Oklahoma State Hires Travis Ford

Oklahoma State said that they intended to hire a "big name" coach to replace the recently departed Sean Sutton. And armed with a $300 million trust, courtesy of multi-billionaire booster T. Boone Pickens, the OSU athletic department swung for the fences.

They tried to lure the coach of the 2008 National Champions--Kansas' Bill Self--to return to Stillwater, OK, to coach his alma matter. But he declined.

Then there was speculation that Pickens and OSU were trying to convince Billy Gillispie--himself a Self protege--to leave Kentucky for Oklahoma State. But that went nowhere as well. There was even talk of OSU making a play for former NBA coach Larry Brown, and then for Minnesota's Tubby Smith.

And on Tuesday, Oklahoma State officials met with Southern Illinois coach Chris Lowery.

But in the end, Oklahoma State settled on UMass coach Travis Ford.

However, while Oklahoma State fans who had planned on landing Self or Gillispie may be less than inspired by Ford's hiring, Drive and Dish thinks that Oklahoma State probably made a good hire.

The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcey doesn't like the move, though:

"OK State promised to pay Sean Sutton more than $2 million if he'd just go away, and for all of that, and for all the Cowboys will pay to Ford, they got themselves a coach with a .565 career winning percentage and one NCAA bid in eight seasons as a Division I head coach. Barry Hinson got fired from Missouri State for not making the tournament. Ford got the Oklahoma State job. You wonder why some coaches are a bit batty?"

Pickens, Oklahoma State Search For "Big Name" Coach

Now that Kansas' Bill Self has declined their offer, Oklahoma State and multi billionaire booster T. Boone Pickens are back on the hunt for a "big name" coach to fill the Cowboys' vacant men's basketball head coaching position.

Pickens donated $ 290 million to his alma matter, $265 million of which went to the school's athletic department. And thanks to Pickens' management, the value his gift to athletic department has grown to over $300 million.

What's more, Pickens has stated that he'll do "whatever it takes" to make Oklahoma State into a sports juggernaut.

But Yahoo! Sports' Dan Wetzel says that the vast power which Mr. Pickens wields at Oklahoma State may, ultimately, serve as a double edged sword for the university's athletic department:

"Pickens is the George Steinbrenner of college athletics, capable of overriding whatever remaining rationality there is in the hiring and firing game. While all schools increasingly make rash decisions – somewhat justifiable considering the salaries today’s coaches make – they almost always need boosters, the athletic director and perhaps the school president to sign off on it.

At OSU who is crossing Pickens? The school president who has watched Pickens’ original donation of $165 turn into $300 million in a fund managed by no less than Pickens? The athletic director, Mike Holder, who just happens to be an old quail hunting buddy of you know who? How about the other boosters who would have to get into a money burning contest with Pickens just as oil soars past $110 per barrel?

This is T. Boone Pickens University right now and everyone knows it, including every prospective coach."

Oklahoma State to Pursue Bill Self

By Trashtalk Superstar

Representatives from Oklahoma State University have stated that the university intends to pursue Kansas' Bill Self to fill its men's basketball head coaching vacancy. Self, an Oklahoma State alumnus and a former OSU starting point guard, coached Kansas to the National Championship Monday night.

Self has stated that he plans to meet with Kansas officials to talk about a contract extension:

"What I’d like to have is like everybody’d like to have,” Self said. “I’d like to have some security. I don’t know what even Kansas would remotely be talking (about). We haven’t even talked about that. When I say security, I mean years, so hopefully that’ll happen.”

Last year, Kansas awarded Self a five-year contract extension. He makes $1.3 million in base salary and an additional $350,000 each year if he meets incentives.

But Oklahoma State has deep pockets, courtesy of billionaire Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens, who donated $165 million--which has now grown to $300 million--to the Cowboy’s athletic department. As the Denver Post notes:

"Oklahoma State is prepared to offer Self a salary of $4 million a year, plus a $6 million signing bonus. That would not only nearly triple the $1.375 million he makes at Kansas but would fly past the $3.5 million paid the current highest-paid coach, Florida's Billy Donovan."

But despite Oklahoma State's vast financial reserves--and T. Boone Pickens' largess--it would be surprising to see Bill Self leave Kansas.

When Self left Illinois to take over the Jayhawks in 2003, he proclaimed Kansas to be his "dream job." And while Self may be an Oklahoma State alum, a former Oklahoma State standout point guard, a former Oklahoma State assistant coach and a native Oklahoman, it would be difficult to imagine a scenario in which he would leave a program as storied as Kansas--especially now that he's won a National Championship in Lawrence--for the prospect of undertaking a rebuilding campaign at a conference rival institution.

Most likely, Self will use Oklahoma State's offer as a bargaining chip to renegotiate his contract with Kansas. Self's annual salary of $1.3 million still trails football coach Mark Mangino's $1.5 million.

But in a year in which there have been few high profile off season coaching changes, Oklahoma State's pursuit of Bill Self gives college basketball writers and talking heads something to talk about for a couple of days, now that the NCAA Tournament is over.