NCAA Champion, All-American, and Olympic Gold Medalist Steve Alford has completed four seasons at the helm of the Wolf Pack program following the 2022-23 season. Alford has completed 32 seasons overall as a head coach, boasting a career record of 665-349 (.656).
Alford’s career-win total of 665 victories places him 13th among all active Division I coaches in career wins. Alford also ranks third all-time and second among active coaches in career Mountain West victories (107).
Over his four seasons at the Wolf Pack helm, Alford has mentored three Mountain West Newcomers of the Year (Jarod Lucas, 2022-23; Grant Sherfield, 2020-21; Jalen Harris, 2019-20), the program’s first Mountain West Freshman of the Year (Darrion Williams, 2022-23), a Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year (Nisré Zouzoua, 2019-20), two Mountain West All-Defensive Team selections (Tre Coleman, 2022-23; Kenan Blackshear, 2022-23), and nine All-Mountain West selections, including first-teamers Harris and Sherfield.
The 2022-23 campaign displayed Alford’s ability to tap the full potential of his roster. After losing 58.1 percent of the scoring output from the previous season to the transfer portal, and losing seniors K.J. Hymes and Hunter McIntosh to injury at the beginning of the season, Alford led the Pack to a 22-11 overall record, fourth-place finish in the Mountain West, and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2018-19 season. The 22 wins marked one of the biggest turnarounds in all of Division I, as the Pack increased their win total by nine from the previous season.
Nevada had an impressive outing at the 2022 Cayman Islands Classic at the beginning of the season, claiming a third-place finish in the outstanding field. Nevada earned victories over Tulane and Akron, while only suffering one defeat at the hands of Kansas State, an 87-96 overtime loss in the semifinal round to the Wildcats who went on to win the tournament.
Nevada produced an exceptional record of 14-1 on their home court, and the team earned back-to-back victories over ranked opponents at Lawlor for the first time in program history, beating #25 New Mexico (1/23/23) before taking down #22 San Diego State (1/31/23).
Nevada also had a stellar season in Mountain West play, securing a conference record of 12-6, earning a fourth-place finish at the conclusion of the regular season.
The Pack matched a program record following the completion of the regular season, as five different players earned All-MW recognition. Nevada also set a program record by obtaining seven different All-MW awards by players only.
Lucas, an offseason transfer from Oregon State, was named the Mountain West Newcomer of the Year, in addition to garnering All-MW Second Team honors after producing the best season of his collegiate career. Lucas scored in double figures in 28 of 33 contests for the Pack and he finished the season ranked tied for second in made 3-pointers, and fifth in points per game.
Blackshear, playing point guard for the first season in his entire life, was named to the All-MW Second Team while also being recognized as a member of the All-MW Defensive Team. After making the transition to point guard in the offseason, Blackshear had a breakout year under Alford’s guidance. He finished the season ranked fourth in the Mountain West in assists per game, sixth in steals per game, ninth in free throw percentage, 13th in points per game, and 13th in minutes per game.
Center Will Baker garnered Third Team All-Mountain West honors after averaging 13.6 points per game on 56.0 percent shooting from the field, 35.5 percent from behind the arc, and 84.2 percent at the free throw line.
Darrion Williams was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year for the first time in program history. Williams played in all 33 games while making 30 starts, and he finished the season ranked first on the team and third overall in the Mountain West in rebounding, averaging 7.3 boards per game.
Tre Coleman earned All-MW Defensive Team honors, marking the first time in program history that all five Wolf Pack starters garnered All-MW recognition.
Nevada earned their 10th NCAA Tournament berth in program history following the completion of the regular season, marking Alford’s 12th career appearance in the tournament. The selection also signified the fifth different school that Alford has taken to the NCAA Division I Tournament, making him just one of four coaches throughout history to accomplish the feat (Lon Kruger, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith).
Alford was named the NABC District 17 Coach of the Year at the end of the season, and Blackshear garnered First Team All-District honors while Lucas was named to the All-District Second Team.
In the 2020-21 campaign, Alford also showcased his ability to make the most of his roster. Entering the season returning just 20 percent of the scoring output from the previous year’s team, Alford’s young Wolf Pack squad opened up by capturing the Golden Window Classic title, highlighted by a last-second victory over Nebraska on the Cornhuskers’ home court.
