Missouri State fired men’s basketball coach Paul Lusk and less than three weeks later reports circulate that the Bears may have their new coach.  According to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, MSU is closing in on hiring Dana Ford, head coach at Tennessee State.  In his four years as the Tigers’ head coach, Ford led the team to a 57-65 record, after winning just five games in his first season.

Ford got his start in coaching in 2009 and was part of Gregg Marshall’s staff at Winthrop as a graduate assistant before moving to Wichita State with Marshall. When he was hired by Tennessee State four years ago, he was the youngest coach at 33.

Ford was named the 2016 Ohio Valley Coach of the Year.

One of Ford’s assistants, Rodney Hamilton, was a one-time assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State.