Steve Alford Releases Statement Amid Oklahoma State Rumors
On Tuesday, a report was released that Nevada head coach Steve Alford was among three candidates tied to Oklahoma State’s basketball head coaching vacancy. Adam Zagoria, a basketball insider, reported that Alford, Bryce Drew and Niko Medved were three coaches in the mix for the opening.
Alford led Nevada to a second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance this past weekend, falling in the first round to Dayton. On Wednesday, the 59-year-old head coach released a statement regarding the rumors.
“I know that there are a ton of rumors flying around and this happens when you have had success. However, Tanya and I love this Reno community, our boosters, the fan support and the program that we are building. We are already very busy putting together next year's team. I know that we are all hurting, as we had a tough final 7 minutes to the season. But wow, what an exciting season of winning basketball by so many great players that loved representing Wolf Pack Nation. I hope that you appreciate them as much as we do and I sincerely hope that everyone has a blessed Easter,” Alford said in a social media release.
The release from Alford is quite vague and doesn't immediately name-drop Oklahoma State or his interest in leaving Nevada. It’s hard to imagine Alford leaving the program after releasing such a statement, but what he said certainly doesn't rule that out, and no promises were made.
Among the three candidates listed by Zagoria, Alford is the most experienced. He’s appeared in 13 different NCAA Tournaments over the course of his head coaching career, which got its start in 1995.
Alford has posted a 96-59 record with Nevada, and he spent six seasons with UCLA before moving to his current program, where he posted a 124-63 record and made four NCAA Tournament appearances.
With names like Dusty May, Darian DeVries and Danny Sprinkle off the head coaching candidacy board, Alford is one of the next best candidates for Oklahoma State to pursue, and he hasn’t completely closed that door.
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KADE KIMBLE
Kade is a strategic communications student at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where he also minors in Sports Management. He has been covering the Oklahoma City Thunder with InsidetheThunder.com since the 2022 season after having followed the team since its early days.