’t do special things there.
Who will that coach be? There has been reported interest in Indiana State coach Josh Schertz, though he may have better options.
(Photo: Jaylynn Nash / USA Today)
