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New Lobos coach tells Giddens to get on board, stay there

By Jeremy Fowler
Tuesday, March 27, 2007

If Steve Alford lives up to his word, there will be no J.R. Giddens drama saga.

Last season's theatrics became a distraction as the talented but troubled guard was in and out of the lineup for disciplinary reasons.

"You've got a fresh start, but the chain isn't very long," said Alford, who left Iowa last week to take the UNM job.

The most enigmatic Lobos player in years, Giddens has been both malcontent and magician, charismatic and engaging or a pouter who might refuse interview requests after a game.

Former coach Ritchie McKay, who was fired Feb. 22, suspended Giddens for two late-season games for not being a good teammate.

That came after Giddens didn't play an entire first half of one game for "not paying attention to detail" and didn't start in a 70-49 blowout loss to Brigham Young for the same reason.

Giddens, who averaged 15.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season, has said his relationship with McKay never soured.

Now he's saying all the right things with a new coach in place - that Alford controls him, that he's ready to learn.

That attitude has to translate onto the court and into practices and team huddles, said Alford, who expects Giddens to "get on board" and stay there.

Both the newest UNM coach and the former McDonald's All-American can start new, but that doesn't mean Giddens has much wiggle room.

"It's not like I don't pay attention to the warning signs of the past," said Alford, who says he'll treat every player the same. "He's a senior, so we're going to try to build this thing the right way. He has to show me very early on in the process that he's on board. A freshman trying to test me is one thing, but a senior isn't going to work very well. We don't have the time."