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  Steve Alford

Steve Alford

Player Profile

Position:
Head Coach

Experience:
3rd Year

alma mater:
Indiana '87

Alford Hiring Press Conference

Steve Alford has made quite an impression in just two seasons roaming The Pit sidelines. Alford has won more games in his first two seasons (46) than any of his UNM predecessors and last year brought a conference championship back to the New Mexico campus for the first time in 15 years.

In his first season at New Mexico, Alford recorded a school record 24 wins, the most by a Lobo head coach in his rookie season.

In his second season, Alford was named the 2008-09 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Lobos to a share of the MWC regular season title, the first UNM boss to earn the award in the MWC. Surprisingly, it is Alford's first coaching accolade at the NCAA Division I level.

Last year's title was not an easy climb either. Picked to finish fifth in the MWC preseason poll, the Lobos won their final five games to tie BYU and Utah for the crown at 12-4. Included in that run was a double-OT victory at Colorado State, a game UNM trailed by five points with 13 seconds left in regulation. Led by senior Tony Danridge's 29 points, the clincher came on a cold snowy afternoon at Wyoming when UNM escaped with a 1-point victory.

The hardware came just two years after UNM was 4-12 in the league and lost in the MWC Tournament play-in game.

As a team, the Lobos have put up some impressive numbers in two seasons with Alford at the helm:

  • Home record over two seasons - 32-4 overall, 14-2 in MWC games, and a 9-game win streak on the line coming into the 2009-10 season

  • A combined 14 road wins in two season are the most in consecutive seasons in program history ... 8-6 in 2007-08 and 6-7 in 2008-09 ... previous mark was 13 in 1973 and'74 ... UNM was 14-60 on the road in the seven season before Alford arrived

  • MWC co-champs in 2009 and a third-place finish in 2008 ... the Lobos only had two top-3 finishes in the MWC from 2000-07

  • 23 conference wins, the most in consecutive years since 25 in 1996 (14) and 1997 (11)

  • First time in 44 years that UNM has held opponents to shooting percentages of 41% or less in consecutive seasons - 40.7% in 2008-09 and 41.0% in 2007-08 ... in The Pit, the two-year percentage drops to 38.9%

  • With essentially the same players as the previous year, except for a starting freshman point guard in Dairese Gary, Alford's first Lobo team in 2007-08 finished 24-9, tying the school mark for wins during the regular season and making a 9-win improvement from the previous year

  • Three long losing streaks were broken in 2007-08 ... the Lobos won in double overtime at Wyoming, ending a 10-game losing skid in Laramie ... UNM had lost 7 in a row at Air Force before grounding the Falcons at Clune Arena ... then, three days later, an unsightly 18-game drought came to a halt in Salt Lake City as New Mexico pulled off a 72-71 victory over Utah...it was the Lobos' first win against the Utes at the Huntsman Center since 1989

  • The Lobos were a +7 in conference victories in 2007-08, the 2nd-greatest jump of all-time and an argument could be made it's the largest ever...during World War II - when schedules were abbreviated - UNM fashioned a 3-0 record in the Border Conference in 1944 with all three wins coming against Texas Tech...the Lobos jumped to 12-0 in 1945 for an improvement of +9

  • Former Lobos Tony Danridge (2009) and J.R. Giddens (2008) have represented UNM at the annual Slam Dunk Contest held at the Final Four each season ... Danridge brought home the title in 2009

  • Five Lobos have earned All-MWC honors ... J.R. Giddens was the 2008 Co-Player of the Year ... four Lobos made the team in 2009 - Tony Danridge (1st team), Daniel Faris (2nd team), Chad Toppert (honorable mention) and Roman Martinez (honorable mention)

  • Mired with scholarship reductions for poor academics before he arrived, Alford's teams have made dramatic improvement in the class room ... two of the program's top-four semester GPAs have come in the past three semesters: 2.87 in the spring of 2008 and 2.91 in the spring of 2009 ... five of the six seniors that played for Alford have graduated, including all three in May of 2009, Tony Danridge, Daniel Faris and Chad Toppert

    Coach Alford helped to host the first annual BasketBALL which raised over $97,000 for Coaches vs. Cancer.


