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Nobody saw this coming, not even the Lobos themselves.
Players on the New Mexico men’s basketball team were stunned when they learned head coach Steve Alford decided to leave the program for nationally recognized UCLA, two Lobos said at a press conference hours after Alford told the team.
The team was at a community service event when they first heard reports of the news, sophomore center Alex Kirk said.
“We were all looking around in stunned belief. Could this really be real?” junior forward Cameron Bairstow added. “Then we came back. He told us and was really upset by it. It wasn’t anything we expected.”
UNM was due to return all but two players, including the entire starting lineup, from this year’s Mountain West Conference regular-season and tournament-winning team. With Alford leaving, the issue now becomes which players will stay with the program and which will transfer to other schools.
Under NCAA rules, players are allowed to transfer to other schools but they must sit out, or redshirt, one season. UNM Athletic Director Paul Krebs said coach Alford’s two children — current Lobo Kory Alford and letter-of-intent signee Bryce Alford – will be released for transfer.
Kirk said he is uncertain of immediate plans. His plans were to finish his undergraduate program in business administration this August and pursue a master’s degree while continuing his playing career.
“Right now, I’m just viewing what’s best for me, my family, my friends and teammates,” he said. “We’ve all been talking, and I think we all have to see what our options are and see what’s going to be best for ourselves. It’s all we can really do right now.”
For Bairstow and sophomore guard Hugh Greenwood, returning to their home country of Australia is an option as well. However, Bairstow said any decision depends on who the new head coach will be and what his teammates will do.
“It will be a big impact not just what Hugh does but what my other teammates do,” he said. “I’ve got a great relationship with all my teammates and been through a lot with them. It will impact my decision. Coming over here with Hugh, we’ve been mates for a long time. He will impact my decision.”
Associate head coach Craig Neal takes over as interim head coach, and Bairstow said the team puts its full support behind Neal. Kirk added Neal was instrumental in calming down the team when it found out Alford’s decision, telling the team to focus on its academics and begin preparations for next season.
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Having Neal as the head coach should not affect the team’s offseason scheduling, Bairstow said, though that could change if a coach outside the program is hired.
Both Kirk and Bairstow praised Alford for his contributions in their development. Though surprised by a move that affects the team as a whole, Kirk said Alford made the right call to go to UCLA, one of the most storied programs in NCAA basketball history.
“It’s tough,” he said. “Obviously I’m happy for Coach. Nobody would say no to UCLA. That’s crazy.”
