It looks like Iowa and Steve Alford are stuck with each other.
Another day, another name dropped lower — if not completely off — the list of potential hoops coaching candidates at Missouri.
Sources told The Star on Wednesday that Steve Alford, contrary to a report Tuesday night on ESPN.com, is not high on MU’s list of replacements for Quin Snyder. In fact, the sports information director at the University of Iowa, Alford’s current employer, told The Star that Alford would not be interviewing for the MU or any other job.
“We expect to have a release to that effect within the next hour or two,” Phil Haddy, the Iowa SID, told The Star shortly before noon on Wednesday.
That’s a little bit of a switch from earlier. It still seems that the top names on the list are John Beilein (WVU), Dana Altman (Creighton) and Jamie Dixon. My guess is that is the favored order. Seems Missouri is definitely looking for a coach with some success and is clean.
Here’s the press release from Iowa and Alford.
University of Iowa’s men’s basketball Coach Steve Alford is looking forward to continued success with the Hawkeye program and has scheduled no interviews for vacant coaching positions.
“I’m the head coach at Iowa. My family and I love the Iowa program and the community,” said Alford. “We had a record-setting season with a second Big Ten Tournament championship and I look forward to continued success with this program.”
Of course he does.
Just as some asides, over at SI.com, Stewart Mandel gets self-righteous about Bob Huggins even being considered for another job at a major college. Then he pisses on the mid-majors.
Does this mean Huggins should be exiled from coaching altogether? Of course not. He’s certainly entitled to a second chance. But much like Larry Eustachy, whose alcohol-related ouster at Iowa State has left him rebuilding his reputation at Southern Miss, or football’s George O’Leary (Central Florida), who took several steps down the ladder following his own scandal, Huggins’ second chance should not come at the sport’s highest level. To hand Huggins the keys to a Big 12-caliber program just to make a “big splash” is tantamount to endorsing and encouraging his renegade behavior.
In other words, Huggins is good enough for a “lesser” school, but not a BCS.
Fred Hill was promoted by Rutgers as their head basketball coach to the surprise of no one.
