Steve Alford to be named HC at UCLA

[jaretac]

Davis was not renewed prior to the Sweet 16 year. It was already a done deal going into that year. There wasn't any un-ringing that bell.

And the comparison speaks for itself. He falls short of Davis in every category, and it still short even after you pick and choose seasons for Alford and not Davis.

Alford has no record to stand on as a "successful, major conference" coach.

But Davis is the all time winningest coach for the Hawks. He never lost in the first round of the NCAA. He got them to a #1 ranking and won more games in a single season than any other coach in Iowa history. You are saying he doesn't compare to the best coach Iowa has ever had, well of course he doesn't. But I'm not sure I would say he under achieved except in the NCAA. Tom overachieved. Steve just maintained. Record wise he never had anything really bad or anything really great, he just maintained.

Tom was the best coach in Iowa history and Iowa let him go because they thought they could get someone better, that speaks volumes.

 

[erikbj]

1. Alford really will get top 5 talent to UCLA judging by what he was able to get to New Mexico.

2. How weird is it a coach who was forced out at Iowa eventually is named a UCLA head coach? It's no more weird than if McDermott is the next UNC or Duke head coach. It's actually more weird than McD getting a blueblood HC job because Creighton played to seed in the tournament.

Mcdoormat is out of kids to play for him, so in 3 years he will be coaching some D3 school against licklighter

 

[FDWxMan]

But Davis is the all time winningest coach for the Hawks. He never lost in the first round of the NCAA. He got them to a #1 ranking and won more games in a single season than any other coach in Iowa history. You are saying he doesn't compare to the best coach Iowa has ever had, well of course he doesn't. But I'm not sure I would say he under achieved except in the NCAA. Tom overachieved. Steve just maintained. Record wise he never had anything really bad or anything really great, he just maintained.

Davis had 2 losing conference records in 13 seasons. Alford had 5 in 8. (Ravelling 1 out of 3, Olson 2 of 9)

Davis had 9 winning conference seasons in 13 years. Alford had 3 in 8.

16 NCAA tournaments in the previous 21 years leading up to Alford's arrival.

What exactly was it he maintained?

 

[jdoggivjc]

I just remember Iowa fans being so quick to run him out of town - and they've been largely irrelevant ever since.

 

[FDWxMan]

I just remember Iowa fans being so quick to run him out of town - and they've been largely irrelevant ever since.

The Iowa fans certainly got too big for their britches with Davis and it bit them.

The Alford thing....I don't know. The Pierce stuff poisoned the well for him, so I don't know if he ever could have won the fans back.

He may have been starting to turn the corner, but I don't know that he could have recruited to repeat the high finish he had with one of the best in-state classes in years. He had trouble getting guys to and keeping them on campus.

So running Alford out bit them again when they screwed the pooch on the hire of Lickliter.

I don't think they were necessarily primed to drop that far no matter what, but that doozy hire pushed em over the edge.

 

[Mumbai1986]

Kendall Williams was a UCLA recruit that ended up at New Mexico. Alford will recruit well,he just wont coach well in the postseason.

 

[Acylum]

I'm no Alford apologist but it didn't help to have idiots like Zabel and Brooks on the radio telling Hawk fans to "get ready for Top 5 recruiting classes and yearly trips to the Final 4" when Alford was hired.

The other problem was that Iowa fans did have a exceptionally high view on what they should be able to do..

 

[CyJack13]

Kendall Williams was a UCLA recruit that ended up at New Mexico. Alford will recruit well,he just wont coach well in the postseason.

Kendall Williams played a huge role in both Howland getting fired, as Howland pulling his scholarship ****** off a lot of the So Cal AAU coaches, and also Alford getting the job, as he was a big reason for New Mexico's success the last few years.

 

[jaretac]

I'm no Alford apologist but it didn't help to have idiots like Zabel and Brooks on the radio telling Hawk fans to "get ready for Top 5 recruiting classes and yearly trips to the Final 4" when Alford was hired.

