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.