UCLA’s Steve Alford writes letter to fans, returns extension
After UCLA finished its season with a 15-17 record that ended with a 24-point blowout to rival USC in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament, many Bruins fans aren’t exactly thrilled with the direction of the program under head coach Steve Alford.
Some fans are so fed up with Alford that, on two separate occasions, banners calling for his ouster flew over campus last week. Alford has apparently heard the criticism loud and clear and sent out a lengthy letter to fans.
In the letter, Alford addresses the disappointment of the 2015-16 campaign head on and accepts full responsibility. Interestingly, he also says that he “returned” the one-year contract extension he was given after the 2013-14 season.
“Since leaving the locker room in Las Vegas (at the Pac-12 tournament), I’ve spent countless hours dissecting our program, evaluating our staff, meeting with our young men and breaking down game film to address our struggles and begin the process of improving our team,” Alford wrote. “I know none of that makes the ending to our season any better or changes how we all feel about our year, but constant review and improvement is imperative in my job – a job that I take extremely seriously and one that’s an absolute privilege to hold.
“The fact remains that no matter how much time passes, the way we finished this past season will eat at me for a long, long time. Our record speaks for itself and is simply unacceptable. There’s nothing that I can say or write that will change that fact. This happened under my watch, it begins and ends with me. The buck stops here.
“Because of this, I let (athletic director) Dan Guerrero know that I wanted to return the one-year contract extension I received after the 2013-14 season. This request has since been processed. At the end of the day, year three was clearly not up to UCLA standards. My coaching staff and I fell short not only of our own expectations, but the expectations of Dan, the Chancellor and you, our fans. As a coaching staff, we intend to earn that extension back.”
You can read the entire letter below:
Alford reached the Sweet 16 in each of his first two seasons leading the program, but this season – which ended with five straight losses and a 6-12 conference record – was a considerable step back. It was just UCLA’s fourth losing season since 1948.
Alford landed the UCLA gig after eight years at Iowa and six years at New Mexico. Overall in his three seasons in Westwood, the Bruins are 64-37 (28-22 Pac-12).
Oh, and if UCLA does decide to move on from Alford, it won’t be cheap.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