Exactly. Alford isn't a great coach, but unlike some of Iowa's more recent coaches and even some of our's, he was okay. He maintained Iowa at a average place, like I said nothing great, nothing terrible I think New Mexico was a great place for him and I really don't think he will make it at UCLA long. But at the end of the day he wasn't the worst coach ever. He did have 3 trips to the NCAA and like 3 more to the NIT. Iowa fans had crazy high expectations for him and he couldn't live up to it.

Like it or not, the guy has been to the dance 7 times with 3 different schools, that's more than Iowa's current coach who has been coaching Div 1 only one year less than Alford.

 

[CyJack13]

But Davis is the all time winningest coach for the Hawks. He never lost in the first round of the NCAA. He got them to a #1 ranking and won more games in a single season than any other coach in Iowa history. You are saying he doesn't compare to the best coach Iowa has ever had, well of course he doesn't. But I'm not sure I would say he under achieved except in the NCAA. Tom overachieved. Steve just maintained. Record wise he never had anything really bad or anything really great, he just maintained.

Tom was the best coach in Iowa history and Iowa let him go because they thought they could get someone better, that speaks volumes.

I don't think all time winningest automatically equals best coach. Iowa has had more than one other coach take them to a final four, something Davis could never do. Hard to rank him as the best based on that criteria alone.

 

[CycloneErik]

Alford will get top recruits to UCLA, I doubt he will get to a final four like UCLA wants.

Getting to a Final Four is not the UCLA standard. John Wooden is the UCLA standard. That's why they keep having this problem.

 

[cyclones500]

Tom was the best coach in Iowa history and Iowa let him go because they thought they could get someone better, that speaks volumes.

That sounds like the same situation UCLA has (relative to program success)

 

[cyclones500]

Getting to a Final Four is not the UCLA standard. John Wooden is the UCLA standard. That's why they keep having this problem.

The first thing UCLA needs to realize: 10 titles in 11 seasons (or some such) in men's college basketball is never going to happen ever again. It's never going to happen. This has been obvious for at least 25 years.

Beyond that, make your own choices.

 

[Linusvanp3lt]

Can't tell if you guys are joking or not, but 2 upsets is a tiny tiny sample size. He's a pretty solid coach, and has big time image and matching recruiting. Those who say 2 or 3 years are insane. Are they hating cuz he used to coach hawks? or because they dont understand statistics and weights and sound like an idiot on a call in radio show that says being upset in tourny negates regular season?

It's the same logic that idiots used to make fun of lebron and the heat. You suck bron cuz you only won mvp and lost in finals. You can't play big pressure game...blah blah blah. Mouth breathers. Fact is only 1 coach wins, 300 plus lose. Doesn't mean 1 is Jesus, and others garbage. Obvi full gray spectrum.

Dece hire. Want to see full numbers tho.

 

[Mumbai1986]

1995–96	Southwest Missouri State	16–12	11–7	4th
1996–97	Southwest Missouri State	24–9	12–6	T–2nd	NIT 1st Round
1997–98	Southwest Missouri State	16–16	11–7	T–3rd
1998–99	Southwest Missouri State	22–11	11–7	T–2nd	NCAA Sweet 16
Southwest Missouri State:	78–48 (.619)	45–27 (.625)
Iowa (Big Ten Conference) (1999–2007)
1999–00	Iowa	14–16	6–10	T–7th
2000–01	Iowa	23–12	7–9	T–6th	NCAA 2nd Round
2001–02	Iowa	19–16	5–11	T–8th	NIT 1st Round
2002–03	Iowa	17–14	7–9	T–8th	NIT 2nd Round
2003–04	Iowa	16–13	9–7	4th	NIT 1st Round
2004–05	Iowa	21–12	7–9	7th	NCAA 1st Round
2005–06	Iowa	25–9	11–5	T–2nd	NCAA 1st Round
2006–07	Iowa	17–14	9–7	T–4th
Iowa:	152–106 (.589)	61–67 (.477)
New Mexico (Mountain West Conference) (2007–2013)
2007–08	New Mexico	24–9	11–5	3rd	NIT 1st Round
2008–09	New Mexico	22–12	12–4	T–1st	NIT 2nd Round
2009–10	New Mexico	30–5	14–2	1st	NCAA 2nd Round
2010–11	New Mexico	22–13	8–8	5th	NIT 2nd Round
2011–12	New Mexico	28–7	10–4	T–1st	NCAA 3rd Round
2012–13	New Mexico	29–6	13–3	1st	NCAA 2nd Round

