Southern Methodist University Men's Basketball

Dana Ford was promoted to associate head coach following his second season at SMU. He came to the Hilltop after 10 seasons as a head coach, including the previous six years leading Missouri State. In his first season on the Hilltop, he helped lead the Mustangs to a 24-11 overall record and earned a No. 1 seed in the NIT. The Mustangs went 13-7 in the program’s inaugural season in the ACC to tie for fourth and also won the Acrisure Holiday Invitational. The Mustangs were one of just two teams in the nation with six players averaging at least 9.9 points and one of just eight teams in the NCAA top 50 for field goal percentage and field goal defense. SMU signed the nation’s fourth-ranked high school recruiting class, which is the best in program history. Ford is a three-time finalist and the 2015-16 winner of the Ben Jobe Award, which is presented annually to the top minority head coach in division I college basketball. His head coaching honors include being a finalist for the 2020-21 Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award and being named the 2015-16 Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year and NABC District 19 Coach of the Year. In 2022-23, his Missouri State team earned an NABC Team Academic Excellence Award. His teams have a 163-147 record in his head coaching tenure. At Missouri State, the Bears went 106-82 (64-48, .571 Missouri Valley) including a 23-win campaign and NIT bid in 2021-22. MSU totaled 10 All-MVC honors, including multiple selections four times. He went to Springfield after four years leading Tennessee State. The Tigers were 52-39 over his final three seasons, accumulating five All-OVC honors. In his second season at TSU, the Tigers recorded the largest turnaround in the nation by going 20-11 after a 5-win inaugural campaign. Before becoming a head coach, he had assistant coaching stints at Winthrop (GA 2006-07) and Wichita State (GA 2007-08, assistant 2011-12) under coach Gregg Marshall and later as associate head coach at Illinois State (2012-14) under coach Dan Muller. His coaching resume also includes assistant coaching stops at Chipola (Fla.) College (2008-09) and Tennessee State (2009-11). He was an assistant for two NCAA Tournament teams at Winthrop (2007) and Wichita State (2012) as well as a NJCAA national final four run at Chipola (2009). Ford was responsible for recruiting future NBA talents such as Robert Covington and Fred Van Vleet. A native of Tamms, Ill., Ford is a 2006 graduate of Illinois State University where he was a four-year letterman for the Redbirds from 2002-06. As a senior, he was a regular starter and led ISU in steals. Dana and his wife Christina have three daughters, Charlie Rose, Cline and Courtney, and three sons, Carson, Cameron and Crain. They are also the parents of another daughter, Promise, who passed in infancy in 2017. The Fords are also the founders of the Rebound Foundation which raises funds and awareness to help renew and restore women who have experienced a life of domestic abuse. The foundation provides a stable home and fresh start to abuse victims and their children. The Rebound Foundation currently provides homes in Springfield, Mo., and Chicago, Ill. Updated: May 23, 2025

Jay Morris is in his second season (2025-26) as an assistant coach at SMU and his fifth working with Head Coach Andy Enfield. In his first season on the Hilltop, he helped lead the Mustangs to a 24-11 overall record and earned a No. 1 seed in the NIT. The Mustangs went 13-7 in the program’s inaugural season in the ACC to tie for fourth and also won the Acrisure Holiday Invitational. The Mustangs were one of just two teams in the nation with six players averaging at least 9.9 points and one of just eight teams in the NCAA top 50 for field goal percentage and field goal defense. SMU signed the nation’s fourth-ranked high school recruiting class, which is the best in program history. He was also invited to the Elite 75 Future Head Coach Power Lunch in San Antonio leading up to the Final Four. Morris helped USC make two NCAA Tournaments in his three seasons (2021-24). He spent the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at San Diego State (2018-21), where he helped the Aztecs to a combined 74-20 overall record with a 42-11 mark in the Mountain West Conference. SDSU won back-to-back MWC regular-season titles (2020, 2021) and the 2021 MWC Tournament crown to reach the 2021 NCAA Tournament. During the 2019-20 season, SDSU started 26-0 to be the last undefeated team in Division I. The Aztecs spent 15 weeks ranked in the national polls including 11 weeks in the AP top-10, finishing the season at No. 6. Morris previously spent the 2017-18 season as an assistant coach at San Jose State. He was the director of player development at Long Beach State in 2016-17. He was on the Nevada staff in 2015-16 as the Wolfpack won the CBI. He was also an assistant coach at Cal State Northridge from 2010-15. Morris got his Division I start at Long Beach State where he spent two seasons (2008-10) as the director of operations, making the 2010 Big West Tournament title game. A member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), Morris received his coaching start at his high school alma mater, Westchester High in Los Angeles where he was an assistant basketball coach and strength coach for three seasons. During his stint at the prep level, Morris coached six players who went on to play Division I. Morris earned his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Cal State Dominguez Hills, and later received his master’s degree in coaching/athletic administration from Concordia. Morris and his wife, Yavonna, have twins -- a son named Chance and daughter named Mercy. Updated: May 9, 2025

