One of the assistant coaches wasn't so certain. The exchange was unremarkable in most ways--a head coach listening to a suggestion from an assistant and deciding to go with his own instincts--except for one thing: The assistant coach whose advice was rejected was Alford's father, Sam, who taught Steve how to play basketball and was his high school coach. The zone didn't save the Bears that night, though it did help them cut the margin to five late in the game.
Even so, their coach was less than pleased after the loss. We only let them score 58 points [in the second half]. We aren't tough enough yet to win a game like this. Shut your eyes, throw in a few profanities, and you might think you were listening to Alford's college coach, Bob Knight. Tell Alford that, and he laughs at the notion. Almost everything I do, even the pregame meal [spaghetti, regardless of the time of day], comes from my days at Indiana.
Alford, who was a Hoosier from to '87, also learned some things from Knight he hasn't used--at least not yet. After Southwest Missouri was hammered on its home court by Southwestern Louisiana in the second game of the season, Alford wanted to take his team right back on the practice floor--one of Knight's favorite torture tactics. Alford had his players in their practice gear, ready to go, but then life in the '90s got in the way.
His assistants pointed out that if the team practiced, he would have to cancel a regular practice later to stay under the NCAA's hour-a-week limit. Threats of torture aside, the Bears seem to enjoy playing for the Alfords. The team's top scorer is 6'4" sophomore guard Ben Kandlbinder, an excellent shooter who lacks quickness.
When Kandlbinder was held scoreless in a game early in the season, Alford called him in and gave him a video. The tape was of Alford, circa , leading Indiana to the national title. Two games later Kandlbinder scored 36 points. Then came a surprise offer to coach Manchester College, a Division III school in Indiana whose coach had quit in the midst of his team's start. Alford took the job, went the rest of the season and then went , and, last year, , the only loss coming to Wisconsin-Platteville in the Division III title game.
When Southwest Missouri State athletic director Bill Rowe brought Steve to Springfield for an interview last March and offered him the job the same day, he got two Alfords instead of one. I think you have to weigh everything. Right now, my timing and the right place is right here. He also covered skiing at the Winter Olympics and wrote extensively on most sports. He is a multiple national award winner and was named California Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Assn.
A Los Angeles native, he started at The Times in as a truck loader and literally worked his way up two floors to be exact. All Sections. About Us. B2B Publishing. Business Visionaries. Hot Property. Times Events. Times Store. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options. Chris Dufresne. I think anybody can get hot in those three weeks. They're both on the road recruiting and don't have a lot of downtime. Alford said he checks Missouri State's scores all the time during the season.
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