Friday, March 30, 2007
2007 Scouting Report
So the 2007 Men's Basketball season is still about seven months away, but it's never to early to take a look at what we've got coming back! To be sure, there are still spots open on this team, but there will likely be ten returning players, seven who averaged more than ten minutes a game, two who saw limited action, and one redshirt. In the coming days we'll take a look at who's returning, their strengths and weaknesses, and where the team needs to look to improve for next season.
Alford Cheating?
Fans out of Iowa City are complaining that former Iowa Coach Alford is trying to lure Iowa's incoming recruits to come play for the Lobos. Jake Kelly, a 6-6 guard, says that Alford offered him the chance to come play in New Mexico. This story got major play in both Iowa and New Mexico the past few days, but it appears nothing will come of it. Iowa's Associate Athletic Director says that the school will likely not file a complaint, and even if they do it likely won't amount to much more than a slap on the wrist.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Neal Onboard
UNM has officially hired Craig Neal as Steve Alford's top assistant, at a whopping salary of $250,000. Why is an assistant coach worth so much money? Well, Craig Neal is thought of as one of the top assistant coaches in the nation, and many have speculated that Iowa's turnaround the past three years is largely because of Neal's coaching. In addition, Neal is regularly mentioned as a candidate for various head coaching jobs across the country. He has extensive scouting experience from his time in the NBA as well, and he was an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors. What strikes me as mildly amusing is that Utah basically hired a Craig Neal-type as their head coach while Neal is the top assistant at UNM. Not to bash on Boylen or Utah any more than necessary, but the way Ute fans are talking right now you'd think they just brought John Wooden out of retirement.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Utah Hires Boylen
Sources are reporting that Jim Boylen, an assistant under Tom Izzo at Michigan State, will be the next head coach of the Utah Utes. Interesting hire, as I thought they would have gone for someone with a bit more experience. Boylen has never been a head coach at any level, and with the fishbowl-like situation at Utah I'd worry he won't be fully prepared for the scrutiny. Boylen is probably a good coach, but how patient will Utah's fans be for a winner? Unless a bunch of players transfer, Utah's fans see a lot of talent on the bench and that Giacoletti was basically the only reason Utah sucked last year. I still see a team that has a big question mark at point guard and there's just not enough scoring outside of Nevill, Bryant and Green.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Final Four
The Final Four is set for next weekend.
The first matchup is the 2006 National Championship rematch, pitting UCLA vs. Florida. Watching Florida play, they just look vulnerable. I have a feeling this is where they go down, to a revenge-minded Bruins squad.
The other game is Georgetown vs. Ohio State. Georgetown really put on the afterburners in their shocker over North Carolina, where they completely dominated the Heels in overtime. This one'll be close, but Georgetown is playing better right now.
The thing that jumps out to me about this Final Four is the number of quality big men. There's Greg Oden, Hibbert, Noah, and Horford. There is gonna be some battling down low in the next three games. Lorenzo Mata had better eat his Wheaties.
The first matchup is the 2006 National Championship rematch, pitting UCLA vs. Florida. Watching Florida play, they just look vulnerable. I have a feeling this is where they go down, to a revenge-minded Bruins squad.
The other game is Georgetown vs. Ohio State. Georgetown really put on the afterburners in their shocker over North Carolina, where they completely dominated the Heels in overtime. This one'll be close, but Georgetown is playing better right now.
The thing that jumps out to me about this Final Four is the number of quality big men. There's Greg Oden, Hibbert, Noah, and Horford. There is gonna be some battling down low in the next three games. Lorenzo Mata had better eat his Wheaties.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Utah Still Searching
With UNM hiring Steve Alford from Iowa, Wyoming hiring Heath Schroyer from Fresno, and CSU hiring Tim Miles from North Dakota State, Utah is the only team in the MWC currently without a coach. There is still a possibility that Lon Kruger leaves for Iowa, Michigan or another midwest job, but even if he does leave Reggie Theus is pretty much a lock to go to the Rebels.
I have a feeling the pressure has just been kicked up a notch for AD Chris Hill to hire someone already, as the Ute faithful aren't the most patient fans in the Mountain West. With that said, Utah is a solid program and Hill is a very good AD, so I have a hunch that whoever they hire will be okay. I doubt they'll ever achieve the same level of success they had under Majerus, but Ute Nation can always hope.
Of the names thrown around, Kent State's Jim Christian would be the most intriguing for Utah. He heads a strong program but hasn't exactly taken Kent to that proverbial "next level." I seriously doubt any of the hot candidates like Gregg Marshall, Mike Dunlap, or Chris Lowery will take the Utah job, and I bet in the end they hire some young assistant from a BCS program.
I have a feeling the pressure has just been kicked up a notch for AD Chris Hill to hire someone already, as the Ute faithful aren't the most patient fans in the Mountain West. With that said, Utah is a solid program and Hill is a very good AD, so I have a hunch that whoever they hire will be okay. I doubt they'll ever achieve the same level of success they had under Majerus, but Ute Nation can always hope.