    And to top off his 2008-09 season, Alford was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame on March 25, 2009. Alford was one of 14 members in the Class of 2009, along with NBA coaches Gregg Popovich and Scott Skiles. Alford is just the eighth honoree to be selected in his first year of eligibility joining other notable Indiana products Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird. Arguably the biggest accomplishment for Alford in his two seasons at UNM has been his ability to teach, blend and mold undersized and possibly less talented groups into cohesive units that have became the epitome of "team" basketball. He has changed the mindset and work ethic of the program and the Lobos have responded by playing the game "the right way." That concept was never more evident than in the play of former Lobo and current Boston Celtic J.R. Giddens. Before Alford came to town, Giddens was seen as an enigmatic talent with a ton of potential, but a difficult teammate and a tough player to coach.




    "This is another example of what I have said all along - that I am committed to being a Lobo. I would like to thank UNM President Dr. David Schmidly and Paul Krebs for showing their support of the job my staff and I have done to this point. With the upcoming renovations to The Pit and our success in year one, we are well on our way to making Lobo basketball a big-time program again."
    Steve Alford - March 31, 2008


    Alford laid down the law to Giddens immediately, keeping him home from a 2007 spring trip to the Bahamas so he could concentrate on his floundering academic situation. Giddens got the message and became the consummate teammate, a transformation so dramatic that it left fans and pundits shaking their heads in amazement. Alford took a wayward - but extremely gifted - young man and tutored him into maturity on and off the floor.

    Largely responsible for the Lobos' improved play, Giddens was the 2008 Co-Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference, District VIII Player of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association and an Associated Press honorable mention All-American.

    The 6-foot-5 Giddens became the first guard to lead the MWC in rebounding. He and Utah's Andrew Bogut (a 7-footer) are the only two players in the 10-year history of the league to lead the conference in scoring and rebounding in MWC games.

    Despite ranking eighth in the league in minutes played at 32.2, Giddens was the only player in the MWC who ranked in the top-10 in the MWC in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, assists, steals and blocks. He is the only Lobo to ever reach 500 points, 250 rebounds, 100 assists, 40 steals and 30 blocks in a season.

    Giddens' diligence was rewarded on June 26, 2008, when the 2007 World Champion Boston Celtics selected him in the first round of the NBA Draft. Giddens is the first Alford-coached player chosen in the first round.

    Still a youthful 44, Alford has patrolled the sidelines for 18 seasons at four institutions. Alford, who has never been an assistant coach during his career, has a 354-204 (64%) career record as a head coach, 46-21 at New Mexico. His teams have qualified for postseason play 13 times, including eight of the past nine seasons, produced 15 winning seasons and reached 20 wins on 10 occasions.

    The remarkable turnaround by Alford and his staff did not go unnoticed by the UNM administration. UNM Vice-President for Athletics Paul Krebs announced on March 31, 2008, that a contract extension for Alford had been agreed to in principal. The three-year extension will keep Alford with the Lobos through the 2015-16 season.

    Coach Alford's involvement in the 2008 Special Olympics New Mexico Sports Auction and Golf Classic helped raise $100,000 for the Special Olympics, more than tripling the amount raised the previous year.


    Alford came to UNM after spending the previous eight seasons as the head coach at the University of Iowa.

    In eight seasons at Iowa, Alford compiled a 152-106 record with a school-record seven consecutive winning seasons, and six postseason appearances. The Hawkeyes won two Big Ten Conference tournament titles (2001 and '06).

    Prior to Iowa, Alford posted a 78-29 record in four seasons (1992-95) at NCAA Division III Manchester (Ind.) College and a four-year (1996-99) record of 78-48 at Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State). The Bears defeated Wisconsin and Tennessee to advance to the Sweet 16 of the 1999 NCAA Tournament before losing to top-ranked Duke in the regional semifinals. In 1997 Alford led the Bears to a 24-9 record (second in the Missouri Valley Conference) and a trip to the National Invitation Tournament.

