ST. LOUIS — Travis Ford, the head coach of the Saint Louis Billikens mens basketball team for eight seasons, was fired Wednesday night following the team's 83-73 loss to Duquesne in the Atlantic 10 tournament.
"There's a lot going through (my mind). First and foremost, my players—and I'm proud of how we finished the year—and my coaches," Ford told 5 On Your Side sports director Frank Cusumano.
Ford was hired by SLU in March 2016. Before joining the Billikens, Ford served as head coach at Oklahoma State, Massachusetts, Eastern Kentucky and Campbellsville.
Ford's departure from SLU was widely expected following the team's less-than-stellar season. The team's record was 13-20 overall this season, and 5-13 in A-10 conference play.
Ford has led his team to the NCAA Tournament seven times. He has coached six players who have gone on to play in the NBA and eight who have been named a conference player of the year.
"You look back on my 27 years as a college head coach and all the different people that I've met and the relationships I've built over the years," Ford said. "I've loved St. Louis—absolutely loved St. Louis. My kids call St. Louis home, and I'm looking forward to spending more years in St. Louis."
Ford was a former college basketball player at the University of Kentucky, helping the Wildcats to several NCAA Tournament appearances. Ford transferred to Kentucky after one season at the University of Missouri.
"There's a lot of emotions that go through your mind on nights like this, but mostly all very, very positive," he said.