Wal$h $treet: Why Travis Ford left UMass

(WWLP) - A lot has and will be said about why Travis Ford left UMass for Oklahoma State.  Was it the money? A bigger conference? Or was it something else?

It wasn't a surprise that Ford left UMass, but it was a bit shocking how he did it.  One day after turning down a job offer from Providence College and pledging his allegiance to UMass at their basketball banquet, Ford interviewed with Oklahoma State.

First off, turning down Providence was a smart move.  Providence is a dead-end job.  The Friars will never be able to compete consistently in the new Big East.  The Friars may be able to make the NCAA Tournament every so often, but they'll never be a power in the most powerful basketball conference in America.  Providence is expected to have a good team next year, but the Big East is expected to have 8 teams ranked in the Top-25 when it is released in October.  Providence isn't one of those 8 teams.  Saying no to Providence to stay at UMass was the smart move.

Going to Oklahoma State is the smart move for Ford's career.

Coach Ford had 3 goals in mind when he came to Amherst.  Turn UMass back into a winning program - Check.  Make the NCAA Tournament - Almost Twice.  Pack the Mullins Center - That never happened.  It never was going to happen.  While Ford was pleased at the UMass turnout in NYC for the NIT Final Four, which might have been the tiebreaker between UMass and Providence, the Mullins Center was not going to be rocking anytime soon. 

The locals did their part, but UMass has around 20-thousand students.  If 25% or 5-thousand of them went to basketball games, the Mullins Center would be packed.  But for whatever reason, the majority of UMass students don't care about their basketball team.  When I picked a college, I only looked at schools that had a Division I Football and Basketball team.  That is part of the college experience.  Most UMass students are not passioniate about their basketball team, which was understandable when the Minutemen were bad.  But during the last two seasons, UMass was a win or two away from making the NCAA Tournament.  If home court advantage means anything, the students hypothetically could have lifted UMass to the wins they needed to reach the Big Dance.  Coach Ford loves college basketball and other than March Madness, your fans (students) and home court advantage is the best part.  That is what Travis Ford was missing and searching for.

I wish Coach Ford the best, I always liked him personally, but realistically he was never going to make Amherst home forever.  He's too good a coach and too big a name.  I believe that it was the lack of passion from the UMass students that ultimately drove that Ford away so soon.  That and the greener pa$ture$ in Stillwater.

Ford's loss is Derek Kellogg's gain.  A UMass guy, a Springfield native, Kellogg gives UMass what it has been longing for.  A coach, if he's any good, that may stay for the long-haul.  In my brief interaction with the new coach I believe his enthusiasm.  He's real.  Honest, funny and flawed.  Something you don't see very often in the world of college basketball coaching.  If Tony Gurley steps right in and Chris Lowe and Ricky Harris continue to improve, UMass will be able to contend for the A-10 title in Kellogg's first year.  Kellogg has the chance to continue building on the structure that Ford set. 

One side note - did anyone catch the NCAA Lacrosse brackets.  Duke is matched up with Loyola in the first round.  Collin Finnerty, one of the accused and later vindicated Duke Lacrosse players landed at Loyola  Finnerty gets a chance to play against the school that threw him under the bus.  I'll be keeping my eye on that game.