Nevada men’s basketball head coach Steve Alford endorsed Craig Neal, his longtime assistant coach, to take over his job once he retires come season’s end.
“That’s the next guy in line,” Alford said. “I’m praying and pulling for him to get this job because he’s very deserving. He’s been with me for 17 years. We’ve won a lot of championships. We’ve had one losing season together… He’s been a head coach and won 60% of the games, including the Mountain West championship at New Mexico in this league.”
Though Alford may be pounding the table for his friend, the proof is in the pudding as far as Neal’s head coaching record goes.
Neal taking over from Alford would be nothing new, though. A similar scenario occurred at New Mexico 13 years ago, where he replaced Alford following Alford’s abrupt move to coach at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Alford had done the same in Albuquerque, endorsing Neal to take over the conference powerhouse that he was leaving.
Neal was not nearly as successful as his predecessor at New Mexico. In four seasons leading the Lobos, Neal’s team won only 76 games, a significant decline from the program that won 109 games over the four seasons prior. In fact, Neal’s best season as the head coach of New Mexico basketball was his first, where he led the program to a 27-7 record en route to winning the Mountain West Conference tournament. Though this Lobos team was undoubtedly very good, it is important to note that Neal was working with the exact same starting five that had gone 29-7 under Alford the year prior. Neal inherited the juggernaut that Alford had built; all he had to do was not screw it up.
Alford’s disciple showed his true colors in his second year, where he was tasked with rebuilding his program after Cameron Bairstow, Kendall Williams and Alex Kirk, the team’s three best players, all left. Here, Neal opted to give his son Cullen Neal the most touches on the team, culminating in a 15-16 record and the 301st best offense in college basketball. None of this is to say that Cullen Neal was a poor basketball player, just that he was not fit to be the best player on the best team in the MWC. Craig Neal’s final two years at New Mexico were only marginally better, winning 17 games both times, though, to be fair, his team’s offenses were much improved.
The first-time head coach was fired by the University of New Mexico following his fourth season. The move came after public outcry over his performance, with fans even going as far as to make a Go Fund Me to assist with his $1 million buyout.
On top of Neal’s already questionable record as a head coach, the Wolf Pack assistant is 62 years old, older than the retiring Alford. If Neal is to take the reins of Nevada’s basketball program, how long will he want to stay as head coach? One has to wonder if Neal himself is contemplating retirement in the near future, especially as his running mate (Alford) is already on his way out the door.
As athletic director Stephanie Rempe and the rest of Nevada’s administration begins their search for the next leader of Wolf Pack basketball, they should buck Alford’s endorsement and look beyond Northern Nevada.
