UCLA Hires Random Guy From New Mexico

The UCLA Bruins have finally found someone to accept the college basketball job at their school.

UCLA has taken almost a week to name their head coach because their first choices wouldn't accept. Shaka Smart turned them down and Minnesota as well to stay at VCU. He even signed an extension with the Rams. Brad Stevens of Butler also turned down UCLA saying he's still the coach for Butler. Even Ashton Kutcher refused the job insisting he's happy at CBS.

However, the Bruins finally found someone they liked. New Mexico head coach Steve Alford has been hired by UCLA to be the next head coach for the basketball team. Alford has had an impressive regular season record but whenever New Mexico has been in the tournament, they have been eliminated rather early on. In fact, the Lobos were eliminated in what is technically the 2nd round of the tournament this year by #14 Harvard.

The Bruins finally pulled a name out of the hat after several tries. No I don't know if Shaka Smart and Brad Stevens are really loyal enough to not want to leave their respective school for another destination. They might be or just want to build their names up further in places not known for their basketball programs. But the fact that both of them turned down UCLA says something about the instant allure of being the basketball coach for the Bruins: it's faded considerably.

The eyes of coaches, fans, and players don't necessarily see it as a place to look up to anymore like in the John Wooden era. The Bruins have only won one national title (1995) since Wooden retired and have struggled to get far in the tournament, if they get in at all. True, their last coach Ben Howland managed to get them to three Final Fours in a row but the program has since dropped along with the prestige and excitement once again.

Steve Alford now becomes UCLA's head coach with high expectations indeed. It's not that New Mexico didn't expect a lot from Alford but UCLA certainly expects the moon. And in terms of the tournament at New Mexico, Alford had barely gotten out of the atmosphere.