    Alford joined the collegiate coaching ranks at Manchester (Ind.) College in 1992, taking over a team that had lost its first eight games. After winning four of 20 games that season, Alford led Manchester to a 20-8 mark in his first full year of 1992-93.

    Alford began his coaching career after a four-year playing stint in the NBA, spending most of his career with the Dallas Mavericks and a portion of one season with Golden State. He was the 26th selection in the 1987 NBA Draft. Alford played for former Iowa basketball standout Don Nelson in the NBA.

    A native of New Castle, Ind., Alford was a prep standout for his father, Sam Alford, at New Castle Chrysler High School. He earned Indiana's Mr. Basketball Award in 1983 after averaging 37.7 points per game as a senior.

    During his collegiate career at Indiana, Alford started all but five of 125 games, helping the Hoosiers post a four-year mark of 92-35. Alford served as head coach Bob Knight's team captain in 1987 when Indiana posted a 30-4 overall record and won the national championship.

    Alford concluded his college career as Indiana's all-time scoring leader with 2,438 points and he became the first player to win the Indiana MVP award four times. He is also Indiana's career leader in steals and 3-point field goal percentage. Alford was a consensus first team all-America selection and the Big Ten MVP as a senior.

    Alford earned first team all-Big Ten honors in each of his final three seasons and also earned all-America honors as a junior. He was named to the NIT all-tourney team as a sophomore when the Hoosiers finished second to UCLA. His career free throw percentage of .897 (535-596) ranks fourth best in NCAA history and he led the nation in free throw percentage as a freshman.

    In 1997, Alford was inducted into the Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame and in 2001 he was one of 15 players selected to Indiana's all-Century team. He was one of five players named to ESPN's Big Ten Conference Silver Anniversary team in 2004. The Sporting News recently published Legends of College Basketball, a publication that recalled the careers of the 100 greatest Division I college basketball players. Alford was No. 35 on the list.

    Following his freshman season at Indiana, Alford was selected to play for the United States basketball team at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He shot 64.4% percent from the field, averaged 10.3 points per game and was second on the team in assists as the U.S. collegians won the gold medal.

    The 1984 team marked the last U.S. amateur squad to win the gold medal and Alford's teammates included Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Sam Perkins, Chris Mullin and Waymon Tisdale.

    Alford was born Nov. 23, 1964, in Franklin, Ind. He holds a bachelor's degree in business from Indiana University. Alford is married to the former Tanya Frost, whom he has known since the two were schoolmates in grade school in New Castle. The Alfords have three children: Kory, Bryce and Kayla.

    WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT STEVE ALFORD

    "There's no doubt in my mind that it will be a great marriage, New Mexico and Steve Alford. I've known Steve for a long time through my association with Indiana University and coaching and playing against his teams. Knowing him well and loving the University of New Mexico, it will work. Steve's hire brings immediate credibility to the University of New Mexico."
    Norm Ellenberger, Head Coach
    University of New Mexico (1973-79)

    "Steve Alford is one of the finest people I know. He will do things right at New Mexico and will energize their program. He is a great national recruiter and will bring an exciting style of basketball to the Lobos. Congratulations to him and his family."
    Rick Barnes, Head Coach
    University of Texas

    "New Mexico is getting a great coach and a tremendous man. He is salt of the earth, a class act and represents everything that is good about collegiate athletics. This is a gold-medal hire."
    Tubby Smith, Head Coach
    University of Minnesota

    "New Mexico made a great hire in Steve Alford. He will bring instant credibility to the Lobo basketball program. His track record of success as both a player and coach speaks for itself. I have great respect for coach Alford as a person and when the team, university and the fans meet him, they will too. He is one of the stars in the collegiate coaching ranks."
    Steve Lavin, ABC/ESPN College Basketball Analyst

