Dustin Ford is an assistant men"s basketball coach at the University of Illinois.
Background
Ford"s older brother Geno Ford most recently worked as the head coach at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois and his father Gene Ford is the head coach at National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio.
Education
After graduating from Cambridge High School in Cambridge, Ohio, Ford attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in communication studies in 2001.
Career
Prior to joining the Fighting Illini staff, he served as assistant coach at Ohio University and at Western Carolina University. During his junior and senior seasons, Ford led the Bobcats in 3-point field goals. Ford first served as a college assistant for 3 years at Western Carolina University for both his former head coach at Ohio, Larry Hunter.
While on staff for the Catamounts, Ford recruited two future Southern Conference Defensive Players of the year in Brigham Waginger (2010) and Richie Gordon (2011).
Waginger is currently an assistant coach at Western Carolina and Gordon is playing professionally in France. In 2009, Ford returned to Ohio to join coach John Groce as an assistant.
In 2010 and 2012 Ohio went into the National Collegiate Athletic Association Men"s Division I Basketball Tournament, culminating with a Sweet-Sixteen appearance against North Carolina. When coach Groce accepted the head coach position at the University of Illinois in 2012, Ford went with him as an assistant coach.
The following season, Illinois made an appearance in the 2014 National Invitation Tournament.