Dustin Ford
| Sport(s) | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Current position | |
| Title | Assistant coach |
| Team | Illinois |
| Conference | Big Ten |
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
June 11, 1978 Cambridge, Ohio |
| Playing career | |
| 1998–2001 | Ohio |
| Position(s) | Point guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2002–2005 | Jackson HS |
| 2006–2008 | Western Carolina (Asst.) |
| 2008 | Western Carolina (Associate HC) |
| 2009–2012 | Ohio (asst.) |
| 2013–present | Illinois (asst.) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2× MAC Tournament championship (2010, 2012) | |
Dustin Ford (born June 11, 1978) is an assistant men's basketball coach at the University of Illinois.[1] Prior to joining the Fighting Illini staff, he served as assistant coach at Ohio University and at Western Carolina University. Ford's older brother Geno Ford most recently worked as the head coach at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois and his father Gene Ford is the head coach at NCAA Division III Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio.[2]
Playing career
After graduating from Cambridge High School in Cambridge, Ohio, Ford attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in communication studies in 2001.
At Ohio, Ford was a four-year letter winner as a point guard for the Bobcats under head coach Larry Hunter. During his junior and senior seasons, Ford led the Bobcats in 3-point field goals.
Coaching career
Ford first served as a college assistant for 3 years at Western Carolina University for both his former head coach at Ohio, Larry Hunter. While on staff for the Catamounts, Ford recruited two future Southern Conference Defensive Players of the year in Brigham Waginger (2010) and Richie Gordon (2011). Waginger is currently an assistant coach at Western Carolina and Gordon is playing professionally in France.
In 2009, Ford returned to Ohio to join coach John Groce as an assistant. During his time at Ohio, he helped the Bobcats win two Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament championships. In 2010 and 2012 Ohio went into the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, culminating with a Sweet-Sixteen appearance against North Carolina.
When coach Groce accepted the head coach position at the University of Illinois in 2012, Ford went with him as an assistant coach. Ford helped the Fighting Illini win the 2012 Maui Invitational Tournament, win a 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament game against Colorado, and post a 23 win season in his first season at Illinois. The following season, Illinois made an appearance in the 2014 National Invitation Tournament.
References
- ↑ "Groce Names Ford, Walker to Fighting Illini Staff". University of Illinois. April 9, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
- ↑ Jackson, Marcus (November 17, 2013). "Dad keeping tab on Ford brothers". The News-Gazette. Retrieved November 4, 2014.