ESPN: Alford Taking Over at New Mexico

Andy Katz is reporting that Iowa coach Steve Alford will not be the Iowa coach much longer. Katz says Alford is taking his immaculately manicured hair to New Mexico and taking over for Ritchie McKay. If you hear a series of clicking sounds in your ear, that's probably just the folks at Fire Steve Alford tap dancing.

Alford's been the coach at Iowa for eight years, and not always with a great deal of success. Iowa, despite having a disappointing year this year, has been a solid program. Under Alford, they have (I believe), three NIT appearances and three NCAA appearances. Only in Alford's first year and his last did the Hawkeyes not get to any postseason tournament at all.

Still, he's not being fired. He's under contract through 2011, and voluntarily leaving a Big Ten job for a Mountain West job seems like a small step backwards. Of course, Alford's college coach Bob Knight did regret sticking around in his Big Ten gig a little too long ... maybe he had some advice for Alford. Maybe he was tired of the (perhaps unrealistic) expectations and wanted more a low-stress atmosphere. Maybe he's always wanted to live closer to the Carlsbad Cavers and the National Atomic Museum. I really couldn't tell you.

New Mexico was also said to be interested in Winthrop head coach Gregg Marshall, but, according to Katz, went with Alford because they considered it a "coup" to land a coach from the Big Ten. Many Iowa fans would probably disagree on exactly how big of a coup this really is.