Kent State Names Geno Ford Men?s Basketball Coach
Story courtesy of KSU Sports Information
KENT, Ohio ? Kent State Athletic Director Laing Kennedy has announced the hiring of Geno Ford as men’s basketball Head Coach. Ford takes over as the 23rd head coach in the 92-year history of Kent State basketball after four previous years as an assistant coach for the Golden Flashes.
“This was an easy decision for us because we did not have to look very far,” said Kennedy, “Geno is an outstanding coach and I am confident in his abilities to carry on the tradition of the program and the success of our student-athletes.”
Ford brings 10 years of coaching experience, including three as a head coach, to the helm of the Kent State program. As a head coach he compiled a 51-32 (.614) record at Shawnee State University and Muskingum College.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to carry the Kent State tradition forward,” said Ford, “We will continue to emphasize the core values coach Christian instilled in the staff and players.”
No stranger to KSU’s commitment to excellence, he has helped lead the program to a 92-38 (.708) record during his two previous tenures on the coaching staff. Ford rejoined the Golden Flashes in 2007-08 after spending the prior two seasons as the head coach at Muskingum.
Immediately after returning to the KSU family last summer, Ford led the Golden Flashes’ recruiting efforts of 2008 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year, Al Fisher. Led by a team high 13.9 points and 4.0 assists per game from Fisher, Kent State went 28-7 and 13-3 in the MAC winning both the regular season and tournament titles. The Golden Flashes earned a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the highest seed in school history.
In Ford’s first stint on the staff from 2002-05, KSU won over 20 games each season, qualified for three straight National Invitational Tournaments and won a pair of MAC East Division titles.
“Geno has played an integral part in continuing the solid foundation of excellence put in place here at Kent State,” said Kennedy, “His experience allows the program to move forward with a strong recruiting base and a national profile.”
“I am very anxious to get started,” said Ford, “There are several important issues that need immediate attention that we will focus on right away.”
A Cambridge, Ohio native, Ford started his career as a college head coach at Shawnee State University in 2001-02, earning American Mideast Conference Coach of the Year honors in his lone season. He guided the Bears to a school record 22 victories and a 10-game improvement from the previous season.
In just his first season at Muskingum in 2005-06, Ford led the Muskies to their best record (17-9) in 15 years.
Ford began his coaching career at his alma mater, Ohio University, under current Western Carolina Head Coach Larry Hunter. He served as a graduate assistant for one season (1998-99) and was promoted to assistant coach, where he remained for two more seasons. During that time the Bobcats went 57-34, including 35-18 in the MAC.
In all, he has built an impressive coaching resume posting a 200-104 record in his 10 seasons as a head coach and an assistant.
An outstanding guard at Ohio, Ford helped the Bobcats reach the NCAA Tournament in 1994, winning the MAC Championship and recording a 25-8 overall record. The next season, Ohio qualified for the post season NIT after capturing the preseason NIT title with a defeat of New Mexico State at Madison Square Garden.
Ford finished his playing career with 1,752 points, earning All-MAC First Team honors as a senior and All-MAC Second Team honors as a junior.
One of the most prolific scorers in Ohio High School history, he was tabbed “Mr. Basketball” in 1993 by the Ohio Associated Press following his senior season at Cambridge High School in which he averaged 35.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Playing for his father, Gene, the 5’9” guard poured in 2,680 career points, ranking him third all-time in the state ahead of LeBron James (2,646). He was inducted into the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 2004.
Ford holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational communication from Ohio in 1997 and a master’s degree in athletic administration from the school in 1999.
Ford and his wife, Traci, have been married for 13 years and have two sons, Darin (12) and David (4).
