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STEVE ALFORD (PART 1)

Stephen Todd Alford (born November 23, 1964) is a retired American basketball player and the current head coach of the University of New Mexico Lobos men's basketball team. Alford, a former college basketball star and NBA player, was born in Franklin, Indiana and he grew up in New Castle, Indiana.


High school
Alford played basketball at the high school level for his father, Sam Alford, who was coach at New Castle Chrysler High School in New Castle. As a high school senior, he averaged 37.7 points per game helping him earn the title of Indiana's Mr. Basketball in 1983.

College
Alford attended Indiana University. During his time there, he played basketball under head coach Bobby Knight and became the university's all time leading scorer with 2,438 points, a record later eclipsed by Calbert Cheaney, (who eventually went on to become the Big Ten's all time leading scorer.) Alford was the first player to be named the team's MVP four times. He was also a first team All-American, and was named Big Ten MVP during his senior year of college. In the Legends of College Basketball by The Sporting News Alford was no. 35 on the list of the 100 greatest Division One college basketball players. When The Sporting News named its top ten NCAA basketball players of the 1980s in December 1989, Alford was listed at number ten.
During his final three seasons Alford earned first team all-Big Ten honors. As a freshman, he helped lead Indiana to an upset of the Michael Jordan led North Carolina Tar Heels in the 1984 NCAA tournament. He earned all-America honors as a junior. As a sophomore Alford was named to the NIT all-tourney team after the Hoosiers finished second to UCLA. Alford's free throw percentage of 89.8% is fourth in the history of the NCAA .
In 1987, Alford led the Hoosiers to the NCAA Championship Game against Syracuse. The Hoosiers won the game on a late baseline jumpshot by Indiana guard Keith Smart. Alford did his part, shooting 7-10 from the 3-point line, scoring 23 points.

Olympics
Olympic medal record Men's Basketball Gold 1984 Los Angeles Basketball For the 1984 Summer Olympics Alford was selected to play on the U.S. Basketball Team, coached by Bobby Knight. Alford averaged 10.3 points per game, was second in assists, and shot .644 from the field. He and his teammates went on to win the gold medal at the 1984 games. In this game Alford played alongside men such as Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Sam Perkins, Chris Mullin and Wayman Tisdale. Alford has recounted that during the Olympic training camp, Jordan bet him $100 that he would not last four years on Knight's Indiana team.

Professional
Following college, Alford played for four years at the professional level. During his time in the NBA, he played for the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors. He scored 744 points, had 176 assists, and shot free throws with an accuracy of 87 percent.
Alford had hoped to be drafted by the in-state Indiana Pacers in the 1987 NBA draft. Popular sentiment around the state sided with Alford, hoping the Pacers would select the hometown boy with their first-round pick. Instead, with the 11th pick in the first round the Pacers selected Reggie Miller. The large crowd at the Pacers' draft party booed. Alford slipped to the #3 pick in the second round, and Miller spent 18 years with the Pacers.
Alford co-wrote a book, Playing for Knight -- My Six Seasons with Coach Knight, about his college and Olympic basketball experiences.