Dana Ford was running a little bit late.
“Man, I’m sorry,” he said when he arrived to sit down with a writer for an interview at the Jim D. Morris Basketball Complex at JQH Arena.
The new Basketball Bears head coach wore a faded red St. Louis Cardinals T-shirt and dark blue patterned shorts. “You guys ready?”
He had to take care of an addition at his new house in Springfield, he said. An addition that’s probably familiar to many Bears fans.
“The cable company showed up.”
That was Ford’s hectic life this summer. Moving his family more than 400 miles to southwest Missouri. Shaking hands with hundreds of Bears fans in the area. Getting settled in a new place as the new guy. Making sure he could get ESPN at home.
This all in the name of breathing new life into Bears basketball, and helping fans dream once again.
“They’re absolutely starving for a championship-level basketball team,” Ford said. “Hopefully, we can feed them a little bit, right? Fill them up.”
Bringing with him a Valley-caliber pedigree
Ford’s first season will be one of celebration … and perhaps some somber reflection for fans.
This will be the 20th anniversary of the 1998-99 Bears team, which made the NCAA Tournament as an at-large qualifier. That group advanced to the Sweet 16 by beating Wisconsin and Tennessee.
The program’s had its share of success (and March Madness near misses) since, but it hasn’t been back to the Big Dance.
The significance of his first campaign as head coach isn’t lost on the 34-year-old.
“It does mean something to me,” he said. “I want to be the guy to do it. I’m a trailblazer. It won’t be easy, but we’re going to make it happen.”
He was a trailblazer in his previous stint as head coach at Tennessee State University in Nashville. Before Ford arrived as head coach, the program had one winning season since 1995. It didn’t end in a NCAA Tournament bid, but he did orchestrate one of the best turnarounds in NCAA history. The Tigers went from 5-26 in his first season to 20-11 a year later.
He earned Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors and the NABC District 19 Coach of the Year award that same season.
It’s those credentials that convinced President Clif Smart and Director of Athletics Kyle Moats that Ford can take the Bears (a year ago 18-15, 7-11 in the Missouri Valley Conference) to the next level.
“He turned a five-win program into a 20-win program in a year’s time,” Moats said. “To do that with limited resources in a saturated media market is remarkable.”
As a result, Smart and Moats were interested in talking to Ford about the job. They set up a meeting in early March in Chicago, and the president said he knew right away that this was the person they were looking for.
Ford’s leadership style is consistent with Smart’s, the president said. During the meeting, Ford talked about building relationships with players and making them better people.
He impressed Smart with his faith, a determination to do his job within the rules and his community engagement. All great fits for Missouri State.
“Within the first 15 minutes of talking to Coach Ford in Chicago, I was excited about the possibility of him becoming our coach,” Smart said, “and I could tell he was extremely excited about this opportunity.
“I don’t think we could’ve found a better fit for our program.”
“We only have one rule: Do the next right thing”
Ford is engaging. Tall. Quick-witted. Determined. He said his top priorities are his faith, his family and his program.
Family even played a role when Smart and Moats requested that meeting in the Windy City.
“I would’ve run there if my wife would let me,” he said. “When I walked out of the interview, I felt like the next person or persons would have to have one heck of an interview (to get the job).”
He was the fifth-youngest head coach among all Division I coaches in the 2017-18 season. He already has four years of head coaching experience under his belt and learned from the best the Missouri Valley Conference has to offer.
That list includes assistant coaching stops with Gregg Marshall at Wichita State and Dan Muller at Illinois State.
He played for then-Illinois State head coach Porter Moser from 2003-06 — the same Porter Moser who steered Loyola University Chicago to the Final Four in 2018.
His coaching pedigree is impressive. But Ford knows it’s just that: a résumé. There are games to be won. Student-athletes to recruit.
He has a particular type of student-athlete in mind. The first thing the staff will ask of their prospects: Would you enjoy going to school at Missouri State, even if basketball went away?
“We want people who want to be here,” Ford said, “because that will allow us to challenge them when we coach them.”
The new coaching staff is looking for players who have athleticism, size and long wingspans.
They’re after players who can score, because as Ford says, “you can’t teach how to put that ball in the basket.”
They’ll defend as a team, and focus practices — especially early — on understanding defensive strategies such as ball screen coverage, post defense, guarding the lane and more.
Character and fit to the program matter, too. But so does a willingness to buy into Ford’s mantra.
“We only have one rule: Do the next right thing. If we have a bunch of guys who are willing to do that, we’ll win games,” he said.
So far, the roster includes three returning lettermen (Obediah Church, Jarred Dixon and Ryan Kreklow) and four returning student-athletes (Abdul Fofana, Ross Owens, Jared Ridder and Darian Scott).
