
When Iowa hired
Steve Alford in 1999, he was one of the most sought after coaching commodities in the country, after what he built in Southwest Missouri State. The luster of his name -- what with the all-American accolades, national championship, and gold medal -- in the Big Ten surely didn't hurt matters with the Iowa basketball contingent. Excitement around the program led people to think they'd be a player in the Big Ten for the foreseeable future.
Eight years, a losing conference record, and a solitary NCAA tournament victory later, Alford fled the scene.
To hear it from him, though, he didn't move to escape a firing, nor was he pushed out by the athletic department. He left Iowa because he was presented
with a better coaching opportunity. You know, leading the New Mexico Lobos.
"I just felt like at that time in my life, New Mexico was a better move," Alford said Saturday after a 67-55 loss to Virginia Commonwealth. "I still feel that way."
Really? It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that the State of Iowa was teeming with people ready to pack his bags and drive him all the way down to New Mexico themselves?