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April 10, 2008

No word on PC and Travis Ford

BY KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

PROVIDENCE -- There is no pending word on whether Travis Ford will accept an offer to become the next basketball coach at Providence College.

PC has no press conference scheduled, according to associate AD Arthur Parks. Athletic Director Bob Driscoll is in Providence and no doubt anxiously awaiting some kind of resolution to his courtship of Ford.

The UMass coach spent yesterday at PC but returned to Amherst last night and is on campus there today. There is no word coming from UMass, either.

"John McCutcheon, our athletic director, has a policy of not commenting on speculation regarding coaches," said UMass athletic spokesman Jason Yellin.

UMass is holding its end-of-season team banquet tonight on campus. Representatives of both schools privately say they hope this situation is resolved sometime later today. PC's banquet is scheduled for Monday night.

It's unclear if Ford is asking for more money from UMass. He already has a contract that runs through 2015, so security is not an issue. UMass' athletic department is far from flush with cash and the university system is dealing with major budgetary issues.

What could also be playing out is Ford wishes to tell his team and UMass officials that he is moving on. Doing so before (or at) a public banquet would prove difficult but Ford is scheduled to attend the event.

Posted by Art Martone  at 11:27 AM | Permalink