ssckelley
Well-Known Member
Does the name Pierre Pierce ring a bell? I don't know why Hubbard never suited up for Iowa but if Alford had been here he probably would have.
Stevie and the Lobos
- Thread starter HawkMD2007
- Start date
Does the name Pierre Pierce ring a bell? I don't know why Hubbard never suited up for Iowa but if Alford had been here he probably would have.
burky247
Well-Known Member
Doubtful. From all accounts, it sounds like Caff didn't have a choice in regards to Hubbard. The decision came from above.
Alford can coach just fine, his biggest problem at Iowa was talent.. I don't like the guy as a person but I always felt he could coach. He couldn't recruit and keep good enough talent to compete consistently in the B1G. So his departure was a combination of him being a ***** and not winning enough games, he felt the pressure and bolted.
And so what if he yells at his players, he learned that from the best. It obviously works as long as you have players who are motivated by that.
And so what if he yells at his players, he learned that from the best. It obviously works as long as you have players who are motivated by that.
sioux34
Well-Known Member
No, the fact that he could not muster a career winning conference record in Big Ten play had nothing to do with him skipping town ahead of the ax.
Eye, maybe you forgot how highly ranked some of Alfs recruiting classes were. Talent was not the issue you make it out to be.
Eye, maybe you forgot how highly ranked some of Alfs recruiting classes were. Talent was not the issue you make it out to be.
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hawkIhoops
Well-Known Member
How many bids will that conference get? UNLV, SDSU, UNM and CSU are fairly close in the standings. Conference tournament will determine a lot, as I don't see them getting more than 2 teams in. Drew Gordon is the transfer from UCLA I believe and he is solid. They have a couple guys that when on, shoot the other team out of the gym from 3.
GhostofBTT
Banned
Steve has always been a delta bravo, but he has turned into a pretty decent mid-major coach.
I agree that he is in a great situation at NM. BB is king there. Good tradition,great fanbase,great facilities. Can get most kids past admissions. Can take transfers,like the big kid from UCLA. Conference has UNLV,SDSt.,and NM...now that BYU is gone.
Top-heavy league means good shot at making NCAA every year.
Now,that said, he will once again be a coveted candidate this spring for BCS jobs. Count on it. That is a problem. It angers fans when their coach is always mentioned for other jobs. He can deny it, but it will still happen.
Like when Tennessee talked to Weber last spring...he should have jumped. Timing is everything in life,and bb coaching. SA jumped at exactly the right time. He should stay put now. The Lobo fans like him,unlike some Iowa fans.
Top-heavy league means good shot at making NCAA every year.
Now,that said, he will once again be a coveted candidate this spring for BCS jobs. Count on it. That is a problem. It angers fans when their coach is always mentioned for other jobs. He can deny it, but it will still happen.
Like when Tennessee talked to Weber last spring...he should have jumped. Timing is everything in life,and bb coaching. SA jumped at exactly the right time. He should stay put now. The Lobo fans like him,unlike some Iowa fans.
JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
Iowa paid Alford to learn on the job. He learned a lot at Iowa of what to do, and what not to do.
The year before he left, when Indiana was courting him, I wrote an article saying I hope that did not happen, as Alford had finally seemed to turn the corner at Iowa, having learned from his past mistakes and Iowa had invested a great deal. I didn't want to see him go.
Then that job came and went...then a few weeks later, I learned that he was flirting with Mizzou. That ticked me off, because then it was just about him wanting out of Iowa...at that point, I wanted to see Iowa go in a different direction because I didn't want someone coaching the program who didn't want to be there.
Steve's success at UNM is not surprising...how it translates into good runs in the tourney remains to be seen...it's one thing to do well in the regular season all the way through...its another to flop in conference tourneys or the NCAA.
The Lobos went to 11 tourney's before Alford arrived there..he's taken them to one. It wasn't exactly a barren wasteland. The fan support they have there has always been enormous and it remains very good. It's a sneaky good job.
The year before he left, when Indiana was courting him, I wrote an article saying I hope that did not happen, as Alford had finally seemed to turn the corner at Iowa, having learned from his past mistakes and Iowa had invested a great deal. I didn't want to see him go.
Then that job came and went...then a few weeks later, I learned that he was flirting with Mizzou. That ticked me off, because then it was just about him wanting out of Iowa...at that point, I wanted to see Iowa go in a different direction because I didn't want someone coaching the program who didn't want to be there.
Steve's success at UNM is not surprising...how it translates into good runs in the tourney remains to be seen...it's one thing to do well in the regular season all the way through...its another to flop in conference tourneys or the NCAA.
The Lobos went to 11 tourney's before Alford arrived there..he's taken them to one. It wasn't exactly a barren wasteland. The fan support they have there has always been enormous and it remains very good. It's a sneaky good job.
JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
How about this: Alford to Illinois
Tmoney12
Well-Known Member
Yes please.
Ihawk209
Well-Known Member
But, NM had fallen on hard times in recent years before SA arrived. As I said,they had a good tradition,but IU had a great tradition when Crean arrived and he is 2-33 on the road in the league in his four years.
SA has won two? MW titles in his 4 years there? He could win his 3rd in 5 years?