Jeremie Hart is in his second season as the Recruiting Coordinator for Head Coach Andy Enfield.  In his first season on the Hilltop, the Mustangs went 24-11 and earned a No. 1 seed in the NIT. The Mustangs went 13-7 in the program’s inaugural season in the ACC to tie for fourth and also won the Acrisure Holiday Invitational. SMU signed the nation’s fourth-ranked high school recruiting class, which is the best in program history. The South Garland High School alum played a pair of his collegiate seasons in Texas and started the charity "Hustle with Hart" in South Dallas, which brings in current NBA and professional players to speak to kids about basketball, education and life. Hart, a Dallas native, has coached for five seasons following a 10-year professional playing career. He joins the Mustangs after recent stints at New Mexico State (2023-24) and Kansas State (2022-23 – NCAA Elite Eight). He also coached at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (2020-22 – 2022 Elite Eight) and the London Lighting of NBL Canada (2019-20). He served as the assistant coach for player development at New Mexico State in 2023-24. Hart tracked individual player progress for Head Coach Jason Hooten, helping Femi Odukale earn All-Conference USA selection. At Kansas State, the Wildcats made an NCAA Elite Eight run, going 26-10 and finishing tied for third in the Big 12. While in Manhattan, Kansas, he learned from Head Coach, Jerome Tang, who was selected as the Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year as well as the Big 12 Coach of the Year. Hart's role in developing the Wildcat guards helped K-State set the single-season mark for assists (611) while placing second in single-season points (2,742). He worked directly with All-American and All-Big 12 First Team selections Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson, assisting them to become the first Kansas State duo to be named to the AP All-America team in the same season. Prior to accepting a job with K-State, Hart served two seasons as a student assistant coach for Head Coach Clif Carroll at Division III Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas, where he finished his bachelor's degree in general studies in May 2022.   During his time at Mary Hardin-Baylor, the Crusaders posted a combined 44-7 overall record, including a 28-3 mark and a trip to the NCAA Division III Elite Eight in 2021-22. It marked the school's third-ever trip to the national quarterfinals and the first NCAA Tournament since 2013. Following his playing days, he started his coaching career on the staff of the London Lightning – a Canadian professional team based in Ontario. Prior to the stoppage of the 2019-20 season, Hart helped lead the Lightning to a 15-9 overall record. Prior to Mary Hardin-Baylor, Hart focused on individual player development in the DFW area. His clients included NBA players Tre Johnson, Jalen Wilson, Daniss Jenkins, R.J. Hampton, Dink Pate, Mike Miles and Dorian Finney-Smith.     As a player, Hart traveled the professional circuit for 10 years for teams on four different continents (Africa, Asia, North America and South America), including a two-year stint playing for Frayles De Guasave in CIBACOPA, the top league in Mexico.   His collegiate career concluded at McMurry in Abilene, Texas, in 2009-10 where he averaged 20.6 points and 9.0 rebounds to lead the War Hawks to a 17-9 record and a trip to the American Southwest Conference Tournament. He was named the ASC West Division Newcomer of the Year and was a member of the All-South Region and First Team All-ASC teams. His 536 points in 2009-10 still rank 20th on the school's single season scoring list. Hart started his college playing career at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, in 2007-08, averaging 12.0 points and 3.0 assists as the Highlanders went 18-8 and made an appearance in the 2008 Region V Tournament. He then transferred to Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, averaging 5.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Hart and his wife, Latrice, have six children: Angel, Kamiya, Kershauna, Jaden, Johnny and Demorie. Updated: June 3, 2025