May 9, 2006 - UMass took a step back in order to move forward

"I said that a couple of times this year. We did it because of the (three) transfers" who had to sit out this season, but will play for UMass next year, Ford said. "Even if you don't do that in the first year, you change things so drastically, you have to take a step back in order to take a step forward."

Ford's first year at UMass resulted in a 13-15 record and a first-round loss in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The Minutemen were 10-2 at home, however, and averaged 4,904 fans per game at the Mullins Center.

"Our record was pretty relevant to who we were and what our schedule was and all the things that go on in a first year," Ford said.

Ford came here just over a year ago after leading Eastern Kentucky to an NCAA basketball tournament berth. He described the last 14 months as a "whirlwind."

"It's gone by so quickly because I've stayed so busy," he said. "From the time I made the decision to (come) here, to getting on the road and promoting the program, I spent less time on basketball in the preseason and I've vowed never to do that again."

Ford admitted that his getting on the road was very important because he had to establish some energy for the UMass program.

"I was a little behind basketball-wise for myself, preparing for when practice started," Ford continued. "I'm looking forward to spending more time in this offseason on basketball issues and the basketball team."

For the record, UMass started out pretty well, going 9-5 in its first 14 games. That included a 60-34 home win over Temple that was shown on ESPN. From that point, things went downhill.

UMass won only one of its next six games, and won only five games from Jan. 21 until the end of the season. The only road wins came at St. Bonaventure and Duquesne, two of the worst teams in the A-10.

Add to that the mid-season losses of guards Artie Bowers and Maurice Maxwell, and the Minutemen weren't ready for a big season.

"We were who we were," said Ford. "Not only did we have just eight guys, we had one point guard. We had one shooter on the basketball team. We just didn't have enough weapons," he said

And weapons are what Ford is hoping to unveil this fall. The three transfers will be eligible and UMass has also brought in two freshmen in Ricky Harris and Tiki Mayben.

"I think we're going to have a balance of good seniors, plus some good underclassmen. You never want a whole team of seniors because then you're rebuilding the year after," said Ford. "Seniors are good, they usually provide great leadership and they usually understand this is their last go-round."

But Ford remains upbeat about the future of the Minutemen. UMass just signed Harris, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard from Winchendon School. Harris averaged 17 points per game and shot 43 percent from three-point range.

"Ricky brings a new and different dimension to our basketball team," said Ford. "He is a great shooter who can create his own shot."

That last phrase, "create his own shot," is something Ford said he wants more of next year, and with incoming junior Gary Forbes, he might just get it.

"He's going to be a guy you can basically give the ball to and say 'go score.' That's something we didn't have this year," said Ford. "We didn't have what we like to call the 'X-factor,' when a play doesn't work and you have a go-to guy who can create his own shot."

Forbes is a 6-foot-7 forward who transferred from the University of Virginia. He joins 7-footer Luke Bonner and 6-7 forward Etienne Brower as transfers who worked with the team all year and will be in uniform this fall. Bonner came to UMass from West Virginia and Brower arrives from Boston University.

Add to the mix Mayben of Troy, N.Y., and the Minutemen have a pretty solid roster of players.

"When I took over and I took as many transfers as I did and sat four guys, I knew it was probably going to hurt us in the first year," said Ford. "We sacrificed a little bit for the benefit of the program and the future of the program."

The future of which starts now.