Is that mediocre since the tourny success is not there?
This is why football must never have a playoff. Conference titles will become meaningless,like they are in college bb. Just go .500 in conference and get hot at the end like UCONN...that is college bb in 2012. Regular season is as meaningless as breasts on a boar.
SA has won two? MW titles in his 4 years there? He could win his 3rd in 5 years?
Is that mediocre since the tourny success is not there?
This is why football must never have a playoff. Conference titles will become meaningless,like they are in college bb. Just go .500 in conference and get hot at the end like UCONN...that is college bb in 2012. Regular season is as meaningless as breasts on a boar.
Not happening. They will hire a minority head coach in bb for the first time ever. When they did not even interview Sumlin of Houston for the football job, their board of trustees was upset. They have never had a minority coach either.
I say Shaka Smart is #1 on their list.
The FSU coach could be on there also.
ColumbusHawk
Well-Known Member
After Davis' first two seasons Iowa had no national relevancy. Only in the mind of Iowa fans, would a team that never seriously challenged for the Big Ten title have national relevancy.
Iowa had national relevancy under Bucky O'Connor, Ralph & Lute, but not under Tom Davis. Iowa hasn't been nationally relevant in over twenty-years
Take away Davis' first three years with Raveling's recruits and he was only two games over five-hundred in conference play. That is mediocriaty.
Since Lute left, Iowa has seriously challenged for the Big Ten title only twice. Once under Davis & once under Alford.
To older fans that remember Big Ten titles & Final Four appearances, Tom Davis is part of the problem. As a matter of fact, Alford's 11-5 team with Brunner, Halusk & Horner had a better conference winning than all but Davis's first team. I dislike both Davis & Alford. Neither accomplished much of anything.
The younger fan does not care about conference titles or the regular season.
Back in the day, the conference was everything. Now, college bb has devolved into a 3 week season,with a bunch of exhibitions before that.
Weber at Illinois has a conference record of 49-52 after Selfs recruits left. Sound familiar?
Now all they need is for Weber to take the Illini to the Sweet Sixteen as a lame duck coach...oh the angst.
What I really wish for the Illini is for Thomas to announce they will honor Webers last two years,but he would not be renewed! Lame duck x 2.
Back in the day, the conference was everything. Now, college bb has devolved into a 3 week season,with a bunch of exhibitions before that.
Weber at Illinois has a conference record of 49-52 after Selfs recruits left. Sound familiar?
Now all they need is for Weber to take the Illini to the Sweet Sixteen as a lame duck coach...oh the angst.
What I really wish for the Illini is for Thomas to announce they will honor Webers last two years,but he would not be renewed! Lame duck x 2.
Maybe he was an ***, but I think you would take the results about now that he brought to Iowa while he was there. 3 times to the big dance, 3 NITs, and 2 conference tourney championships. Some you give him a bad rap. It's not like he was Lick, who did NOTHING. Come on.
burky247
Well-Known Member
Will never happen. Alford is still despised by Illinois' fans from his playing days at Indiana. Much less from his time at Iowa. Also, they have 8 years of data that shows that Alford couldn't really get it done at the B10 level. Thomas won't take the chance that Alford has figured things out.
hawkjunkie
Well-Known Member
Alfraud has the Lobos at 21-4 and just knocked off # 13 San Diego State @ San Diego. looking to an NCAA bid.Don't know how he does it...
Three words - Craig Neal...
There is a reason he is THE HIGHEST PAID assistant coach in the country. He writes up most of the in-game plays. Had lil Stevie hired him a couple years earlier, he would still be at Iowa. That said, I am glad he did not hire him a couple years earlier. I cannot remember one point in my life where I have ever had positive thoughts toward Steve Alford.
Fran kicksass, plus he is the entire package of Craig Neal and the HC in one person. Better than two or three people combined; he is an excellent recruiter, has an incredible eye for talent, has the best in game analysis of any Iowa coach in the last 30+ years(maybe ever) and is an excellent teacher & coach. Plus his players love him.
The complete package = Fran McCaffery.
1977Hawkeye
Well-Known Member
The Steve Alford I remember (except for 2005-06's 25-win team) usually had teams that underachieved in the regular season, only to pull a rabbit out of the hat in the Big Ten Tournament. He was anything but a great regular-season coach IMO.
I would agree that Alf was run out of town mostly because of the on-court results. If his teams were winning consistently, I think people would have referred to his "arrogance" as "swagger". But when you're losing, arrogance rubs people the wrong way very quickly.
Also agreed on Alf's NCAA success. Even at UNM, as a 3 seed, you may remember them just about being upset in the first round, and then getting manhandled by Washington in the 2nd round.
1977Hawkeye
Well-Known Member
Lickliter was worse than Alford when it came to on-court results and it's not even close. No argument there.
But Alford was merely average. No more, no less. Could've been worse, but 1 NCAA win in 8 years is nothing to get worked up about. It would have been interesting to see how things would've panned out if that 25-win team from 2006 would've actually made a run instead of laying an egg in the 1st round against a 14 seed.
As opposed to Tom Davis - 9 NCAA's in 13 years, and never a first round loss.. Alford kinda looks like a schmuck in comparison. I don't really want Alford back.