They’ll also have at least seven newcomers, including transfers from Nevada, South Florida, Texas Tech and twins from Poland.
Ridder is a Springfield native who became the number-one recruit in Missouri after a stellar career at Kickapoo High. Ford said he’ll recruit the Springfield area closely.
In fact, the day after his introductory news conference, the coach received a verbal commitment from another local prep star.
“We want as many butts in the seats as possible,” Ford said. “If you win, that’ll happen. But when you start winning with local talent? Man. That starts to set you up for something even better.”
Restoring the Bears to championship-level hoops
Ford is clear and direct when talking about fan attendance. He knows he has to build an entertaining product to get people out of their homes and to JQH Arena. His student-athletes and coaching staff will immerse themselves in the Springfield community at every opportunity.
But it really comes down to one thing:
Fans these days want to be associated with a winner, he says. Even so, he encouraged fans to do their part.
“If fans want to maximize our potential here, home court advantage is something we have to do,” Ford said. “If being a middle-of-the-pack Missouri Valley team is how people envision us, then I’d say ‘Watch us on the computer.’
“But if you want to be top dog, if you want to be a consistent player at this level, you have got to come to games. We’re going to do our part, but it’d be great to get the fans to take that step too with those season tickets.”
Missouri State’s basketball attendance has lagged in recent years. However, that isn’t unique to JQH Arena. More than 379,000 fewer people attended NCAA Division I men’s basketball home games in 2017 than they did the year prior.
That reflects a trend. Nationwide, Division I college basketball attendance has dropped every year since 2014, as entertainment options have become more widespread.
At their best, Bears and Lady Bears basketball can be the top entertainment option in town. The coach knows it’s true because he’s seen it in action. He remembered Blake Ahearn, Tamarr Maclin and “the Skittles seats” in Hammons Student Center.
He was also on the bench as a graduate assistant for Wichita State when the Bears won the 2011 MVC regular-season championship at JQH Arena.
So, despite being a new head coach, he gets the tradition Bears basketball has.
“The three things you need are history, facilities and spirit. We’ve got all of them,” he said. “We have unbelievable history with Bill Thomas, Charlie Spoonhour, Barry Hinson, Cuonzo Martin … those are all championship-level coaches.”
He said JQH Arena is so good, recruits have told him it compares well to facilities at major conference schools.
Then there’s the enthusiasm fans have shown him.
“We have to change our mindset for men’s basketball. Every time we step into an arena,” he said. “When we’re at Arch Madness. When other teams see our fans, they need to think, ‘Man. They just think they’re gonna win.’
“I just need to try to work my magic now. We’ve got what we need.”
Starting in a good place, taking steps to more success
Ford’s magic may not result in a championship this year, but that remains to be seen. The Bears could be fortunate enough with their new mix to win a Valley title.
Still, excellent organizations are built from the ground up. If the Bears roar to a crown, they’ll put it in the bank and focus on winning another one.
Setting the foundation is what matters, Ford said.
“We did not take over a program that had a bad culture,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s been a championship culture around here, but it hasn’t been bad and that’s a blessing.
“My only expectation this year is to establish our championship culture doing the things that we believe are going to get us there. Being a champion is about toughness, consistency, unselfishness and competitive greatness.”
Some fans, such as Scottie Stiles, share Ford’s vision for the future.
“I expect some growing pains,” said Stiles, an ’07 alumnus who works at Johnston Industrial Supply in Springfield. “We have a lot of new faces and a whole new infrastructure and basketball system. Given the recruiting we’ve already seen from the staff, 2019-20 is where the fun can really begin.”
It will take some faith, but that’s OK. It’s what drives Ford’s life. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he’d be a head coach at age 29, or that he’d take over what he calls “one of the best jobs in America, and definitely in the Midwest” at Missouri State by age 34.
“I just feel like my steps are ordered by God. Everything that happens in my life,” he said.
Those steps led him from his childhood in a trailer in the town of Tamms, Illinois (population of 526 in 2016) to Nashville.
But that’s just who he is. A man whose combination of skill, hard work and kindness took him to Springfield.
“I don’t come from the Duke family or the North Carolina family,” he said. “I’m just a small-town boy who’s worked his way all the way up, step-by-step.”
Join other alumni at the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Classic
Experience the excitement as Missouri State takes on national powers USC, Texas Tech and Nebraska in Kansas City!
You are invited to join us for a MarooNation pre-game pep rally. Meet up with fellow MSU fans for complimentary food and fun, then head across the street to the Sprint Center to cheer on the Bears.
Pre-game rally details: 4-6 p.m. Nov. 19, McFadden’s Sports Saloon, 1330 Grand Blvd.
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