Nevada would navigate the challenges and turns of a season operating under the increased safety protocols as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, going 16-10 overall and reaching the Mountain West Championship semifinals.
Sherfield, an offseason transfer from Wichita State, was named the season’s Mountain West Newcomer of the Year as well as to the All-Mountain West First Team, while fellow guard Desmond Cambridge, Jr., in his debut season with the Pack after transferring from Brown, earned a spot on the Third Team.
Sherfield paced the Mountain West in assists (158 total and 6.08 apg) and steals (42 total and 1.62 per game), while finishing second in scoring (18.6 ppg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.16), and third in free-throw percentage (85.5 percent). He was also in the conference's top 10 in field-goal percentage (43.3 percent, eighth).
He posted 12 20-point games this season, with 15 performances of at least six assists.
Sherfield also created key moments for the Pack in his debut season, hitting game-winning shots in the final seconds in wins over Boise State (74-72) on Feb. 5 and Colorado State (85-82) on March 5.
Cambridge, Jr. scored in double figures in 19 of 26 games, including eight 20-point performances and a season-high 31 points in the Mountain West Tournament quarterfinal win over Boise State.
He averaged 16.4 points a game, fifth-best in the Mountain West, and also ranked in the top 10 in 3-point field-goal percentage (34.8, fourth), 3-pointers made (69, third), and field-goal percentage (40.9, 10th).
The 2019-20 campaign was highlighted by Alford winning his 600th-career game Jan. 25, 2020, when Nevada defeated New Mexico 96-74 at Lawlor Events Center. The win made him, at the time, the 16th active NCAA Division I coach to reach the 600-win mark.
Alford became the first coach to win two Paradise Jam titles as the Pack swept the field, winning all three games by double figures in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 2012, he led his New Mexico squad to the title. Junior Jalen Harris was the MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Jazz Johnson.
Four members of Alford's first Nevada team garnered postseason honors led by Harris. Harris was named to the NABC and USBWA all-district teams after leading the Mountain West in scoring at 21.6 points per game. He was also a Mountain West coaches and media first team selection. Three times he was named the Mountain West Player of the Week, and on Feb. 9 was the Oscar Robertson Player of the Week. He scored 30 or more points six times including becoming the first Pack player with four-consecutive games of 30 or more points.
Johnson was named to the Mountain West coaches second team and media third team. Senior Nizre Zouzoua was the Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year as selected by the coaches and media. Johnson earned the Sixth Man of the Year honor in 2019. Another of the Pack seniors, Lindsey Drew, was named the Mountain West All-Defensive team for the second time in his career and was an honorable mention pick by the coaches and media. He was named the Mountain West Player of the Week the first week of the season.
On April 11, 2019 University of Nevada director of athletics Doug Knuth announced the hiring of Alford as the head coach of the nationally-ranked Wolf Pack men’s basketball program.
Alford, a highly successful coach with 11 NCAA Tournament berths and four Sweet 16 appearances, signed a 10-year deal to lead Nevada.
“There is no better coach than Steve Alford to continue the rise of Nevada basketball and we are excited for the next chapter,” Knuth said. “To get a leader of Coach Alford’s caliber is a testament to the support of our community and our University. There is a great tradition of Wolf Pack basketball and the future is even brighter.”
Alford is the 19th coach in the history of the Nevada program. Alford has a career record of 622-320 (.660) in 29 seasons as a collegiate head coach and is 544-290 (.652) in 26 seasons as a Division I head coach. Over his 25 previous seasons as a Division I head coach, Alford’s teams have averaged 21 wins per year with only two losing seasons.
“To be able to continue my career in a tight-knit community that has demonstrated its support for the basketball program is exactly the opportunity that Tanya and I were looking for, and we are thrilled to be in Northern Nevada,” Alford said. “I can’t wait to get to work as we look to build off the established tradition and momentum of this great program. I want this to be the last stop of my coaching career.”
Alford is no stranger to the Mountain West, having coached New Mexico to four Mountain West regular season titles and two Mountain West Tournament championships, with six postseason appearances in his six seasons in Albuquerque. With Alford now coaching the Wolf Pack, seven of the last 13 Mountain West championships have been won by Nevada, or Nevada’s current coach.
Alford joined the Wolf Pack after five-plus seasons at UCLA, where he led the Bruins to four NCAA Tournament appearances, three Sweet 16s (2014, 2015 and 2017), and the 2014 Pac-12 Tournament title. During his tenure at UCLA, he posted a record of 124-63.
