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Missouri State University seeking new men’s basketball coach

The sun shining on a Missouri State University Bear head logo banner.
Jesse Scheve/Missouri State University
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Missouri State University
First day of the Spring 2023 semester on January 22, 2023. Jesse Scheve/Missouri State University

On Sunday morning, Missouri State University announced it’s making a change in the coach for its basketball program.

In a decision that he said wasn’t easy, MSU athletics director Kyle Moats announced Sunday morning that the men’s basketball team will get a new head coach.

Dana Ford was relieved of coaching duties after a season that university President Clif Smart called "disappointing" in a recent blog post.

The men’s basketball team finished the year with a 17-16 overall record, according to a news release. The Bears were eliminated from the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Friday with a quarterfinal-round loss to top-seeded Indiana State.

Moats, the athletic director, said Coach Ford has been an "amazing role model” and a “great ambassador” for Missouri State and thanked him for his hard work.

Ford had been running men’s basketball for the university since March 2018.

Gregory Holman is a KSMU reporter and editor focusing on public affairs.