Big game Steve Alford

JonDMiller said:
Alford is doing what the AD wants; sell tickets, keep fan interest high at a place that can pack the gym. He's got a comfy job there.
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The winter weather is also nice there.

Alford also has the inside track on getting Drew Gordon's kid brother, Aaron Gordon. I think he's only 16 years old and people are saying he's the next Blake Griffin. He's about 6'8".
 
SirJamaLot said:
I'm happy Alford is gone, but he has down an outstanding job at New Mexico, too bad he learned how to coach at the Hawkeyes expense.
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Under Dave Bliss, New Mexico went to seven NCAA tournaments in nine years. That's outstanding. Alford has been to two NCAA tourneys in five years, winning two games. That's above average at best. By any objective measure, Alford has done less in his time at UNM than Tom Davis did in any five-year stretch at Iowa.

I know it doesn't really matter anymore, but there's a tendency to forget all of this, especially in the national media. Steve Alford was brought to Iowa for one reason-- to be better than Tom Davis. And he was worse, and he continues to be worse. He is fine for UNM and will last a long time there. But he has accomplished much, much less than the guy he was brought in to replace.
 
I thought that McKay was the coach at New Mexico before SA? I thought that NM had a down period for quite awhile before SA arrived?

SA is popular at NM right now because he has led them to 3 conference titles in 5 years, which is way better than his predesessor. 5 post-season tournys in 5 yeas is acceptable at NM, I guess. At Iowa,we are in our first post-season tourny since he left 5 years ago. We are estatic to get his NIT bid,but we act like NM going to 3 NITs and 2 NCAA's in SA's 5 years is dogcrap?

Some Iowa fans are stupid when it comes to analysis of SA and his coaching record.
Let it go. He has not proven to be a great NCAA tourny coach,no doubt,tho.
But, he still is pretty successful at getting to tournys. I believe he has made a postseason tourny 11 of his last 12 years,right? Meanwhile, Iowa just had a five year drought snapped by a pretty lucky bid to the NIT....Iowa fans should just shut up about SA and tournys, until Fran can get us back to the Dance,eh?
 
olivecourt said:
Under Dave Bliss, New Mexico went to seven NCAA tournaments in nine years. That's outstanding. Alford has been to two NCAA tourneys in five years, winning two games. That's above average at best. By any objective measure, Alford has done less in his time at UNM than Tom Davis did in any five-year stretch at Iowa. What in the world does this mean?

I know it doesn't really matter anymore, but there's a tendency to forget all of this, especially in the national media. Steve Alford was brought to Iowa for one reason-- to be better than Tom Davis. And he was worse, and he continues to be worse. He is fine for UNM and will last a long time there. But he has accomplished much, much less than the guy he was brought in to replace.
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See this is where ignorance kicks in by Hawk fan. Sorry Olive but your entire arguement is wierd.. Bliss was coach there 12 years ago and Alford succeeded 2 previous coaches for a reason. They sucked. There is a reason why New Mexico was looking for a new coach and why Alford took over at New Mexico.
 
JHHawk said:
I thought that McKay was the coach at New Mexico before SA? I thought that NM had a down period for quite awhile before SA arrived?

SA is popular at NM right now because he has led them to 3 conference titles in 5 years, which is way better than his predesessor. 5 post-season tournys in 5 yeas is acceptable at NM, I guess. At Iowa,we are in our first post-season tourny since he left 5 years ago. We are estatic to get his NIT bid,but we act like NM going to 3 NITs and 2 NCAA's in SA's 5 years is dogcrap?

Some Iowa fans are stupid when it comes to analysis of SA and his coaching record.
Let it go. He has not proven to be a great NCAA tourny coach,no doubt,tho.
But, he still is pretty successful at getting to tournys. I believe he has made a postseason tourny 11 of his last 12 years,right? Meanwhile, Iowa just had a five year drought snapped by a pretty lucky bid to the NIT....Iowa fans should just shut up about SA and tournys, until Fran can get us back to the Dance,eh?
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Exactly. Olive obviously should have done better research before typing today.


Bliss left in 1999, then Fran Fraschilla, Ritchie McKay and then Alford. Fran and Ritchie struggled. Hence Alford is now coach.
 
All I'm saying is that if you want to define a "great" coach, New Mexico has had a couple of those. Dave Bliss and Norm Ellenberger would be the guys you would look to. Frischilla and McKay were below average by UNM's standards, Alford is average.

