Go Joe Bruin
Fansided

UCLA Basketball: Steve Alford officially out, Murry Bartow named interim coach

By Mike Regalado

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 15: Head Coach Steve Alford of UCLA Men's Baskeball speaks to the media during a press conference at Pauley Pavilion on November 15, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Team members LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill have been suspended from the team after allegedly shoplifting while on a school trip to China. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 15: Head Coach Steve Alford of UCLA Men's Baskeball speaks to the media during a press conference at Pauley Pavilion on November 15, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Team members LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill have been suspended from the team after allegedly shoplifting while on a school trip to China. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

It has officially been announced that Steve Alford is no longer the head coach of the UCLA basketball program. Murry Bartow will take over as interim coach, effective immediately.

After five and a half season, the Steve Alford era with the UCLA basketball program is over. UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guererro had made the announcement on Monday morning.

RELATED: Coaches UCLA Should and Should Not Go After

"It is now clear to me that what is best for our current students and for the overall good of the program, is to make this change now. While Steve led us to three Sweet 16 appearances, we simply have not been performing at a consistent level and our struggles up to this point in the season do not bode well for the future."

This ends one of the more precarious tenures of the nine coaches since John Wooden ran the program. Ever since his hiring, Alford had been viewed as a bad fit for the most storied program in college hoops.

More from Go Joe Bruin

From his controversial stint at Iowa to his perceived nepotism with his sons getting an undeserved amount of playing time to his inability to just plain coach, Alford failed to make UCLA successful.

The embattled coach finishes his career in Westwood with an overall record of 124-63  (.663). In that time he has only been able to capture hardware once which came in his first year in the Pac-12 Tournament.

In his place, assistant Murry Bartow will take over as interim head coach. Bartow has been with the program since last spring. He was brought in to replace the former assistant coach David Grace, mostly to focus on improving the defense.

With Alford gone, this could spark some life into the Bruins who had reportedly “hated” playing for the former coach. UCLA begins Pac-12 play in three days and if they make a run, there is a very good chance that they can win the regular season conference championship.

Next. UCLA Basketball: The 25 Greatest Bruins of all time. dark

Stay with Go Joe Bruin as we will be bringing you the latest information in regards to the coaching search.