UCLA Name Former New Mexico Coach Steve Alford As Their New Head Coach

Good move?

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The search for the next head coach of the UCLA men's basketball team is already over. Even with a last minute pitch by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the Bruins have decided to go with Steve Alford. Over the last six seasons, Alford has served as the coach for New Mexico where he amassed a 155-52 record with three NCAA tournament berths, as well as three NIT appearances, and an interesting tidbit of information that The Big Lead points out is that Alford "has not reached a Sweet Sixteen despite being a top 5 seed three different times." Prior to taking the Lobos job, Alford coached Iowa for eight seasons and held a 152-106 record.

The major knock against Alford is his mere two tournament wins in 14 years. If Alford isn't able to turn that around, it's likely that UCLA will lose their patience quickly. But no worries, because Kareem will probably still be waiting in the wings.       

[via The Big Lead]

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