FanHouse SteveAlford

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?

University of New Mexico coach Steve Alford is involved in a political controversy, with congressional candidate Darren White advertising a fundraising event as an opportunity to meet Alford, and Alford replying, "I wouldn't know Darren White if he walked in front of me. It got falsely advertised. I was just stopping by,"

The school's athletic department approved an invitation to a White fundraiser that says attendees can have their picture taken with Alford for a $1,000 donation to White's campaign, KOB in New Mexico is reporting, but now the athletic director is backing down:

"We're trying to clear up the perception that Coach is somehow involved in the campaign, he's not. He was asked by me to attend a reception, which he agreed to do. He is not endorsing any candidate," said UNM Athletic Director Paul Krebs.

I have no problem with athletes or coaches getting involved in politics. If Alford wants to endorse a candidate, more power to him. But in this case, the candidate apparently bragged that he had the coach's endorsement without bothering to check with the coach first. Not a good idea.

Looks like Steve Alford's departure from Iowa and disgruntled fans to New Mexico and open arms looks to have a few more bumps along the way. After Alford took the New Mexico job, he contacted the kids who had already signed National Letters of Intent (NLI) to attend Iowa. According to Alford, it was a courtesy to let them know he would not be the one to coach them next year. Or was that all he did?

"I knew for about a week it was a good possibility from him and my AAU coach, who's good friends with him," said [Jake] Kelly. "But (Alford) called me the day he signed with them and just told me that he wanted me to come with him, and that they needed me and that he thinks they've got a good future there with some of the recruits that he thinks will follow him."

[Emphasis added.]

This is a big recruiting no-no. NLIs say that you are signing with the school, not the coach, and that once an NLI is signed other institutions and their coaches can't try to recruit you. Expect that if Kelly really wants to follow Alford to New Mexico or get out of the Iowa NLI he will backtrack from that statement.

The article also notes that other college coaches have contacted Kelly's high school coach to let convey word that they are still interested in him if he can get Iowa to release him from his NLI. That is acceptable. It's all about going about things through the proper indirect manner. A coach can get word to the recruit that they want or are still interested in him, but they can't tell him directly. Jane Austen's got nothing on recruiting rules.

Alford hasn't responded to the latest stories. His Athletic Director, of course, is going with Alford's original story.

Andy Katz is reporting that Iowa coach Steve Alford will not be the Iowa coach much longer. Katz says Alford is taking his immaculately manicured hair to New Mexico and taking over for Ritchie McKay. If you hear a series of clicking sounds in your ear, that's probably just the folks at Fire Steve Alford tap dancing.

Alford's been the coach at Iowa for eight years, and not always with a great deal of success. Iowa, despite having a disappointing year this year, has been a solid program. Under Alford, they have (I believe), three NIT appearances and three NCAA appearances. Only in Alford's first year and his last did the Hawkeyes not get to any postseason tournament at all.

Still, he's not being fired. He's under contract through 2011, and voluntarily leaving a Big Ten job for a Mountain West job seems like a small step backwards. Of course, Alford's college coach Bob Knight did regret sticking around in his Big Ten gig a little too long ... maybe he had some advice for Alford. Maybe he was tired of the (perhaps unrealistic) expectations and wanted more a low-stress atmosphere. Maybe he's always wanted to live closer to the Carlsbad Cavers and the National Atomic Museum. I really couldn't tell you.

New Mexico was also said to be interested in Winthrop head coach Gregg Marshall, but, according to Katz, went with Alford because they considered it a "coup" to land a coach from the Big Ten. Many Iowa fans would probably disagree on exactly how big of a coup this really is.