Travis Ford’s steady SLU success continued last season with another campaign of 20-plus victories.
But he didn’t deliver the big breakthrough Billikens fans yearn for — and now he must fight to prevent a total breakdown.
Ford’s downcast remarks spoke volumes after the depleted Billikens took a hard 101-62 fall Saturday at Southern Illinois-Carbondale. He noted that his team “didn’t have much fight†and that it got “physically manhandled†by the Salukis.
Compounding SLU’s misery was the loss of guard Mike Meadows to a back injury. The Billikens slipped to 5-4 with a tough assignment Wednesday at Missouri Valley Conference powerhouse Drake.
The program may be at its lowest point since the earliest days of Ford’s eight-year run, when predecessor Jim Crews left him mere scraps to mold.
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Ford rebuilt the program by securing a nice mix of local talent, recruits from within the Atlantic 10 footprint and viable junior college and Division I transfers. His past five teams were pretty good, although only one reached the NCAA Tournament.
But then came this season, with four early losses and the potential for more heartache with top scorer Sincere Parker shelved by a broken foot and Meadows missing as well.
Somehow, some way, Ford must salvage this season to keep his regime moving forward. Wish him luck because he is well overdue to get some.
Last year at this time, the Billikens were 7-2 after handling SIU Carbondale 85-72 at Chaifetz Arena. They had already banked notable victories over Memphis at home and Providence at a neutral site.
Ford scheduled ambitiously last season, aiming to contend for an at-large NCAA Tournament berth should his team not win the A-10 Tournament.
That goal seemed entirely reasonable. The Billikens wooed star point guard Yuri Collins back from the transfer portal. Javon Pickett transferred from Missouri. Javonte Perkins came back from his serious knee injury.
Gibson Jimerson provided the outside threat, and Francis Okoro and Jake Forrester provided sufficient heft inside. Fred Thatch Jr., Terrence Hargrove Jr., Larry Hughes II, Parker ... the Billkens seemed deep enough, too.
Then the season took a wrong turn.
The Billikens took an 84-62 beating at Iona as Rick Pitino’s Gaels ran circles around them. A frustrating loss to Boise State followed at home. The Billikens beat Drake, but they blew a 17-point lead while falling at home to SIU Edwardsville.
They regrouped somewhat in league play, going 12-6 while beating the lesser A-10 teams and losing to the top ones. They needed to win the A-10 Tournament to reach the Big Dance, but VCU delivered a 90-78 knockout punch in the semifinals.
So their 21-12 finish proved unsatisfying, given their expectations. Once again, Ford couldn’t quite push a good team to the next level. Once again, fans were left wanting more.
SLU president Fred Pestello and athletics director Chris May rallied behind Ford. May noted the school was building infrastructure to help the Billikens compete at a higher level with the O’Loughlin Champions Center and the booster-driven name, image and likeness collective.
But recruiting did not go well.
Top recruit Brock Vice, a 6-foot-10 center, asked out of his letter of intent and went to Creighton instead. Assistant coach Phil Forte exited to North Texas, and Oklahoma transfer C.J. Noland followed him there.
The NCAA has balked at giving Bradley Ezewiro a second transfer waiver after his arrival from Georgetown. Recruit Abou Magassa awaits academic clearance as a foreign student. Recruit Bruce Zhang missed two games awaiting NCAA clearance.
All of that forced Ford to play small ball with his lineup, leaning on his guards and wings. SLU’s “five out†offense was fun to watch with its array of shooters and slashers creating defensive mismatches.
Then Parker suffered a broken foot, and the Billikens weren’t so much fun anymore. Losing Meadows at Carbondale only made things worse.
Had Ford built up more equity over the years, he would be buttressed against this turbulence. But the Billikens have suffered setback after setback while remaining stalled on the ramp to the sport’s fast track.
Off-court issues kept power forward Luis Santos from playing for SLU. Elite power forward recruit Carte’are Gordon played but not for long due to his myriad issues.
A sexual assault investigation led to player suspensions and departures. COVID-19 hit the Billikens especially hard, and the A-10 made things worse with by bungling its scheduling in the pandemic’s wake.
Assistant coach Ford Stuen, Ford’s nephew, tragically died of an illness at 29.
Elite scorer Javonte Perkins blew out his knee. So did Thatch, a heart-and-soul role player. Parker emerged as a go-to scorer this season, then broke his foot.
That has been just some of the adversity Ford has faced. But he gets paid to find solutions, so that’s what he must do now.
“This is the stage that we’re on,†Ford said after the loss at Carbondale. “You’ve got to go out and you’ve got to play and you’ve got to perform.â€
Or else.