Travis Ford has a plan for the day of his regular-season debut at St. Louis University, and he knows exactly how it will unfold.
Everything will largely be within his control until 7 p.m. on Friday when the Billikens tip off against Ball State at Chaifetz Arena. What happens beyond that is anybody?s guess.
But even sticking to his longtime game day routine will be a little unusual for a coach who is accustomed to starting new jobs, which he will be doing for the fifth time in 20 years.
?I?ve got a routine but it will be different because I have a different drive, a different locker room, a different walk to the court,? Ford said. ?What I do is the same but the surroundings are different. From that aspect there?s anxiousness.
?It?s not a nervousness as much as not knowing what to expect. We had an exhibition game but you just don?t have a great feel for the environment and not a great feel for the routine. It?s just not knowing what to expect.?
When Ford started jobs at Campbellsville University, Eastern Kentucky, Massachusetts and Oklahoma State, he opened with wins against the likes of Clinch Valley, Urbana College, Hartford and Florida Atlantic. He might have his toughest challenge yet in Ball State, which is not a national power but coming off a good season with a lot of returning experience.
While Ford has immersed himself in his players and teaching a new system over seven months, he still doesn?t have a handle on how his team will react to a game situation.
Seven players return from a group that went 11-21 and they are joined by three freshmen, who are all likely to see significant minutes.
?With our team you don?t know what to expect,? he said. ?We didn?t practice well (Thursday) so that doesn?t ever set well with me. I?m anxious to see how they respond. I?ve had a lot of teams that I knew the day before a game how they?d play. Sometimes they might practice bad but I knew they?d play well. Sometimes the opposite. It?s always about the feel of the team, and I don?t know about this team yet.?
To make the day feel as typical as possible, Ford will stick to the schedule that he has kept for years.
Instead of leaving for the arena at 6 a.m. as on most days, he?ll go for coffee and review his scouting report at home. He?ll get to Chaifetz in time for an 11:30 a.m. meeting with his staff.
He plans to go for a run on campus when the meeting ends and return for the team shootaround at 2. While his assistant coaches put the transfers through a workout after the shootaround, Ford will retire to a room in the arena for two hours of alone time to watch TV or game film until 5.
?I used to have a lot of coaches who left the shootaround and went home,? he said. ?But I?ve got my staff staying here because I don?t want anyone to get stuck in traffic or anything, so no one is leaving.?
Ford will then find out if Chaifetz will be packed as he envisioned at his introductory press conference.
Last season?s average attendance of 6,757 was the second lowest in the eight-year history of Chaifetz. The Billikens also had their worst home record at 7-11. Against Ball State, they will provide a first impression for the Ford era.
?How we play had better be pretty consistent, home or away,? Ford said. ?We need the fans, no question. You hope to have a homecourt advantage. ... We don?t want fans to wait until we?re winning big time to come. When they leave Chaifetz this season, hopefully they leave saying, ?That?s a team I can get behind. I like their style.? And hopefully we just won.?
Everything will largely be within his control until 7 p.m. on Friday when the Billikens tip off against Ball State at Chaifetz Arena. What happens beyond that is anybody?s guess.
But even sticking to his longtime game day routine will be a little unusual for a coach who is accustomed to starting new jobs, which he will be doing for the fifth time in 20 years.
?I?ve got a routine but it will be different because I have a different drive, a different locker room, a different walk to the court,? Ford said. ?What I do is the same but the surroundings are different. From that aspect there?s anxiousness.
?It?s not a nervousness as much as not knowing what to expect. We had an exhibition game but you just don?t have a great feel for the environment and not a great feel for the routine. It?s just not knowing what to expect.?
When Ford started jobs at Campbellsville University, Eastern Kentucky, Massachusetts and Oklahoma State, he opened with wins against the likes of Clinch Valley, Urbana College, Hartford and Florida Atlantic. He might have his toughest challenge yet in Ball State, which is not a national power but coming off a good season with a lot of returning experience.
While Ford has immersed himself in his players and teaching a new system over seven months, he still doesn?t have a handle on how his team will react to a game situation.
Seven players return from a group that went 11-21 and they are joined by three freshmen, who are all likely to see significant minutes.
?With our team you don?t know what to expect,? he said. ?We didn?t practice well (Thursday) so that doesn?t ever set well with me. I?m anxious to see how they respond. I?ve had a lot of teams that I knew the day before a game how they?d play. Sometimes they might practice bad but I knew they?d play well. Sometimes the opposite. It?s always about the feel of the team, and I don?t know about this team yet.?
To make the day feel as typical as possible, Ford will stick to the schedule that he has kept for years.
Instead of leaving for the arena at 6 a.m. as on most days, he?ll go for coffee and review his scouting report at home. He?ll get to Chaifetz in time for an 11:30 a.m. meeting with his staff.
He plans to go for a run on campus when the meeting ends and return for the team shootaround at 2. While his assistant coaches put the transfers through a workout after the shootaround, Ford will retire to a room in the arena for two hours of alone time to watch TV or game film until 5.
?I used to have a lot of coaches who left the shootaround and went home,? he said. ?But I?ve got my staff staying here because I don?t want anyone to get stuck in traffic or anything, so no one is leaving.?
Ford will then find out if Chaifetz will be packed as he envisioned at his introductory press conference.
Last season?s average attendance of 6,757 was the second lowest in the eight-year history of Chaifetz. The Billikens also had their worst home record at 7-11. Against Ball State, they will provide a first impression for the Ford era.
?How we play had better be pretty consistent, home or away,? Ford said. ?We need the fans, no question. You hope to have a homecourt advantage. ... We don?t want fans to wait until we?re winning big time to come. When they leave Chaifetz this season, hopefully they leave saying, ?That?s a team I can get behind. I like their style.? And hopefully we just won.?
