Court Visions: Alford needs stability to stand apart from Howland

Steve Alford may have established his image as the clean-cut basketball hero of an entire state decades ago, but when he was announced as the next men’s basketball coach of UCLA, all I could see in him was Ben Howland.

Six days after Howland was fired, Alford left his post as the coach of New Mexico to come to UCLA. The former guard, who crowds flocked to watch when he was a high school and college star in Indiana, has a deep basketball pedigree. It just happens to share some of the same qualities as the man he’s replacing.

In Alford, UCLA gets a man who coaches a slow brand of basketball, much like Howland did before an ill-fated attempt to speed up the Bruins’ offense last season. His New Mexico teams were consistently ranked toward the bottom half of the country in possessions per game, a fact that doesn’t jive with Athletic Director Dan Guerrero’s proclamation that he found a coach with an “up-tempo” style.

Pauley Pavilion can also expect a defensive-minded coach who will play mostly man-to-man, since Alford is similarly wary of using anything else. By all accounts, Alford is also a meticulous game-planner, something Howland prided himself on.

None of this is bad news. Guerrero, by his own admittance, fired a very successful coach, but one that lost his way. Alford stuck to his philosophy throughout his time at New Mexico and would be wise to do the same even as he moves to a job with a much higher profile.

The new isn’t exactly a dead spitting image of the old, but it comes close. What makes this hire appealing is how Alford differs from Howland.

Even from a small school in Albuquerque, N.M., Alford was able to recruit the best talent Southern California has to offer. Howland had burned bridges at places in UCLA’s backyard by the end of his tenure.

Alford carries a persona that connects well with his players, most of whom wished him well after he bid farewell to the Lobos despite agreeing to a 10-year extension to stay at New Mexico on March 20, a contract that carried a $1 million buyout clause when it kicked in … today. Few players came to Howland’s side in his final days as coach.

Alford held a press conference for a packed room of local media in Albuquerque Saturday to say goodbye. The boss that gave him the extension-that-wasn’t sat alongside, understanding Alford’s decision and not once mentioning betrayal.

They understand in New Mexico, because Alford built a program that will last without him. He did it with the backing of fans more zealous than the collection that supports the Bruins. Walking down the Las Vegas Strip two weeks ago, it was clear that there were more Lobos supporters than any other team, in the four conferences holding tournaments in the city at the same time. They were watching in great numbers as Alford and New Mexico cut down the nets as Mountain West champions, one of six regular-season or tournament titles he won in six years coaching in a tough basketball conference.

UCLA may have fired a coach that has three Final Four appearances for a man who has just as many wins over the last decade in the NCAA Tournament. But postseason success was never a factor in one man’s downfall or the other’s ascension. It was always about building a stable program, something Alford proved he could do and Howland couldn’t despite how similar they appear to be.

Alford embodies things that made Howland successful. Just hope the similarities end there.