Steve Alford didn’t deny his interest in the Indiana head coaching job

Steve Alford is a legend at Indiana. That’s not an exaggeration. From 1983-1987, Alford was the point guard who powered the golden era of the program under Bobby Knight. As a senior, Alford led the Hoosiers to the 1987 national championship. The program hasn’t won it all since.

On Thursday, Indiana’s head coaching position became open. Tom Crean was fired after nine years following a dismal season that saw a talented team dragged down by injuries and uninspired play. It only makes sense that Alford’s name will be at the top of Indiana’s list, along with coaches like Gregg Marshall of Wichita State and Archie Miller of Dayton.

There’s only one problem: Alford already has one of the sport’s biggest jobs. Right now, he’s guiding a loaded UCLA team into March Madness, and it’s built for a deep run.

Would Alford really leave the Bruins for Bloomington? He didn’t exactly say no when he was pressed on Thursday:

That’s the basketball equivalent of a filibuster. Alford answered the question without really answering it at all.

Of course, it makes sense. What’s he supposed to say? “Yes, I’d love to coach Indiana,” doesn’t really play when you have Lonzo Ball, and your current team is equipped to win the national championship.

It’s just something worth monitoring because Alford’s words sound similar to what he said when he took the UCLA job from New Mexico. The Alford-to-Indiana speculation will likely only ramp up if he leads UCLA on a run through the tournament.

Our Indiana community, Crimson Quarry, is already on the record: It doesn’t want Alford to coach the Hoosiers. This is going to be the most debated job opening of the spring. Get ready for a lot more nondenials and vague responses over the next month.