STILLWATER — Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder said that as of Friday evening, Kentucky had not asked him for permission to speak with men's basketball coach Travis Ford about its coaching vacancy. An Oklahoma State spokesman returned a phone call on Ford's behalf on Friday night, saying the coach had no comment.
Kentucky fired coach Billy Gillispie on Friday after just two seasons in Lexington. This spring, the Wildcats failed to make the NCAA Tournament this season for the first time in 18 years. But Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart made it clear that Gillispie's dismissal was due to philosophical differences and that the Wildcats need a coach who understands that “this is not just another coaching job.”
One person who understands that intimately is OSU's first year coach, who just guided the Cowboys to a 23-12 record and its first NCAA Tournament appearance in three years. Ford is a Kentucky native and UK grad, and his wife, Heather, was a swimmer at Kentucky. Ford transferred to Kentucky after playing his freshman season at Missouri and was the point guard on a Rick Pitino-coached Final Four team.
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