by Matthew Kappus
Daily Lobo
After he was hired in March, Steve Alford said he wanted to turn the UNM men's basketball team into a national force.
And even though he has high goals for the Lobos, the process begins with baby steps, Alford said.
"We're laying the foundation," he said. "We really are about building a program. I just want to see improvement."
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After star player Tony Danridge suffered a fractured left fibula in October, Alford's job got a lot tougher.
Last year's team went 15-17 and lost in the first round of the Mountain West Conference Championships.
Trying to turn that around won't be simple without a player of Danridge's caliber,
Alford said.
"This is a team that's got a lot of people back from finishing last in the league, and the best player is gone," he said.
Still, it's a task Alford said he is happy to take on.
Aside from last year, the Lobos have had only one below-.500 season in the past
24 years.
Alford said his goal was to get the Lobos into the postseason on a regular basis.
"The Pit and Lobo basketball have a great tradition with NCAA tournaments," he said. "You've got to take some small steps to get to that point, but you just don't compromise on things you believe in, and that is the thing I want to get impressed on our guys."
If Alford's goals for the Lobos seem lofty, it is because he is used to winning, as a coach and a player.
As a high school senior in New Castle, Ind., he averaged 37.7 points per game, helping him earn Indiana's "Mr. Basketball" title in 1983.
Going on to play for Bobby Knight at Indiana, Alford became the university's all-time leading scorer, with 2,438 points, and won a national championship. In his senior year, he was named a first-team All-American and Big Ten Most Valuable Player.
Alford went on to play four seasons in the NBA and won a gold medal with the 1984 U.S. Olympic squad.
The Alford era in Lobo basketball got its start Friday with an exhibition game against Eastern New Mexico. The game capped off an intensive preseason for the team.
Forward Daniel Faris said learning Alford's system has been challenging, but the team is ready.
"Everyone's pretty used to it now," he said. "We have had a ton of practices, so we're starting to get the feel of him, and he's starting to get the feel for us."
Even though they have to learn a new system, things are coming along smoothly so far, Faris said.
"Everything coach Alford does is for a purpose," he said. "Every drill is for some reason, like to help us with a certain part of our offense. I think that really helps out on the court when we're playing."
One thing fans can expect from the Lobos under Alford is a tougher defensive team. While the team has proven scorers, Alford said he wants to establish a tougher unit on the defensive side of the court.
"I don't think we're going to be a defense that pressures all over the floor," he said. "We're trying to teach them position defense."
The UNM squad has no shortage of individual personalities. And even though Alford welcomes that, he said he wants each player focused on team goals.
"I want to see a group of guys that are working together," he said. "They understand they are competing for a common cause, and that is to win games."
