» UCLA PARTS WAYS WITH HOOPS COACH
Steve Alford was brought to UCLA to revive the offense, reinvigorate the fan base and connect with a new generation of players.
In what turned out to be his final game with the Bruins, Alford’s offense generated more turnovers than baskets before fans who booed the team in the midst of a fourth consecutive loss. Afterward, Alford blamed his players for their inability to execute simple fundamentals that the coach described as “seventh-grade stuff.”
The increasingly poisonous environment surrounding UCLA’s flagship program resulted in the dismissal of Alford as men’s basketball coach late Sunday, one day after a humiliating 15-point defeat at home to Liberty and four days before the start of Pac-12 Conference play.
UCLA announced that assistant Murry Bartow would take over as the interim coach through the rest of the season, with fellow assistants Tyus Edney and Duane Broussard remaining on the staff. Alford, whose contract ran through April 2021, will receive a $3.6-million buyout from athletic department-generated funds.
It was the first in-season firing in the 100-year history of a program with a record 11 national championships, though coach Jim Harrick was jettisoned only two weeks before the start of the 1996-97 season over lies involving an expense report for a recruiting dinner.
UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero said in a statement that he usually dislikes the idea of making a coaching change during the season but felt it was imperative given the state of a team that holds a 7-6 record after a 4-0 start.
“While Steve led us to three Sweet 16 appearances,” Guerrero said, “we simply have not been performing at a consistent level and our struggles up to this point in the season do not bode well for the future.”
The school announced that the search for Alford’s successor would be led by Guerrero, senior associate athletic director Josh Rebholz, associate athletic director Chris Carlson and Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers, a member of the Bruins’ 1995 national championship team.
Potential candidates to replace the 54year-old Alford could include the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Billy Donovan, Virginia’s Tony Bennett, Michigan’s John Beilein, Gonzaga’s Mark Few, North Carolina State’s Kevin Keatts, Texas Christian’s Jamie Dixon, Texas Tech’s Chris Beard, Cincinnati’s Mick Cronin, Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall, Utah’s Larry Krystkowiak and former Chicago Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg.
Bartow, 57, is the son of the late Gene Bartow, who went 52-9 in two seasons at UCLA as coach John Wooden’s successor. Alford hired Murry Bartow last spring to improve the Bruins’ defense, which ranks No. 79 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency.