/ Local News

05/16/2008

Associated Press

New Oklahoma State basketball coach Travis Ford said Thursday he has hired three assistant coaches, including one who spent time last season as LSU's interim head coach.

Joining the Cowboys' staff will be Butch Pierre, who coached LSU the final 10 games of last season after John Brady was fired in early February, and Steve Middleton, who also was on Ford's staff at Eastern Kentucky and Massachusetts.

Ford also said he will retain Chris Ferguson, who served as an assistant last season under then-coach Sean Sutton. Another holdover from Sutton's staff will be Joseph Biggs, who has spent the last two seasons as the Cowboys' assistant athletic director for basketball.

Ford said he will fill other staff positions during the coming weeks.

"It's a staff that has a lot of strengths in a lot of different areas," Ford said. "These guys will be able to develop student-athletes on and off the court, as well as develop great recruiting relationships."

Pierre, who spent the past 11 seasons at LSU and was an assistant to Brady when the Tigers made the Final Four in 2006. He led the Tigers to victories in five of their last nine regular-season games, but they lost in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference tournament.

Ford said he was impressed at the job Pierre did as LSU's interim coach. Pierre also has been an assistant at Charlotte, Louisiana-Lafayette and Kentucky State.

Middleton joined Ford at Eastern Kentucky in 2002. After the Colonels made the NCAA tournament in 2005, Ford left for Massachusetts and took Middleton with him. The Minutemen reached the title game in this year's National Invitation Tournament.

Ferguson worked as an assistant at North Carolina-Asheville, Appalachian State, Virginia Tech, Tennessee and East Carolina before arriving at Oklahoma State.