Albuquerque, N.M. – Steve Alford smiled, slipped on the red blazer and got that back-home-in-Indiana feeling.
Getting used to green chili? Well, that may take him a while.
Alford left Iowa and the Big Ten to take over New Mexico’s struggling mid-major program. He was introduced today to a raucous standing-room only crowd of Lobo players, school administrators, students and fans.
During an hour-plus news conference, Alford spoke in detail about his decision to leave the Hawkeyes with four years remaining on his contract for a six-year deal at New Mexico that will pay him an annual salary of $975,000.
He spoke of his optimism for raising the Lobos to national prominence and of his desire to coach in The Pit, where Jim Valvano gleefully sprinted across the court after North Carolina State won a national title 24 years ago.
Alford also mixed in a little humor, explaining that where he comes from, breakfast isn’t spiced up.
“We’re still learning on the fly out here,” he said. “Being Midwesterners, we just eat eggs. We don’t put red or green chili on them. We’ve got a lot to learn, and we’re going to dive right into it.” Accompanied by his wife, Tanya, and the couple’s three children, Alford arrived wearing a dark suit but promptly switched into the red jacket, a throwback color from his days as a star guard for Bob Knight at Indiana.
“It’s been nearly 20 years since I’ve had this color on,” Alford told the cheering crowd. “It was pretty magical the last time.”
New Mexico fans – among the most passionate in college basketball – are counting on Alford still having some magic. They merely expect him to turn around a program that’s been to the NCAA tournament only once since 1999 and has never made it past the second round.
Alford, a key player on Knight’s Indiana national championship team in 1987, spent the last eight seasons coaching at Iowa.
Two years ago, the Hawkeyes finished 25-9, won the Big Ten tournament and were a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. A first-round loss to Northwestern State and a 17-14 record last season put Alford on the hot seat in Iowa City and in the market for a fresh start.
When New Mexico athletic director Paul Krebs called, Alford was ready to head West.
“It’s a great situation and time for me,” Alford said. “I loved my time in Iowa and being in the Big Ten. I had four years left on my contract and I just thought it was the right time. This was going to be the smoothest time for me to make a move like this.” Alford is the Lobos’ third coach since 1999 and eight years ago New Mexico probably wouldn’t have stood a chance at hiring him. He had just taken Southwest Missouri State to the round of 16 and was snatched up by Iowa.
His record at Iowa was 152-106, including three NCAA tournament appearances. But the Hawkeyes won only one NCAA tournament game.
New Mexico needed a successor to Ritchie McKay, who was fired in February after five seasons. Undeterred by Alford’s lukewarm status with Iowa fans, Krebs said he found the coach he wanted from the start.
“He was our No. 1 target from the very beginning. We got the coach we wanted,” Krebs said. “This is a coach who has taken a team to the Sweet 16, who has been in great battles. He has beaten the likes of schools like Kansas, Louisville and Kentucky.” Krebs also tapped into a little hoops history in supporting his hiring.
“Twenty-five years ago Lute Olson left Iowa to go to Arizona and before that, Bob King left Iowa to come to the Lobos,” he said.
King, of course, is viewed as the coach who lifted New Mexico to prominence during the 1960s. He was coaching when The Pit opened in 1966, and the playing surface in Albuquerque bears his name.
Alford held his first meeting with New Mexico players earlier Friday. Several Lobos said Alford told them he would emphasize discipline, commitment to academics and team unity.
“I’m excited,” said freshman forward Roman Martinez. “He’s a good coach who has strong morals. He knows how to win. I like the way he presented himself in our meeting.” As New Mexico’s newest celebrity, Alford also immediately becomes the highest-paid state employee. He will earn nearly nine times as much as Gov. Bill Richardson, who is pursuing the Democratic presidential nomination.
But at least, noted Krebs, the Lobos didn’t have to buy out Alford’s remaining four years on his contract with Iowa.
“We aspire to have a great basketball program. We aspire to compete with the best and if you want to compete with the best, you need to pay the best,” Krebs said.
