Missouri State men’s basketball head coach Dana Ford has finalized his inaugural coaching staff, he announced Friday (April 5).  Ford will retain associate head coach Corey Gipson and bring in new assistants Jake Headrick from Samford and Jase Herl from Colorado State. He has also hired Sheldon Everett, most recently from Miami (Ohio) as his director of basketball operations.

“I am very happy with the coaching staff we have put together,” said Ford. “Without exception, they are all hard working, well-respected and personable young professionals who will help us achieve our goals. They are great recruiters and understand how much potential the Missouri State program has.”

Ford was announced as Missouri State’s 18th men’s basketball head coach at a news conference on March 22. The 33-year-old served the last four years as head coach at Tennessee State University and is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most promising young head coaches.

He has spent most of his first two weeks in the MSU program on the recruiting trail.

“That’s first and foremost,” said Ford. “Recruiting is something we couldn’t afford to wait on, so that was the first priority. Now, we have our staff ready to go, and we’re beginning off-season workouts with our players. We are certainly staying busy and making progress.”

Ford’s staff now includes:

COREY GIPSON

Associate head coach Corey Gipson will begin his fourth season on the Missouri State staff in 2018-19.  The native of Sikeston, Mo., first came to MSU on July 2, 2015 and was promoted to associate-level duties on June 2, 2016.

During his time at MSU, Gipson has been heavily involved in recruiting and player development, including All-MVC first-teamer Alize Johnson, who led the MVC in rebounding the last two years and was the league’s Newcomer of the Year in 2016-17. He also has coached two-time MVC All-Defensive Team selection Obediah Church, the program’s all-time leader in blocked shots, and helped the Bears earn evolved into a top defensive program in the MVC.

JAKE HEADRICK

Jake Headrick spent the last six seasons as an assistant coach at Samford University after joining the staff there in April of 2012. Headrick is native of Hamilton, Ala., and a 2005 graduate of the University of Montevallo, where he earned his degree in kinesiology after a successful playing career.

A tireless recruiter, he spent three years from 2009-12 as the head coach at Chipola College in Marianna, Fla. He compiled an overall record of 67-22 during his stint at Chipola and also tallied a 20-16 mark in Panhandle Conference play. He joined the Chipola basketball staff for a second time in 2008-09 after serving as an operations assistant and video coordinator at Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss., during the 2007-08 campaign.

JASE HERL

Jase Herl has served as an assistant coach at Colorado State the last two years, including a short stint as the program’s interim head coach at the end of the 2017-18 campaign. He helped guide the Rams to a 24-12 record in 2016-17 as well as a runner-up finish in the Mountain West regular season and tournament, and a berth in the National Invitation Tournament. He was also named to Under Armour’s “30 Under 30”, recognizing the up-and-coming 30 assistant basketball coaches under 30 years of age.

A native of Goodland, Kan., Herl also served an assistant coach at South Plains College in Texas, where he worked on recruitment, player schedules, academics and daily operations as well as on-court coaching. In the 2015-16 season, he helped the Texans to a 21-9 overall record, a 12-4 finish in conference action and coached four all-conference honorees.

SHELDON EVERETT

Sheldon Everett will serve as director of operations for the basketball Bears after spending the last five seasons (2012-2017) as an assistant coach at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. During his time in Miami, Everett coordinated the recruiting efforts for the RedHawks and oversaw the development of Miami’s guards.

Everett came to Miami after three seasons (2009-12) as an assistant coach with the men’s basketball program at Tennessee State under coach John Cooper. Alongside, Ford, Everett helped Tennessee State to a 20-13 record in 2011-12, the program’s first winning record since 1995-96 and the Tigers’ first 20-win season in 32 years. The team knocked off seventh-ranked Murray State and later defeated their first SEC opponent with an upset of South Carolina. TSU nearly earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament, falling to Murray State by two points in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament final.

Story courtesy: MSU Athletics