Stats Don’t Lie
Though there is an ocean of stats to swim through in regards to Alford’s production at UCLA, I will focus on stats that have to do with his “success” in recruiting and as well as the season as a whole, which there is a large discrepancy between the two.
Though Alford has averaged a recruiting class ranking of 10th nationally in the last five years, his teams have ranked (on average) 28th in offensive efficiency and 83rd in defensive efficiency (thanks for the numbers, UCLA B Team!) during that time. You do not see Duke, Kentucky or even Arizona doing that.
In five years, Alford has a record of 117-57 (.672), not exactly setting the world on fire. And because he has underachieved, this also means his teams have not been ranked in the Top 25 very often.
Steve Alford's #UCLA teams have appeared in the AP poll in just 34% of available weeks. The only UCLA coach since 1948 to appear less frequently in the AP poll was Walt Hazzard, who was fired after four seasons despite being a distinguished alumnus with institutional goodwill.
— David Woods (@daviddavidwoods) March 1, 2018
If UCLA was aiming for success, not only were fans correct in questioning the hire, but five years later, there is indisputable evidence that he is not a UCLA-caliber coach. Yet just over a week after the Bruins’ play-in game loss to St. Bonaventure, Alford has not been fired. Instead, it appears as if the athletic department will retain him.
The reason for this is because the AD, which is looking at the overall climate of college basketball now that the FBI has gotten involved with several programs, does not want to terminate Alford and hire a coach that could potentially have trouble follow him to Westwood.
There is also another reason. This has to do with UCLA currently possessing the #3 recruiting class in the nation. This is the best class Alford has assembled in his time at UCLA. Though a commendable task, if they do not make any noise by next season’s end, it really does not matter what the class is ranked. All that will matter is that UCLA allowed Alford to take this program on another dead-end season which will not look good for the athletic department. Alford simply has not done anything with the talent that he has had bestowed upon him and because of that, UCLA will go nowhere if this continues.
Even the 2016-17 team that brought us Lozno Ball and TJ Leaf, despite a 31-5 record, finished 3rd in the Pac-12 regular season, lost in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals and was bounced in the Sweet 16 by an underwhelming performance against Kentucky (a team they had thoroughly beat down in Lexington earlier that season).