UMass weathered the Western Kentucky and then LSU interest in Travis Ford. Then as things settled Providence came calling with a sizable offer -- at least double his base salary at UMass of $400,000. Ford actually toured the Providence campus and their athletic facilities on Wednesday. He returned back to Amherst with an offer, by all accounts. UMass could not match the money, but did offer a raise and more years. Ultimately -- and perhaps a little surprisingly -- Ford opted to remain at UMass. The announcement was made that he was staying just before the UMass Team Banquet.
"As all of you know, we've gone through the last couple of days with a great deal of anticipation," said [Athletic Director John] McCutcheon. "We would like everyone to know that Travis Ford, our head men's basketball coach, will be with us for many years to come. Obviously this has been a tremendous year for the basketball program advancing to the NIT Championship. We have made great strides here over the last couple of years and we look forward to making many more. We could not be more excited about the future in front of us."This is great news for UMass as they have shown steady improvement under Ford. While they haven't made the NCAA Tournament, they have gotten better each year and reached the NIT the last two and tied for the best record in the A-10 this season.
Of course, if UMass keeps getting better, this will remain an annual event and at some point Ford will leave for the money and opportunity. Providence, clearly, wasn't that big opportunity.
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