Newly minted Little Rock Trojans men’s basketball coach Travis Ford said Tuesday that an update on his staff and his roster was roughly a week away, but he did shed some light on the direction both processes are heading.
“All the things you do when you take over a new program, like putting a staff together, has been a priority,” Ford said during a media luncheon at Little Rock’s Jack Stephens Center. “Obviously, recruiting and official visits have been a priority in putting a roster together.”
Ford did confirm one returner will be 6-9 forward Terrion Burgess. Burgess was a cornerstone of former coach Darrell Walker’s recruiting class, with the former Benton High School standout finishing his prep career as the second-ranked high school player in the state by both Rivals and 247Sports. Burgess chose Little Rock over offers from Arkansas, Alabama, Auburn and others, and immediately began filling out his frame thanks to a summer spent in the weight room. But Burgess suffered a season-ending meniscus injury before the Trojans’ first game of the season and immediately became a question mark after Walker was relieved of his duties following the end of the season.
“My biggest thing for him was to get healthy,” Ford said. “That was it, period. Nothing else matters. We talked about him to recruits and things like that. And he’s healthy. He is healthy. But it’s one thing to be healthy. You’ve got to stay healthy.”
Ford said Burgess is doing everything possible to ensure a repeat of last season does not happen.
“Part of staying healthy is this time of year,” Ford said. “You don’t need to be out here playing every day. Let’s get you in the weight room. He has hit the ground running with lifting weights the way I want to lift weights and the way he needs to to become a pro.”
Ford is less hopeful on guards Kellen and Khasen Robinson, as both brothers and former Bryant High School stars appear to be moving on after dealing with season-ending injuries of their own.
“I got to meet with them and go through some things,” Ford said. “I think they’re going to look for opportunities at other places. They’re very impressive young men. I wish them all the best in the world and hope they get healthy and have incredible careers.”
Ford said the roster should be finalized in a week to 10 days’ time, and a full staff could become official in less time than that. Ford said three staff members will be coaches with whom he has worked before, but he will also look to add new faces who fit with his coaching philosophy.
“Everywhere I’ve been, all my different stops, I’ve always tried to hire new guys as well,” Ford said.
Notable names that have coached under Ford in the past include Arkansas native James Dickey, 72, who currently serves as a senior advisor at West Virginia and previously was a head coach at Texas Tech and Houston before joining Ford’s staff at Oklahoma State. Butch Pierre was another Ford assistant at Oklahoma State and, most recently, was an assistant at Wichita State. Yet another Oklahoma State alum, Phil Forte, was a standout guard under Ford before becoming a graduate manager under him at Saint Louis and is currently an assistant at West Virginia. Brad Lewis and Will Bailey both worked under Ford at Saint Louis, with Bailey being Ford’s first hire at the school.
“My biggest thing is, whatever position I’ve hired them for, can they do that specifically?” Ford said. “Have they proven they can do that?”
BASEBALL
To absolutely nobody’s surprise, Trojans coach Chris Curry had some words for his lineup following last Tuesday’s 12-0 home loss to Arkansas State.
“We had…let’s just call it a heart-to-heart,” Curry said. “The message was sent, and I believe the message was received.”
Little Rock proceeded to win two out of three at Tennessee-Martin, scoring 36 runs over the course of the series. A final home series against Southeast Missouri State remains before the Trojans look to defend their Ohio Valley Conference tournament title and NCAA regional appearance.
The hitters were not the only unit to step forward against UT-Martin. Curry singled out sophomore right-hander Tag Andrews, who pitched the final four innings of the Trojans’ 16-14 Sunday victory, giving up only one run while striking out four.
Andrews played nearby at Maumelle High School before signing with Arkansas, red-shirting for the Razorbacks as a freshman before coming to Little Rock. Andrews’ appearance Sunday was his 16th of the season, and he currently holds steady with a 3.41 ERA.
“The process has been pretty awesome,” said Andrews, who made the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll while at Arkansas. “I think the fall was an adjustment period. I learned a lot from a lot of older guys, which has helped me. I just can’t wait to keep it going.”
Andrews has been used exclusively out of the bullpen this season, and he will likely play a large role in the Trojans’ late-inning efforts in the OVC tournament. But that may mark the end of his career as a reliever.
“Tag has started all of his life, and he’s a future starter here at Little Rock,” Curry said.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
A year ago, Trojans coach Steve Wiedower was in the process of putting together an almost entirely new roster and was actively hoping his new group could quickly jell on the offensive end.
Little Rock would finish a game below .500, and while Wiedower praised the talent and effort of his group, he would admit that offensive familiarity was an issue. The Trojans run a motion offense based on the foundational principles of former coach Joe Foley, and it can take players up to a year to suss out all the rules, sub-rules and complexities involved in the process.
Roster turnover is the norm in this era of wide-open transfers, but seven players will return for Little Rock next season, and that’s seven players who will likely have internalized all the finer points of a complex offensive system.
“That’s the issue, I think a lot of times, with all the transfers,” Wiedower said. “By the time they learn it, it’s almost too late. Having all these returning players, not only do they know it, but they can do a good job of helping other players. It takes a lot of communication. It takes a lot of talking with each other, and the more you have that, the better off it is.”
Wiedower’s biggest get may not even be a player. The Trojans secured an invite to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands to compete in the “Paradise Jam” tournament, Nov. 26-28.
“That has been a big, big help on the recruiting trail,” Wiedower said.
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