Strike while the iron is hot, as they say.
On the heels of a second consecutive Mountain West tournament title and a fourth regular season title in five seasons, the University of New Mexico and head coach Steve Alford agreed to a 10-year contract that will see him leading the Lobo basketball program through 2023.
According to Geoff Grammer of the Albuquerque Journal, the new contract takes effect beginning April 1 complete with a $240,000 bump to Alford's base salary, placing it in the $540,000 range. The contract will also include $625,000 in possible performance-based incentives and an option to raise the pay of some assistant coaches. If Alford wishes to leave UNM and void the deal at any time within those ten contracted years, the university would be owed roughly $1 million. Alford has gone on the record to say he has no intention of ever doing so.
An estimated 8,000 New Mexico fans showed up en masse to the Thomas & Mack to cheer the Lobos on during the Mountain West tournament in Las Vegas. With college basketball fanfare reaching a statewide zenith and rumors of Alford being courted by other schools, the time was right for New Mexico to lock Alford down for the foreseeable future.
In six seasons with the Lobos, Alford has compiled a 155-51 overall record and a 68-26 conference record—good for a .752 and .723 winning percentage, respectively.