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UNM men's basketball: No. 2 coach garners respect
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Since it seems new associate coach Craig Neal is raking in head-coach money, it makes sense that his name was attached to numerous head coaching jobs before his move to the University of New Mexico.
Four or five schools, including Evansville and Indiana State of the Missouri Valley Conference, showed interest in Neal, the first-year Lobos assistant told The Tribune during his introductory practice Tuesday.
Instead, Neal, 43, chose another year under new Lobos coach Steve Alford for $250,000 per season, more than twice what top assistant Brad Soucie made (about $100,000) under the fired Ritchie McKay.
Not a bad salary for flying below the radar, unlike Alford, who took over the job Friday.
"The way I've looked at it, I've played at the highest level, coached at the highest level, so being a head coach is not my driving force," Neal said. "If the right job comes along, great.
"I'm happy to be here."
New UNM President David Schmidly doesn't hesitate when asked why Neal is paid a hefty salary.
His reputation more than makes up for the money, Schmidly said. Apparently, Neal and Alford were a package deal, sources say.
"He's highly regarded as one of the most outstanding associate head coaches anywhere in the country," Schmidly said. "That has become increasingly important to a program, to have the resources to hire a top-notch assistant. We're trying to build a program."
Neal, a former Georgia Tech point guard who averaged 9.5 assists per game in 1988, spent eight seasons as a talent scout for the Toronto Raptors before joining Alford at Iowa. The Hawkeyes posted a 63-35 record in Neal's three seasons with Alford, including consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Numerous publications ranked Iowa's 2006-07 recruiting class as one of the nation's top 10, according to UNM's news release. Many from the Iowa media credit Neal with much of the success from the 25-win season in 2005-06.
After one workout with Neal, who is in town while Alford is back in Iowa, already players have felt his presence.
"You can tell he knows what he's talking about," forward Daniel Faris said. "I love Coach Neal so far."
Neal is the only assistant cemented in Alford's plans. The others should develop in the coming two weeks. Alford said Monday he plans to talk with former Iowa assistants Billy Garrett and Tim Buckley along with other West Coast guys.
Recruiting won't kick off until after the Final Four, but Neal said he is prepared for a long road of adapting in a new job.
Save a lack of size, Neal has seen enough from his current Lobos to encourage him.
"My job and Coach's job is to get the most out of all our guys," Neal said. "I can't teach kids how to run and jump higher, but I can teach them how to play. We'll try to teach them how we'll play and how we'll fit in."
Most of Neal's answers on basketball are more simplistic than scientific. Players have to "do what you do." The team is a puzzle, and the coaches will "fit guys in the way we see them." To win, you have to "make it work."
If basketball fundamentals come easily to Neal, then navigating Albuquerque might take some time.
"The tough part was (Interstate) 40 was closed (Monday night) and I couldn't get to my hotel," Neal said.
