Steve Alford emphatically denied interest in Indiana job

Last week, Indiana officially fired Tom Crean, after he spent nine seasons as the Hoosiers head coach in Bloomington. As with any head coach firing, the speculation then turns to who will get hired.

One of the biggest names on the list is Steve Alford, who’s been the UCLA Bruins head coach since 2013 and has compiled a 96-45 record over four seasons. The speculation regarding Alford landing at Indiana got even more interesting, with his UCLA team losing to the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats 86-75 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament on Friday night, ending the Bruins’ hopes for a national championship. Alford, after the game, emphatically denied having interest in the opening:

“I’m absolutely, 100 percent, not going to Indiana,” Alford said via ESPN. “I am happy here. I love it here. We have a great recruiting class coming in and a brand-new practice facility.

“Obviously, I love my alma mater. But I’m committed to UCLA. I am not going to talk to Indiana. I am staying a Bruin.”

Alford is a logical choice to be on Indiana’s short list, even just going off his history with the Hoosiers:

Indiana’s favorite son, Alford, was a high school legend in the state before going on to star for the Hoosiers from 1983-87. After a four-year stint in the NBA, he began a coaching career that has included stints as the head man for Southwest Missouri State, Iowa, New Mexico and now UCLA.

If the Bruins hadn’t lost, Alford continuing to coach his team through the tournament could potentially allow Indiana to explore more available options who are not still in the middle of a season, such as Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall, or Dayton’s Archie Miller.

On top of that, literally seconds after the loss, starting point guard Lonzo Ball declared for the NBA draft. Lonzo’s little brother, LiAngelo, will take over, but the younger Ball doesn’t have near the ability that his older brother does. There’s also this tiny distraction surrounding the program, Ball’s father, LaVar Ball, that Alford could be looking for a reason to get away from.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman, Alford’s buyout at UCLA is set at $7.8 million, but sources told Goodman that it “would not be the issue.” If he is Indiana’s guy for the job, it shouldn’t be too much of one, but it’s just another factor in all of this.