That's all I'm trying to say-- that Steve Alford is an average coach. He isn't the anti-Christ, but he also isn't worthy of getting puff pieces from Seth Davis and receiving so much attention in game broadcasts. All of that stuff comes from his reputation as a player-- it has nothing to do with his coaching career, which has been profoundly average.

I'll put it another way-- which name do you think most college basketball fans would recognize: Steve Alford or Mark Gottfried? One gets a ton of publicity and puts up average results. The other gets no publicity yet is on his way to his second Sweet Sixteen.
 
I agree with olive.....Alford is just an average coach with a big name that promises big results.....but can't really deliver against the power conferences. He does good at the mid-major level, but is not exactly great there either.

Big name, average coach, that will talk big things, will get over-rated by the national media with revisionist history in terms of his time at Iowa and what he was brought in for (to do better than Mr. Davis and he failed and the media tries to hide that fact), but will never win the big one.
 
olivecourt said:
All I'm saying is that if you want to define a "great" coach, New Mexico has had a couple of those. Dave Bliss and Norm Ellenberger would be the guys you would look to. Frischilla and McKay were below average by UNM's standards,

That's all I'm trying to say-- that Steve Alford is an average coach. He isn't the anti-Christ, but he also isn't worthy of getting puff pieces from Seth Davis and receiving so much attention in game broadcasts. All of that stuff comes from his reputation as a player-- it has nothing to do with his coaching career, which has been profoundly average.

I'll put it another way-- which name do you think most college basketball fans would recognize: Steve Alford or Mark Gottfried? One gets a ton of publicity and puts up average results. The other gets no publicity yet is on his way to his second Sweet Sixteen.
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Here let me break it down for you..

This is the record and accomplishments of those coaches you have mentioned at New Mexico in there first 5 years. Olive, Please look very closely and let me know your thoughts.

Norm Ellenberger
1- NIT
1- NCAA Sweet 16
91-48 Record
1 Conference Title


Dave Bliss
3- NIT's
2- NCAA
106-55 Record
Conference Titles= 0

Steve Alford
3- NIT's
2- NCAA
126-44
3- Conference Titles


When comparing please have facts because if you claim that Dave and Norm were great coaches , then Alford is far from average.. That fact is your not making any sense.
 
JHHawk said:
I thought that McKay was the coach at New Mexico before SA? I thought that NM had a down period for quite awhile before SA arrived?

SA is popular at NM right now because he has led them to 3 conference titles in 5 years, which is way better than his predesessor. 5 post-season tournys in 5 yeas is acceptable at NM, I guess. At Iowa,we are in our first post-season tourny since he left 5 years ago. We are estatic to get his NIT bid,but we act like NM going to 3 NITs and 2 NCAA's in SA's 5 years is dogcrap?

Some Iowa fans are stupid when it comes to analysis of SA and his coaching record.
Let it go. He has not proven to be a great NCAA tourny coach,no doubt,tho.
But, he still is pretty successful at getting to tournys. I believe he has made a postseason tourny 11 of his last 12 years,right? Meanwhile, Iowa just had a five year drought snapped by a pretty lucky bid to the NIT....Iowa fans should just shut up about SA and tournys, until Fran can get us back to the Dance,eh?
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Yup
 
HawkPrdatr40 said:
Here let me break it down for you..

This is the record and accomplishments of those coaches you have mentioned at New Mexico in there first 5 years. Olive, Please look very closely and let me know your thoughts.

Norm Ellenberger
1- NIT
1- NCAA Sweet 16
91-48 Record
1 Conference Title


Dave Bliss
3- NIT's
2- NCAA
106-55 Record
Conference Titles= 0

Steve Alford
3- NIT's
2- NCAA
126-44
3- Conference Titles


When comparing please have facts because if you claim that Dave and Norm were great coaches , then Alford is far from average.. That fact is your not making any sense.
Click to expand...


No idea where you are getting your numbers. Dave Bliss went to seven NCAA tournaments, won 246 games and a conference title at UNM. Norm Ellenberger went to two NCAAs and won 134 games, even though he coached in an era when the NCAA field was 32 teams max. I don't know what to say other than that.

Edit: I see your five years provision now. OK, that's fine. Is Steve still double-dipping and counting both regular season and conference tourney wins as titles?
 
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