April 1, 2008
Albuquerque Journal
Lobo Coach, UNM Agree to 3-Year Contract Extension
By Mark Smith, Journal Staff WriterSaying this is further proof that he's here for the long haul, University of New Mexico men's basketball coach Steve Alford agreed to a three-year extension with school administrators Monday.
Both he and athletics director Paul Krebs confirmed there would be no raise or buyout clause, and that the extension would last through the 2015-16 season.
"It really makes me feel good," said Alford, who signed a six-year contract with UNM last year, prior to his first season at the school. "It's what I've been saying all along, that we wanted a commitment. Having an eight-year deal shows a commitment to the program."
The news comes on the heels of a Chicago Tribune story that linked Alford to being a candidate at Indiana. That played a part in the timing of the announcement.
The Tribune's Sunday story said Indiana athletics director Rick Greenspan was hitting the road to interview candidates and that flightaware.com showed there was a flight from Bloomington, Ind., to Albuquerque on Saturday night. It said that was where Alford, a former Hoosier "icon," is coaching.
"I'm not interested in Indiana," Alford told the Journal on Monday. "I'm not going to Indiana, I just don't know how many times I've got to be able to say it. To be honest with you, it's just getting cumbersome to where I'm not going to address it anymore. I am who I am. What I say, I mean.
"I said it months ago, that I'm not going anywhere. And now today, the school and myself, have agreed in principle to a new eight-year contract. I don't know what else I can do to prove my commitment to here."
Alford says he was in El Paso all weekend watching his son play in an AAU basketball tournament. On Sunday, he said he told a UNM spokesman that if Greenspan "ends up getting to the airport, tell him I'm not picking him up. I'm down here in El Paso."
Krebs said the extension has not yet been signed. It will keep Alford's base salary at $210,000 with a total value of about $1 million per year.
In my opinion, it's recognition of a job well done," Krebs said. "If you were to step back one year and see where we are now, not only the improvement on the floor, but the development of the young men in the program, the focus on academics, the focus on accountability in the program, our increased fan base. And the excitement in the (Pit) has returned and the future is very, very bright."
Krebs said the extension does not include associate head coach Craig Neal, who signed a four-year contract last year, or assistants Chris Walker or Ryan Miller, who each have one-year deals.
Assistants are typically hired on a year-to-year basis, based on the head coach's decision. Krebs said there will be discussion about whether to give Neal an extension.
Neal was also Alford's top assistant at Iowa. It's rare for a college basketball assistant to have a multi-year contract, especially more than two years. Neal is also one of the highest, if not the highest paid, assistant in the country at about $250,000 a year.
"The advantage for the basketball program is one of continuity," Krebs said of Neal's contract. "During our discussion with coach Alford, he was pretty clear of how he thought of Craig and the value that coach Neal added. It's like an offensive or defensive coordinator (in football), to have someone contribute in that position can be valuable. It's more of a reflection to our commitment to the basketball program."
Krebs says there is nothing in Neal's contract, nor will there be, about him getting the head coaching position should Alford ever leave.
Alford started his coaching career at Manchester (Ind.) College in 1991 before heading to Missouri State, then called Southwest Missouri, in 1995. He spent four seasons there before moving on to Iowa for the next eight.
Alford is 332-192 overall, having led the Lobos to a 24-9 record and a third-place finish in the Mountain West Conference at 11-5 this season. The Lobos lost in the first round of the National invitation Tournament at Cal.
UNM was 15-17 and tied for last place in the MWC under former coach Ritchie McKay in 2006-07.
Without a buyout clause in his contract, Alford can leave UNM without having to pay back any money. However, there is an annuity in the contract of $100,000 per year, and Alford only receives that if he stays at the school for five years. Thus, $500,000 of Alford's total package hinges on him coaching at least five seasons with the Lobos.
"I've never had a buyout in any contract I've ever signed," Alford said. "... It's never been a part of my negotiations. ... I don't know why you need a buyout. As an administrator, you would want to have an individual running one of your programs, you would want them to want to be here. If they don't want to be here, you want to get rid of them, so I've never understood, really, the use of a buyout."
A buyout is typically paid by the institution that hires a coach away from another institution. But Krebs says he doesn't feel the lack of one gives Alford the upper hand.
"What do we get out of this? We're on record, and our coach is on record, saying we're in this for the long haul," Krebs said. "I do think we're getting something out of it. I think we get a public commitment from our coach. We're making a very public commitment to our coach and our program and his leadership and his staff, and I think what he's pledging to us, is saying this is the place he wants to be.
"Does that change? None of us know, none of us can predict the future. I think we have a relationship based on trust, mutual respect and a common goal. I think that's all you can ask. We all know there are contractual situations with buyouts, all that does is raise the price. It doesn't mean that people are any more or any less committed. I feel really good about him wanting to be here for the right reasons."
Alford says those reasons include him building "this thing the right way. It's going to take time to get everything in line that we need to do . . (getting) the right type of student-athlete.
"... The most important thing is who you work for. I've got an administration that knows what they're doing. They're committed, they're very helpful. You don't always find that every place."