University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Golden Eagle Basketball Signs Michael Ford
5/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Golden Eagle Basketball Signs Michael Ford
Larry Eustachy |
HATTIESBURG, Miss.
? Southern Miss Head Basketball Coach Larry Eustachy has announced the signing of Michael Ford, a 6-1, 195-pound guard from Los Angeles Southwest College in Los Angeles, Calif., to a national letter of intent for the 2004-05 academic year. This marks the fourth signee of the spring signing period.
Ford was a standout player for Coach Reggie Morris at Los Angeles Southwest, where he helped lead the team to a 21-7 record and a final ranking of No. 17 in the California Community Colleges Men's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCMBCA) poll.
"No matter what level of basketball you compete in, guard play is important to your team's success," Eustachy said. "Michael is a versatile guard, who can play both point guard and the off position. He can make plays and score, and he is very athletic. Michael will be a good addition to our program."
The Macon, Ga., native had a standout sophomore season at Los Angeles Southwest, earning CCCMBCA all-state honors, while also being named the association's Southern California Player of the Year. He was second in the state of California with a 24.4 points per game average, shot .863 percent from the free-throw line and had a state-best 51-point performance during the regular season. Los Angeles Southwest also advanced to the second round of the Southern California Regional Tournament. Ford was named to the CCCMBCA all-state team as a freshman and was the South Coast Conference Player of the Year that season.
Ford is listed as the No. 3 junior college point guard in the nation by Lindy's College Basketball and as the No. 6 juco point guard by The Sporting News. He is a JC100 player by CollegeSports.com and Rivals.com gives him a 3-star rating. Ford also was an honorable mention junior college prospect by NBADraft.net. He played prep basketball at Northeast
Signing a California Junior College Player of the Year is nothing new for Eustachy. While serving as the head coach at Iowa State, Eustachy also signed former California Juco Player of the Year Jamaal Tinsley, who went on to be named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year and an All-American and now plays professionally for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association.
Ford is the fifth signee for the 2004 Southern Miss signing class. The Golden Eagles signed Henry Salter (Gulfport, Miss.), a 6-foot-4 forward from Gulfport High School, during the fall signing period. In the spring period, the program also signed Rashaad Carruth (College Park, Ga.), a 6-foot-3 guard from Indian Hills Community College; Shakiem Mitchell (Brooklyn, N.Y.), a 6-foot-9 forward/center from the Globe Institute of Technology; and Dwayne Brown (Kingston, Jamaica), a 6-foot-8 forward from Southeastern Illinois Community College.