Nevada is Alford’s fifth Division I head coaching job after making stops at Missouri State (1995-1999), Iowa (1999-2007), New Mexico (2007-2013), and UCLA (2013-2018). He began his collegiate coaching career at Division III Manchester College (1991-1995) and led the team to a runner-up national finish in 1995 as the squad ended the year 31-1.
In each of his previous coaching jobs he led his teams to NCAA Tournament victories, making 14 tournament appearances overall (11 at the Division I level, three at Division III). In addition to leading UCLA to three Sweet 16 appearances, he guided Missouri State to its first Sweet 16 in 1999. Seven times he has led squads to the National Invitation Tournament.
A proven winner, Alford’s teams have won eight conference tournaments: the Big 10 twice (2001, 2006), the Mountain West twice (2012, 2013), Pac-12 (2014) and the Indiana Collegiate Conference (1993, 1994, 1995) thrice during his time at Manchester.
No stranger to the Mountain West, Alford led New Mexico to four regular season and two tournament titles in six seasons as the Lobos head coach. In 2009, 2010 and 2013 he was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year. He posted a record of 155-52 at New Mexico and was 68-26 in conference play. Three of his New Mexico players; JR Giddens (2008), Darington Hobson (2010) and Kendal Williams (2013) were named Mountain West Player of the Year. The Lobos 30 wins in 2012 and 29 in 2013 are the two highest win totals in program history. The 2012 and 2013 teams secured No. 3 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, which tied New Mexico’s record for highest-seeded team.
In 16 seasons he has led his teams to 20 or more wins, and thrice to 30 or more victories. His 2016-17 UCLA squad posted a 31-5 record with the 28 regular-season victories tying the Bruins’ record for wins.
During his UCLA tenure he coached 11 NBA Draft picks, including seven first-rounders: Zach Lavine, Jordan Adams, and Kyle Anderson (2014), Kevon Looney (2015), Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf (2017), and Aaron Holiday (2018). While at New Mexico, JR Giddens and Tony Snell were first-round NBA picks.
At Manchester College, Alford earned conference coach of the year honors three times. The 1994-95 team was inducted into the school’s hall of fame and in 1999 Alford was inducted into the Manchester Hall of Fame.
As a college senior Alford led Indiana to the 1987 NCAA Championship. Playing his Hoosier career under legendary head coach Bob Knight, the 1983 Indiana Mr. Basketball was a two-time consensus NCAA All-American (1986-87), a three-time selection to the All-Big Ten First Team, and the Big Ten MVP in 1987. He ended his collegiate career as Indiana’s all-time leading scorer, with 2,438 points, and ranks second in the Hoosier record book through the 2020-21 season.
At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Alford earned gold with the United States team coached by Knight, which was also the last United States’ amateur team to win Olympic Gold.
Against France Aug. 3, 1984, Alford set the USA Basketball Olympic single-game record for field-goal percentage, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the field.
In 1997 he was inducted into the Indiana University Hall of Fame and in 2001 was one 15 players named to Indiana’s All-Century team.
Following his career at Indiana he was selected 26th overall in the 1987 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. He played four years from 1987-1991 in the NBA for Dallas and Golden State.
He is married to the former Tanya Frost. The couple has two sons Kory and Bryce and a daughter Kayla.
Coaching Accolades:
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19 seasons with 20+ victories.
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Three seasons with 30+ victories.
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12 NCAA Division I Tournament appearances.
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11-12 all-time record in the NCAA Division I Tournament.
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One of four coaches all-time to lead five different Division I programs to the NCAA Tournament (Missouri State, Iowa, New Mexico, UCLA, Nevada).
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Four Sweet 16 appearances (99’, 14’, 15’, 17’).
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13th among all active Division I coaches in career wins (665).
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Third all-time and second among active coaches in Mountain West wins (107).
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2022-23 NABC District 17 Coach of the Year.
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4x Mountain West Regular Season Champion (09’, 10’, 12’, 13’).
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2x Mountain West Tournament Champion (12’, 13’).
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3x Mountain West Coach of the Year (09’, 10’, 13’).
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Pac-12 Tournament Champion (14’).
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2x Big Ten Tournament Champion (01’, 06’).
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All-time record of 351-72 in home games as a Division I Head Coach (83.0% winning percentage).
