UNI coach would be better.
The inbox of a college sports writer is often filled with the rants of the subjective or paranoid fan, but occasionally an e-mail trend develops that needs to be regarded as an important sign. Such as, why, with Iowa sitting atop the Big Ten for the first time in 27 years, would so many Hawkeye fans be compelled to write very rational responses debunking the (now, I realize, incorrect) assumption that they were sweating coach Steve Alford's imminent departure to his alma mater in Bloomington?
Herewith, a mere sampling of recent e-mail, printed not to be incendiary, but rather illuminative, because one doubts that the climate in Iowa City is evident to the rest of the nation, where Alford-to-Indiana rumors are widely discussed. The truth? Plenty of the same fans who've helped Iowa gain a 15-0 record at Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season will be far from heartbroken if Steve says goodbye.
S.M., Des Moines: "Most Iowa fans are completely indifferent to Alford leaving. I and many others believe that this year's senior-laden team is no better or worse because of Alford's coaching, and that three key Iowa-bred players (Jeff Horner, Greg Brunner and Adam Haluska) would have joined the team regardless of who the coach was. Alford is an average coach who does an average job. There are literally dozens of coaches available who are as good as or better than Alford. When Lute Olson left Iowa for Arizona, fans were upset. When Alford leaves, it will be a non-event."
A.B., Iowa City: "Due to intersquad bickering, to the inability of Steve to mesh his ego with those of his players, to the fact that he gets outcoached by teams with inferior talent (see Northwestern and Northern Iowa games the past three years), the fans here dislike the man and the image that he gives the program. When talking with an Iowa City resident, or Iowa fan, you are very likely to hear them say, 'I wouldn't mind getting a ticket to the game, but I just can't stand Alford,' or something to that effect."
J.G., Geneseo, Ill.: "Please take him. What has he done for Iowa? A few NCAA tournaments that were garnered with late-season runs through the Big Ten tournament, an embarrassing episode with Pierre Pierce, incredibly mediocre recruiting and a cocky attitude with the media that doesn't compare well with his fellow [football] coach Kirk Ferentz. I would welcome a fresh start in Iowa City, and Indiana can have a mild flashback to the Knight era."
Indiana would welcome Alford, its native son and a hero of the 1987 championship team, with open arms. But if you're IU athletic director Rick Greenspan, the man in charge of replacing Mike Davis (who resigned last week after never winning over Hoosier fans during his six-year tenure) shouldn't it bother you that the initial No. 1 candidate hasn't won over Iowa fans in seven years -- even with a Big Ten title nearly in his grasp? And, if Indiana truly is a "destination" job -- one of the elite positions in all of college basketball -- shouldn't you be skeptical that, if Alford is anointed as its heir, you wouldn't exactly have to pry him away from the faithful in Iowa City, but rather have him handed over with a shrug?
Mind you, the e-mails above were not drafted during Iowa's three-year NCAA tournament drought, when Alford was on the hot seat -- they were sent late last week, with Iowa in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten, before its ugly loss at Minnesota. Pro-Alford Hawkeye fans do exist -- he did, after all, get a contract extension in 2001 through 2009 -- but they did not write in. Not one.
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The inbox of a college sports writer is often filled with the rants of the subjective or paranoid fan, but occasionally an e-mail trend develops that needs to be regarded as an important sign. Such as, why, with Iowa sitting atop the Big Ten for the first time in 27 years, would so many Hawkeye fans be compelled to write very rational responses debunking the (now, I realize, incorrect) assumption that they were sweating coach Steve Alford's imminent departure to his alma mater in Bloomington?
Herewith, a mere sampling of recent e-mail, printed not to be incendiary, but rather illuminative, because one doubts that the climate in Iowa City is evident to the rest of the nation, where Alford-to-Indiana rumors are widely discussed. The truth? Plenty of the same fans who've helped Iowa gain a 15-0 record at Carver-Hawkeye Arena this season will be far from heartbroken if Steve says goodbye.
S.M., Des Moines: "Most Iowa fans are completely indifferent to Alford leaving. I and many others believe that this year's senior-laden team is no better or worse because of Alford's coaching, and that three key Iowa-bred players (Jeff Horner, Greg Brunner and Adam Haluska) would have joined the team regardless of who the coach was. Alford is an average coach who does an average job. There are literally dozens of coaches available who are as good as or better than Alford. When Lute Olson left Iowa for Arizona, fans were upset. When Alford leaves, it will be a non-event."
A.B., Iowa City: "Due to intersquad bickering, to the inability of Steve to mesh his ego with those of his players, to the fact that he gets outcoached by teams with inferior talent (see Northwestern and Northern Iowa games the past three years), the fans here dislike the man and the image that he gives the program. When talking with an Iowa City resident, or Iowa fan, you are very likely to hear them say, 'I wouldn't mind getting a ticket to the game, but I just can't stand Alford,' or something to that effect."
J.G., Geneseo, Ill.: "Please take him. What has he done for Iowa? A few NCAA tournaments that were garnered with late-season runs through the Big Ten tournament, an embarrassing episode with Pierre Pierce, incredibly mediocre recruiting and a cocky attitude with the media that doesn't compare well with his fellow [football] coach Kirk Ferentz. I would welcome a fresh start in Iowa City, and Indiana can have a mild flashback to the Knight era."
Indiana would welcome Alford, its native son and a hero of the 1987 championship team, with open arms. But if you're IU athletic director Rick Greenspan, the man in charge of replacing Mike Davis (who resigned last week after never winning over Hoosier fans during his six-year tenure) shouldn't it bother you that the initial No. 1 candidate hasn't won over Iowa fans in seven years -- even with a Big Ten title nearly in his grasp? And, if Indiana truly is a "destination" job -- one of the elite positions in all of college basketball -- shouldn't you be skeptical that, if Alford is anointed as its heir, you wouldn't exactly have to pry him away from the faithful in Iowa City, but rather have him handed over with a shrug?
Mind you, the e-mails above were not drafted during Iowa's three-year NCAA tournament drought, when Alford was on the hot seat -- they were sent late last week, with Iowa in sole possession of first place in the Big Ten, before its ugly loss at Minnesota. Pro-Alford Hawkeye fans do exist -- he did, after all, get a contract extension in 2001 through 2009 -- but they did not write in. Not one.
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