    "I look forward to Steve Alford joining the University of New Mexico and the Mountain West Conference for a number of reasons. He has a proven and valuable track record in the NCAA men's basketball tournament both as a player and as a coach. In addition, he has been above reproach in successfully guiding other high-quality basketball programs and does it with honorable student-athletes." Craig Thompson, Commissioner
    Mountain West Conference

    "The University of New Mexico just created its first upset before ever playing a game. What a great hire for the Lobos-this guy can really coach. The university, the state, the team and the fans just got someone special. Steve Alford is the best human being I've ever been around."
    John Calipari, Head Coach
    University of Memphis

    Steve Alford's Year-by-Year Head Coaching Record

    Machester College Overall Conf. / Finish Posteseason
    1991-92 4-16 3-11 / 8th --
    1992-93 20-8 7-5 / T3rd NCAA Division III (0-1)
    1993-94 23-4 10-2 / 1st NCAA Division III (0-1)
    1994-95 31-1 12-0 / 1st NCAA Division III (5-1 / National Runner-up)
    Totals 78-29 32-18 --

    Southwest Missouri Overall Conf. / Finish Posteseason
    1995-96 16-12 11-7 / 4th --
    1996-97 24-9 12-6 / T2nd NIT (0-1)
    1997-98 16-16 11-7 / T3rd --
    1998-99 22-11 11-7 / T2nd NCAA (2-1 / Sweet Sixteen)
    Totals 78-48 45-27 --

    Iowa Overall Conf. / Finish Posteseason
    1999-2000 14-16 6-10 / T7th --
    2000-01 23-12 7-9 / T6th Big 10 Tournament Champs / NCAA (1-1)
    2001-02 19-16 5-11 / T8th NIT (0-1)
    2002-03 17-14 7-9 / T8th NIT (2-1)
    2003-04 16-13 9-7 / 4th NIT (0-1)
    2004-05 21-12 7-9 / 7th NCAA (0-1)
    2005-06 25-9 11-5 / T2nd Big 10 Tournament Champs / NCAA (0-1)
    2006-07 17-14 9-7 / 4th --
    Totals 152-106 61-67 --

    New Mexico Overall Conf. / Finish Posteseason
    2007-08 24-9 11-5 / 3rd NIT
    2008-09 22-12 12-4 / T1st NIT
    Totals 46-21 23-9 --

    18-year totals 354-204 160-121 7 NCAA appearances / 6 NIT

    Steve Alford Quick Facts

    Personal
    Born: November 23, 1964 in Franklin, Ind.
    Age: 44
    Wife: The former Tanya Frost
    Children: Kory, Bryce, Kayla

    Playing Experience
    1984-87 - Indiana University
    o 1987 NCAA national champions
    o two-time All-American
    o Finished career as IU's all-time leading scorer
    o 1987 Big Ten MVP

    1984 USA Olympic Basketball Team (gold medal)

    1987-88 Dallas Mavericks (NBA)
    1988-89 Dallas/Golden State (NBA)
    1989-90 Dallas (NBA)

    Coaching Experience
    Career Record: 354-204 (.634) - 18 seasons

  • 1992-95 Head Coach, Manchester College - 3-time conference coach of the year
  • 1996-99 Head Coach, Southwest Missouri State - 1999 NCAA Sweet 16
  • 2000-07 Head Coach, University of Iowa - 2-time Big 10 Tournament Champs; 3 NCAA Tournament appearances
  • 2007-08 Head Coach, University of New Mexico - 2 NIT appearance
  • 2008-09 MWC Coach of the Year

    Honors as a player All-America, 1986, 1987
    Big Ten Most Valuable Player, 1987
    All-Big Ten, 1985, 1986, 1987
    Olympic Gold Medal, 1984
    NCAA Final Four All-Tournament, 1987
    NCAA Tournament All-Decade Team, 1980's
    NIT All-Tournament, 1985
    Indiana team MVP, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987
    Indiana team captain, 1987
    Indiana University all-Century team, 2001
    Indiana University Hall of Fame, 1997
    NCAA free throw percentage leader, 1984
    Indiana's Mr. Basketball, 1983