Busting Brackets
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OVC Basketball: Top 10 head coaches of the century (2000-20)

By Joey Loose

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - MARCH 23: Head coach Matt McMahon consoles Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers against the Florida State Seminoles in the second half during the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at XL Center on March 23, 2019 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - MARCH 23: Head coach Matt McMahon consoles Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers against the Florida State Seminoles in the second half during the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at XL Center on March 23, 2019 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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FAIRFAX, VA – MARCH 04: Head coach Travis Ford (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
FAIRFAX, VA – MARCH 04: Head coach Travis Ford (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

8. OVC Basketball coach power rankings – Travis Ford (Eastern Kentucky, 2000-2005)

As Ford began his D1 coaching career at Eastern Kentucky in 2000, he was certainly no stranger to the state. He had played college ball at Kentucky and began his career leading Campbellsville, an NAIA school in the state. Ford didn’t yet know that Eastern Kentucky was only the first rung on a winding coaching career. This was all possible because of the rebirth he brought to the Colonels.

Ford inherited a program in rough shape, having won just 19 games combined in the previous three seasons. The rebuild was slow, winning just 7 games in his first two seasons. By 2004, he had a fourth-place team in the OVC, but it was his final year where things clicked. The Colonels won 22 games, finished 2nd in the OVC, and made their first NCAA Tournament since 1979. The long haul had paid off, and Eastern Kentucky was finally king of the OVC again.

After this success, Ford moved on to Massachusetts before a long stint in the Big 12 with Oklahoma State. He really took advantage of the success he built with the Colonels, and today is making similar moves with Saint Louis in the A-10. This Eastern Kentucky program was really not much of anything at the turn of the century, but Ford built a team that was better set to compete in the league for years to come.