Alford, UNM may make deal: lawyer

LOS ANGELES — As UCLA basketball coach Steve Alford tries to disentangle himself from the University of New Mexico, a legal expert predicts compromise in resolving the matter.

UNM says Alford owes the university $1 million, which was the buyout amount in a contract extension that was to take effect April 1, two days after UCLA hired him. Alford, in a letter to the school, has offered $200,000 under the terms of his previous contract.

Alford was required to give 30 days’ notice, so UNM believes he is therefore bound by the terms of what would have been his new contract.

“I would be surprised if New Mexico structured either contract in such a way that it is clearly entitled to a million,” Michael Waterstone, a professor at Loyola Law School, told the Los Angeles Times. “But it is certainly possible.”

UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero, asked about Alford’s UNM buyout at the time of his hiring, said: “Generally speaking, it’s the coach himself that has that responsibility, but we’ll work out details if necessary.”

Asked Tuesday whether UCLA might help Alford pay off any buyout, a university spokesman declined to comment.

TENNESSEE WOMEN: Pat Summitt will continue in her role as head coach emeritus on Lady Vols coach Holly Warlick’s staff next season. The university announced Wednesday that Summitt had agreed to a one-year contract that will pay her $85,000, less than a quarter of the $354,375 she received for the same role this past year.