Site Map | Archives

Home › Sports › LoboZone

UNM men's basketball: Alford hits ground running with recruiting

By Jeremy Fowler, Iliana Limón
Saturday, April 7, 2007

Top recruits

Here were the top seven recruits of University of New Mexico men's basketball coach Steve Alford during his eight seasons at Iowa.

REGGIE EVANS

F, 6-8, 2001-02

Former two-time Big Ten leading rebounder now plays for the Denver Nuggets, becoming the lone Alford Iowa recruit to play an extended role in the NBA.

ADAM HALUSKA

G, 6-5, 2004-07

High-scoring guard could be a second-round pick in this year's NBA draft. He was an All-Big Ten first-team pick.

GREG BRUNNER

F, 6-7, 2003-06

Iowa's all-time leading rebounder helped the Hawkeyes to a Big Ten tournament title in 2005-06. Also made All-Big Ten first team.

JEFF HORNER

G, 6-3, 2003-06

Earned honorable mention All-America honors. Became the Hawkeyes' career assist leader.

EREK HANSEN

C, 6-11, 2004-06

Named the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year in 2005-06.

LUKE RECKER

G, 6-6, 2001-02

Former Indiana player earned honorable mention All-America honors as a Hawkeyes senior.

TYLER SMITH

F, 6-7, 2006-present

High school star averaged 15 points per game as an Iowa freshman. Openly said assistant Craig Neal was the reason he attended Iowa.

The ideal recruit in Steve Alford's world would equate to rivals.com and Character Counts spawning a super child.

Talented.

Athletic.

Knows how to play the game.

Understands the academic side.

Makes teammates better.

The description might fit Florida forward Al Horford, whom Alford - now the University of New Mexico men's basketball coach - recruited but didn't land while at Iowa.

Exhibit B could be heralded recruit Eric Gordon out of Indiana, who plays in the state where Alford used to reign as a player with the Hoosiers. Gordon, a high school senior, is going to Indiana and didn't consider Iowa.

Though Alford ushered in a batch of solid players during his eight years at Iowa, some insiders say his recruiting pitch doesn't resonate in the living rooms of players across the country, including Indiana.

"The Steve Alford name just doesn't carry as much weight as it used to on the recruiting trail, because most of the players weren't even born when he was a star," said Pat Harty, columnist with the Iowa City Press-Citizen. "It's hard to say whether he'll be more successful at New Mexico."

Others are encouraged by his recent steps, including the recruitment of star freshman Tyler Smith. Alford will look to carry that momentum into his plan to mold the Lobos into a Southwest basketball power.

"Some of the guys he brought in didn't make it," said Todd Brommelkamp, editor of the Rivals-run site Hawkeyes Report. "But both he and (UNM assistant) Craig Neal proved to be very astute recruiters, and they won't settle for (junior college) guys forever. They will work to build a strong program."

The coming weeks are crucial for Alford, who will visit Las Vegas this weekend for an Athletic Amateur Union tournament. The spring signing period begins Tuesday.

New Mexico is in quick-fix mode, looking to fill scholarship spots for a 2007 class that currently doesn't exist.

There's Phoenix-area guard Ty Abbott, a Ritchie McKay recruit whom Alford has contacted in an attempt to lure back to New Mexico. Then there are Alford's three Iowa signees who might play for new Hawkeyes coach Todd Lickliter or go elsewhere.

And, of course, you have the quickest fix of all - the big-bodied junior college players.

Alford isn't against recruiting JC players, but said he considers them "gap-fillers." That likely means the JC route will be well-traveled this spring, because the Lobos have, as Alford puts it, "zero size."

Despite the pressure of timing this spring, Alford plans to find players who fit, players who "get it."

"We recruit talent, but it's not just about talent," Alford said. "It's about what type of quality person he is, how he understands the academic side of it. Unfortunately, we have to do it on the run. When you're not recruiting someone for two or three years, you don't get to know them as much as we'd like."

Alford said this week he hasn't been contacted by 6-foot-5 guard Jake Kelly, 6-7 forward Jarryd Cole or 6-1 guard Dairese Gary - who all signed with intentions to play for Alford at Iowa.

Those players could likely escape their letters of intent because of a coaching change at their current school.

Alford enters New Mexico after recruiting players to Iowa who, save Denver Nuggets forward Reggie Evans, didn't dominate the Big Ten with raw talent, those close to the program say.

The hard-nosed play of Greg Brunner, Jeff Horner and Erek Hansen led Iowa to a 25-win season in 2005. They were good college players, not overwhelming talents - which can say something about Alford's player development.

Nine Iowa players were drafted from 1990-99, the bulk of Tom Davis' tenure as Hawkeyes coach. None were drafted under Alford.

"The overall talent level wasn't what he needed to compete in this conference," said Mike Hlas, columnist for the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Brommelkamp said two players on the current roster - Seth Gorney and J.R. Angle - aren't Division-I caliber players.

Alford certainly didn't disregard his "gap-fillers" while at Iowa. He had four junior college players on last year's Iowa roster.

Many say Alford's recruiting has emerged because of assistant Craig Neal, who is now with New Mexico at a salary of $250,000 per season. Alford's compensation package is worth about $975,000 per year.

Rising sophomore forward Tyler Smith, rated as a top-50 recruit out of high school, emerged as a terrific freshman last season at 15 points per game. Smith said he's at Iowa because of Neal, a former Toronto Raptors scout.

"Neal was definitely more of the players' coach," Harty said. "He is the one with the strong recruiting style. He can talk to guys about what it takes to get to the NBA."

Evaluators can dissect his recruiting all day, but Alford seems to remain focused on what he wants in a player.

"More than skill and athleticism, we want a player who knows how to play," Alford said. "The hardest thing is teaching someone who doesn't know how to play how to play. It's a big plus when a kid understands what the game's about."