OT: Is Steve Alford a slimy guy?

Submitted by FabFiver5 on

With the rumblings of Indiana considering Steve Alford as a replacement for Tom Crean, an interesting piece was posted yesterday on IU's SB Nation site. I've seen other comments from IU fans saying they've already emailed Fred Glass and will stop donations to IU if they hire Alford.

I don't remember hearing about this years ago, but it's an interesting story.

Hiring Alford would be a dark day for Indiana University. But his continued ascension up college basketball’s ladder without expressing any sort of understanding over why his actions in handling the Pierre Pierce case were wrong sends a message to society & sexual assault victims far darker -- and one that matters far more than winning basketball games.

LINK

bigpatky

March 20th, 2017 at 10:54 AM ^

As my username suggests, I went to BYU. As a religious school that has a lot of people enroll from all across the country, there are lots of mixed allegiances when it comes to athletics, like me with Michigan/BYU. A few years ago when Alford had moved on from Iowa to New Mexico, BYU had a big game vs UNM and there was a huge line of students camped outside waiting for good seats for that evening's game. It just so happened that we were all there when the UNM team bus pulled up and in walked the team. There was a nominal amount of jeering, nothing too harsh. But when Alford walked by, a BYU student with Iowa ties started yelling at Alford for ruining Iowa. He probably went a little overboard. But what surprised me was Alford actually responded and went back and forth with a student for a couple minute! Yelling and everything! I was completely taken back that this grown man let a student get the best of him. 

Yeoman

March 19th, 2017 at 11:07 PM ^

http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2003/april/040903skorton.html

That's a formal statement and you have to read between the lines a bit to get the gist. The public proclamations of innocence regarding a player who'd just been formally charged with assault were bad enough but maybe the most damning bit was people from Athletes in Action, who according to other reports were old friends of Alford, contacting the alleged victim to encourage her to "sit down with the alleged perpetrator for prayer."

The alleged victim was, to say the least, pissed. So was the prosecutor, who said Alford's meddling (actually I think the word used was "intimidation") made prosecuting the case very difficult and led to a plea bargain that was a lot softer than he thought he could have gotten if Alford and the school had stayed clear.

enlightenedbum

March 19th, 2017 at 11:12 PM ^

Pierce was his star player in the early 00s at Iowa.  He sexually assaulted a student. Alford personally arranged a "prayer meeting" between him and the victim.  She read this for what it was, an effort from Alford and the University to side with Pierce over her, and pressed charges against Pierce.  Evidence was apparently bad enough that he and his lawyer saw the writing on the wall, he pled guilty to a lesser charge and avoided jail time.  Alford kept him on the team.

Later, Pierce assaulted another woman with a knife and ended up in prison.  When he was introduced at UCLA, he blamed Iowa's administration instead of taking blame.  He finally was forced to issue a completely insincere apology fairly recently.

IvyLeague

March 19th, 2017 at 11:00 PM ^

that are UCLA donors with two of them basketball season ticket holders and they all hate Alford and think his recruiting is super dirty. They are worried at some point the program is going to get the hammer by the NCAA for recruiting violations. 

enlightenedbum

March 19th, 2017 at 11:13 PM ^

Even if you ignore the Pierce thing, he left for UCLA like a week and a half after signing a contract extension with New Mexico.  Typical slimy bullshit from college coaches, but still that one is pretty cold.

OwenGoBlue

March 19th, 2017 at 11:14 PM ^

Yes. But who would willingly leave UCLA for Indiana in this, the good year 2017?

One is in LA and has the most storied history in college basketball/two more Ball brothers on the way. The other has a dysfunctional AD and delusional expectations. 

Yeoman

March 19th, 2017 at 11:21 PM ^

 

The Alford-to-IU noise is so loud, coaches around the country are telling me what they’re hearing: They expect Adidas — IU has a $54 million contract with Adidas through 2024 — to pay Alford’s $7.8 million buyout at UCLA. It too was an Adidas school when UCLA hired Alford in 2013, but the Bruins recently left Adidas for a 15-year, $280 million deal with Under Armour. Adidas would love to return the favor and help Alford leave UCLA. That’s what other coaches are hearing, and telling me.

 

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/columnists/gregg-doyel/2017/03/19/…

Yeoman

March 20th, 2017 at 12:00 AM ^

http://www.si.com/vault/2016/06/28/brand-name-stars

 

"Great!" Brey said. "Maryland got theirs, when are we getting ours?

 

(Mike Brey's reaction to Maryland's signing of Diamond Stone, who coincidentally had played for a UA-sponsored travel team. You've probably noticed UA's sponsorship of Maryland.)

If they're working on getting players from their sponsored travel teams into their sponsored colleges and universities, why wouldn't they use their influence to get certain coaches into those jobs? And I assume those nine-digit contracts they're tossing around give them some influence.

cletus318

March 19th, 2017 at 11:35 PM ^

Slime factor aside, I'd be ecstatic with Indiana getting Alford. It would be like getting a worse Crean. Indiana getting Marshall from Wichita State would terrify me.

As an aside, for all the talk there's been about Lavar Ball exploiting his kids, Alford looks like he's about to ride Lonzo (and TJ Leaf) to 5 million a year. Funny how that works.

Double-D

March 19th, 2017 at 11:45 PM ^

He may feel like IU is home. It would not surprise me to see him have a handshake deal and be announced after the tourney.

I had never heard about the shit Iowa. That's awful.

URNotGuilty

March 19th, 2017 at 11:45 PM ^

Just my observation :
I realize big business is prevalent in college and have heard all of the arguments,
BUT a business a Shoe Company Paying a Coaches Buy Out/meddling with Colleges and Coaches Contracts, would seem to be a major Conflict of interest, and far more pressing matter than mere satellite camps, trips, practice times....NCAA., No Conflict At All"

GoBlueInIowa

March 19th, 2017 at 11:54 PM ^

The way Ball's dad has been acting can anyone with a straight face say that his kid was not bought and paid for to go to UCLA.



(As some other have said that also live in Iowa - yes, he is a slim ball)