MEN'S BASKETBALL: James Whitford hired as new Ball State coach

Since firing Billy Taylor on March 14, Ball State athletic director Bill Scholl said he hoped to find a replacement around the time of the Final Four.

Scholl made good on that deadline after the school announced on Saturday that James Whitford, former associate head coach at Arizona, would take over as head coach of the men’s basketball team.

“We are thrilled to add James Whitford to the Ball State family as our new men’s basketball head coach,” Scholl said in a statement released by the university. “In a very talented pool of candidates, James separated himself from the pack based on the success he has experienced at multiple institutions and the vision he has for Ball State basketball.”

Whiford will be formally introduced as the 19th coach in program history in a press conference on Wednesday.

For the past four years, Whitford served as recruiting coordinator for the Wildcats and brought in a top-five recruiting class in 2012.

While he has no previous head coaching experience, Whitford has coached under Sean Miller both at Xavier and Arizona as well as working with Charlie Coles in the Mid-American Conference at Miami.

“I want to thank President Gora and Bill Scholl for giving me this incredible opportunity at Ball State,” Whitford said in the same statement. “In my mind, Ball State offers the best combination of academic excellence, basketball tradition, outstanding arena and fan support of any school in the Mid-American Conference. When you add the unparalleled recruiting base in the state of Indiana and the great teaching those high school players receive from their various coaches, this job became one I targeted over the last few weeks.”

After firing Taylor, Scholl met with the current Cardinal players to ask what they wanted in a new coach.

The resounding answer was a coach who would push the tempo and make them better. Scholl seems to think he got both.
“He prides himself in developing young men on and off the basketball court and has an infectious positive energy that will be great for our program,” Scholl said in the same statement. “James will feature an up-tempo offense with an aggressive defense that our players and fans will love at Worthen Arena. He is an excellent fit for our campus, and we cannot wait to introduce James and his family to Ball State and the Muncie community.”