In Reply to: Is this old news: Alford? posted by lafong on September 24, 2026 at 16:57:37
As our coach, he'll always be remembered as a guy who had elite talent but who never took the team as far as many expected (me included). That year with Lonzo and Leaf was as dominant a Bruin offense I can remember over the past 10-15 years. That team was 31-5! But they lost in the S16 (I think to Kentucky, if memory serves), so that wasn't a satisfying outcome for such a loaded team.
Alford's taking a lot of criticism in this thread for his handling of the Pierce situation, and indeed he should. But I also question how different Alford's reaction to that situation might have been from other coaches put in that spot. A coach will defend his player 99% of the time, and he'll presume innocence until there's a reason not to. When it was clear that Pierce was a scumbag, Alford kicked him off the team. Should it have happened sooner? Probably. Has Alford otherwise been professional, classy and respectable throughout his coaching career? Yes.
Anyway, to me, Alford's greatest achievement was building the foundation for our most recent Final Four. Cronin inherited an unbelievably talented roster, which was recruited and built and coached by Alford. Not many coaches walk into a situation like that as ready-made for contention. But that's the situation Alford left for his successor.