Of the names thrown around, Kent State's Jim Christian would be the most intriguing for Utah. He heads a strong program but hasn't exactly taken Kent to that proverbial "next level." I seriously doubt any of the hot candidates like Gregg Marshall, Mike Dunlap, or Chris Lowery will take the Utah job, and I bet in the end they hire some young assistant from a BCS program.
New Blog; Alford Hired
Well, this is my first blog post. I'm new at this blogging thing, but I thought it'd be fun, and seeing as this is such a monumental time to be a Lobo fan, why not? So here we go...
Steve Alford was introduced as the 19th head coach of the Lobo Men's Basketball Team yesterday at 2:00 in the Student Union Building. I had a chance to attend, and I was shocked to see so many people turn out for the event. There were hundreds of students and fans crammed into the ballroom, and basically every sports reporter for television and newspaper (and even Henry T) was there. The biggest problem everyone in the back had was that the television cameras completely blocked the view for everyone sitting or standing behind them. Everyone could hear the new coach but they couldn't see him.
The first big surprise came when AD Paul Krebs announced his compensation at $975,000. Wow! When he said that there was a huge gasp from the crowd. I don't know where UNM is going to get that money. But as Krebs said, in order to be the best you have to pay the best. I think this is a really risky move on Krebs' part, but I have a feeling Alford probably wouldn't have been interested in New Mexico for $500,000-$700,000 a year.
First of all, what this salary does is help keep him at New Mexico if he is successful. Unless the REALLY big dogs like Duke or UCLA start calling, I think Alford won't be lured out of New Mexico for anything other than the Indiana job. Second, however, you have to look at the pitfalls. What happens if Alford falls on his face here, can't get good recruits to come to UNM, has multiple sub .500 seasons, and gets canned in three to five years? We'll have paid this guy a million a year to do what Ritchie McKay accomplished for $500,000 a year.
I know about his troubles at the University of Iowa, but I honestly believe Steve Alford is a good head coach and with a good staff could turn the University of New Mexico back into a basketball power. Is there a lot of work to do? Sure. I don't think people will expect too much in his first year, as long as there is improvement. And after finishing tied for last place in the conference and losing the pigtail game of the Conference Tournament, it'll be pretty tough not to improve.
Finally, I think Athletic Director Paul Krebs is truly a visionary. He knows what he wants Lobo Athletics to be five or ten years down the road, and his hiring of Steve Alford is only one step of many to revitalize Lobo Athletics. In addition to Alford, the Pit renovations will start as well (which in fairness was announced under Rudy Davalos' tenure). Krebs also has plans to redesign the entire UNM South Campus, give it more of a campus feel, and make the area just look more appealing. These are good steps in the right direction. Krebs has shown an ability to locate and hire good head coaches, and I think Steve Alford will go down as more than a good hire for the University of New Mexico.
Steve Alford was introduced as the 19th head coach of the Lobo Men's Basketball Team yesterday at 2:00 in the Student Union Building. I had a chance to attend, and I was shocked to see so many people turn out for the event. There were hundreds of students and fans crammed into the ballroom, and basically every sports reporter for television and newspaper (and even Henry T) was there. The biggest problem everyone in the back had was that the television cameras completely blocked the view for everyone sitting or standing behind them. Everyone could hear the new coach but they couldn't see him.
The first big surprise came when AD Paul Krebs announced his compensation at $975,000. Wow! When he said that there was a huge gasp from the crowd. I don't know where UNM is going to get that money. But as Krebs said, in order to be the best you have to pay the best. I think this is a really risky move on Krebs' part, but I have a feeling Alford probably wouldn't have been interested in New Mexico for $500,000-$700,000 a year.
First of all, what this salary does is help keep him at New Mexico if he is successful. Unless the REALLY big dogs like Duke or UCLA start calling, I think Alford won't be lured out of New Mexico for anything other than the Indiana job. Second, however, you have to look at the pitfalls. What happens if Alford falls on his face here, can't get good recruits to come to UNM, has multiple sub .500 seasons, and gets canned in three to five years? We'll have paid this guy a million a year to do what Ritchie McKay accomplished for $500,000 a year.
I know about his troubles at the University of Iowa, but I honestly believe Steve Alford is a good head coach and with a good staff could turn the University of New Mexico back into a basketball power. Is there a lot of work to do? Sure. I don't think people will expect too much in his first year, as long as there is improvement. And after finishing tied for last place in the conference and losing the pigtail game of the Conference Tournament, it'll be pretty tough not to improve.
Finally, I think Athletic Director Paul Krebs is truly a visionary. He knows what he wants Lobo Athletics to be five or ten years down the road, and his hiring of Steve Alford is only one step of many to revitalize Lobo Athletics. In addition to Alford, the Pit renovations will start as well (which in fairness was announced under Rudy Davalos' tenure). Krebs also has plans to redesign the entire UNM South Campus, give it more of a campus feel, and make the area just look more appealing. These are good steps in the right direction. Krebs has shown an ability to locate and hire good head coaches, and I think Steve Alford will go down as more than a good hire for the University of New Mexico.
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