 

[Mumbai1986]

1995–96	Southwest Missouri State	16–12	11–7	4th
1996–97	Southwest Missouri State	24–9	12–6	T–2nd	NIT 1st Round
1997–98	Southwest Missouri State	16–16	11–7	T–3rd
1998–99	Southwest Missouri State	22–11	11–7	T–2nd	NCAA Sweet 16
Southwest Missouri State:	78–48 (.619)	45–27 (.625)
Iowa (Big Ten Conference) (1999–2007)
1999–00	Iowa	14–16	6–10	T–7th
2000–01	Iowa	23–12	7–9	T–6th	NCAA 2nd Round
2001–02	Iowa	19–16	5–11	T–8th	NIT 1st Round
2002–03	Iowa	17–14	7–9	T–8th	NIT 2nd Round
2003–04	Iowa	16–13	9–7	4th	NIT 1st Round
2004–05	Iowa	21–12	7–9	7th	NCAA 1st Round
2005–06	Iowa	25–9	11–5	T–2nd	NCAA 1st Round
2006–07	Iowa	17–14	9–7	T–4th
Iowa:	152–106 (.589)	61–67 (.477)
New Mexico (Mountain West Conference) (2007–2013)
2007–08	New Mexico	24–9	11–5	3rd	NIT 1st Round
2008–09	New Mexico	22–12	12–4	T–1st	NIT 2nd Round
2009–10	New Mexico	30–5	14–2	1st	NCAA 2nd Round
2010–11	New Mexico	22–13	8–8	5th	NIT 2nd Round
2011–12	New Mexico	28–7	10–4	T–1st	NCAA 3rd Round
2012–13	New Mexico	29–6	13–3	1st	NCAA 2nd Round

 

[CyJack13]

Can't tell if you guys are joking or not, but 2 upsets is a tiny tiny sample size. He's a pretty solid coach, and has big time image and matching recruiting. Those who say 2 or 3 years are insane. Are they hating cuz he used to coach hawks? or because they dont understand statistics and weights and sound like an idiot on a call in radio show that says being upset in tourny negates regular season?

It's the same logic that idiots used to make fun of lebron and the heat. You suck bron cuz you only won mvp and lost in finals. You can't play big pressure game...blah blah blah. Mouth breathers. Fact is only 1 coach wins, 300 plus lose. Doesn't mean 1 is Jesus, and others garbage. Obvi full gray spectrum.

Dece hire. Want to see full numbers tho.

He's been a coach at a major college program for 13 years now and has never reached the sweet 16, it's not so much about the upsets, as the complete lack of tournament success altogether. The Heat comparison fails, that would be like people ripping on LeBron for not making it past the conference semi's year after year.

 

[Bobber]

Wow is about all I can say....More of a sign of how far UCLA has fallen than anything else.

Steve is like a cat; he always lands on his feet.

 

[CycloneErik]

The first thing UCLA needs to realize: 10 titles in 11 seasons (or some such) in men's college basketball is never going to happen ever again. It's never going to happen. This has been obvious for at least 25 years.

Beyond that, make your own choices.

Obvious to everyone outside of UCLA.

 

[Mumbai1986]

Didn't mean to post twice, some weird glitch occurred.